My garden is literally exploding right now. My Sungold tomato plant is reaching its tentacles well beyond the confines of its cage…and I am a bit nervous my pumpkin plants are going to take over the world. Want to save money on good food? Grow it. As they say, growing food is like printing money. Well, as long as the seeds take.
The challenge is that, particularly when you’re a novice at growing in stages like me, you end up with an insane amount of the same veggie to use up, all at once. So you need some go-to recipes to make the most of the bounty.
This is the kind of recipe where ingredient quality is king. In the middle of winter, this is a nice simple pasta dish. In the middle of summer – particularly when picking perfectly ripe produce from your garden – this is a transcendent experience. The sweet acidity of Sungold tomatoes makes it totally addictive, if you can get your hands on them.
If you’ve been reading on the internet that tomatoes are inflammatory, never fear… it’s total hogwash. Every single fruit and vegetable has a place in an anti-inflammatory diet. I also highly recommend the almond ricotta here as without it, the recipe doesn’t have much in the way of plant-based protein.
I love this dish so much…it’s the star on the cover of Eat More Plants Cookbook for a reason! This is exactly what I want to eat on a hot midsummer day.
Craving a good salad? Enjoy these!
- Snap Pea Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Simple Summer Succotash
- Tomato Salad with Dates and Mint
- Roasted Shiitake and Lentil Salad
- Vegan Greek Salad with Whipped Tofu Feta
Summer Zoodles with Raw Sungold Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds zucchini, ideally firm and large diameter for better spiralizing, or 1 pound box of spaghetti, boiled according to package directions
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced or micro-grated
- 3 tablespoons pickled capers, chopped
- 1 pound ripe Sungold tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)
- salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice to taste
- To serve, one 398ml can of white beans, rinsed or 1 cup of my almond ricotta
Instructions
- In a large serving dish, place oil, garlic, capers, tomatoes, and basil and crush the sauce together with your fingers to release juices and blend ingredients. Season with a generous lashing of salt (at least 1/4-1/2 teaspoon), pepper and lemon juice for more acidity if required. If tomatoes aren't naturally sweet, the addition of 1/2 teaspoon of sugar can boost flavour. Let sit so flavours can blend.
- Spiralize zucchini or cook pasta. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use a good vegetable peeler to make large ribbons of zucchini. It will just take a little longer!
- Make my almond ricotta or rinse and drain beans.
- Toss sauce with pasta of choice and if using a standard pasta, the addition of a couple of large handfuls of arugula will add extra greens. Divide among four plats and top with almond ricotta.
Jordanna says
This was a really fresh and vibrant recipe that celebrates the bounty of summer! I just made it today for lunch for my family. We are a family of omnivores, including myself, and we opted to use the almond ricotta thinking that we may need something else to go with it. Boy were we wrong! The fiber from all the raw veggies and almond ricotta made this very filling! So easy to make! The almond ricotta was sensational!!!
I first saw Desiree use the spiralizer culinary tool on the “Urban Vegetarian” show for several episodes. I bought the Easy Twist Spiralizer from Progressive and loved how beautiful and transformative it made the zucchini into zoodles! Look forward to using the spiralizer more often!
I did get a bite after taste but my other family members did not. I have very sensitive taste buds so I may try a small piece of raw garlic or half a piece of raw garlic for the actual sauce next time. On the other hand, in my opinion I felt that the half piece of raw garlic in the almond ricotta was perfect.
Desiree, you are my culinary hero! You never cease to amaze us in your skill, creativity, and harmony of flavors!
Desiree Nielsen says
Hi Jordanna,
I am so glad you liked this recipe! Yes, if you are sensitive to bitter flavours, playing with both sugar and acid like lemon juice really helps. Add a little…and taste. Then adjust! You can always add more but you can’t take it back 😉
Jordanna says
P.S. I made a mistake with executing the recipe! I just realized lemon juice could be added to the sauce. I forgot to put it in! Next time I will start with 2 tsp. of lemon juice and go up from there, if needed. I ended up putting 3 tsp. of sugar to try to balance out the bitter flavor of the sauce initially. I think putting a half clove of raw garlic in the sauce, 2 tsp. of sugar in the sauce, and 2 tsp. of lemon juice in the sauce may reduce the bitter after taste of the sauce for my liking.
Jordanna says
Hello cooking friends!
My family begged me to make the summer zoodles again for lunch today. I consented as long as they did ALL the dishes! 🙂 I was sneaky and changed the recipe a little. No one noticed except for me, of course. I followed all of Desiree’s original recipe and only made these changes: 1/3 cup of fresh, organic basil, 1 tsp. of lemon juice, and 1 tsp. of sugar for the sauce. I loved it! There was no bite after taste compared to last week. I wanted to share my changes in case any of you guys have sensitive taste buds like myself. You guys have to make this recipe! Your lives will be forever changed for the better! Desiree is a genius with creating unique, amazing flavors! Happy summer! 🌤
Desiree Nielsen says
Thank you so much Jordanna, so helpful!!
Jordanna says
P.S. Also used 1/2 small clove of garlic for the sauce and it made a huge difference! 🙂