Pasta with zucchini and labneh sauce

June 2, 2011  •  Category: ,

 

Temperatures are hovering around 99F; this pasta is light and quick to prepare. All you need is a pot of yogurt, some zucchini and a little garlic. A basil bush on your windowsill would not hurt either.


INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 ounces of pasta
  • 8 ounces of labneh (to make it at home, click here)
  • 1 pound of zucchini
  • 4 cloves of garlic, mashed into a paste with some salt in a mortar
  • 12 basil leaves
  • 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
  • Olive oil, as needed

METHOD:

  1. Wash and dry the zucchini and dice; heat some olive oil in a large skillet and stir-fry the zucchini for about 10 minutes until it gets softer and cooks a bit.
  2. Place half the diced zucchini in the bowl of a food processor with the labneh, garlic paste and basil. Purée the mixture, leaving the texture a bit chunky; cook the pasta and reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a bowl, add the zucchini sauce, the cooking water and toss; add the remaining zucchini and toss. Serve.

Comments

20 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Rosa says:

    Delicious and healthy!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. Jamie says:

    99°F? Wow! I remember days like that in Florida long ago! But I love this quick, light, refreshing pasta dish and now I know what I can make this weekend. Love it!

  3. Belinda @zomppa says:

    It has been ridiculously hot here as well – light pastas are definitely the way to go!

  4. Caffettiera says:

    Perfect fare for a summer dinner. Some mint may work too..

  5. Steve @ HPD says:

    Yum, yum, and also yum.

  6. Priya says:

    Delicious and filling pasta..yumm!

  7. Kristi says:

    My husband (born in Syria) has a hard time digesting cream-based pasta sauces but he does fine with yogurt. We will have to try this dish – thank you!

  8. Peter says:

    Best pasta dishes are ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta. Cool, refreshing labneh and bright basil…I;m in!

  9. Katherine says:

    It is definitely just as hot over in Israel! Love this. I am always looking for more uses for labneh and I love zucchini with pasta. I will be making this soon! Thanks.

  10. Claudia says:

    Heat is coming to MN. Spring never came but summer is here and so are my zucchin plants. I will be making this – simple for summer, refreshing, healthy and just plain good! (Good trumps all!)

  11. Joan Nova says:

    I wouldn’t have thought of pasta with labneh but why not? It’s like a cream sauce (only better!) What a great idea!

  12. Juanita says:

    What a lovely, light pairing of flavours!

  13. weirdcombos says:

    Joumana,

    I have yet to try labne and it looks super easy to make. Steven makes a delicious dish like yours except that he uses grated parmesan next time I will ask him to replace it with labne.
    We are freezing in SF with rain in the radar for the weekend, not fair lol
    Enjoy the heat!
    Cheers,
    H

  14. Barbara says:

    I’m telling you, these pasta recipes I’ve been seeing are killing me. I am on a no-carb diet for a couple months! It’ll be the end of me, I swear.
    And here’s one more dish I’m going to copy for future cooking. Looks wonderful, Joumana.

  15. Anne says:

    It is freaking hot here too. I am ready for some green tea ice cream. Something cool and refreshing.

    This dish looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it.

  16. Susan says:

    I love any dish with lots of green in it 🙂 This sounds healthy and delicious!

  17. Magic of Spice says:

    A very delightful sauce and lovely pasta dish! Perfect for warm evenings and so fresh 🙂

  18. domi says:

    Un régal ces pâtes, elles m’ont l’air délicieuses….

  19. Benoit says:

    Hey Joumana,

    It’s hot up north too — it was 97° today here in New Hampshire! I made this tonight using some shredded zucchini that has been chilling out (pun intended) in our freezer for some time. Served alongside some of hummus that mysteriously apparated in the firdge, it was perfect. Pleasing on the eye, rich on the tongue and light on the stomach.

    Much thanks,

    Benoit

  20. mustardseed says:

    Oh I love this pasta dish and I have learned a bit about Lebanese cuisine browsing through your blog. It was such a pleasure.

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