Penne with Zucchini & Mint

It's vacation week!! You know what that means - tons of new recipes will be tested this week. I'm so excited to have some time off, mainly because finding time to cook a real meal between internship and class is almost impossible. This is why a big goal of mine lately has been finding quick recipes that don't involve dinosaur chicken nuggets or peanut butter (haven't paired these in the same dish... yet). 

This first one comes from Ellie Krieger, who is definitely one of my cooking idols. Besides the fact that she's always eerily calm, she has a gift for making healthy food absolutely delicious. Every recipe in her book, So Easy, has been awesome so far and I can't wait to keep trying more. Each recipe is written in a way that makes it seem doable, even if you're totally freaked out in the kitchen. Another sad plus: eating healthy meals feeds my delusion that veggies can balance out the constant presence of cupcakes and cookies in our kitchen. 

Seeing the words mint and pasta in the same title made this recipe a little scary. I've only ever used mint in mojitos and it was starting to feel like an Iron Chef challenge (and the secret ingredient is..... MINT! ::Gasp::). But, it's such a unique combination that I had to try it. It turns out that all my fears were unwarranted - the pasta was delicious!! It was so light and the mint added a pleasant little pop of flavor. Jeff and I almost finished the pot, so this is definitely something to hide away if you're one for portion control. I could see this pasta being great with other veggies too such as squash or mushrooms. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

Penne with Zucchini & Mint 

Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients
1 box (13.25 ounces) whole-wheat penne pasta 
1/4 cup olive oil 
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water (1 teaspoon of salt will work) to boil over medium-high heat. Add the penne and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. 

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 6 minutes, or until garlic is lightly browned. Side note: It is super easy to burn garlic! I've done it more times than I'd like to admit. If the garlic is looking brown before the 6 minutes is up, it would be safe to move on to the next step. 

3. Add the zucchini and stir to incorporate. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, pepper and salt.  

4. Drain the pasta then return to the pot. Add the zucchini and sauce, Parmesan cheese and mint. Toss to combine. 

Recipe adapted from Healthy Eating with Ellie Krieger