This recipe comes from the Half-Baked Harvest cookbook by Tieghan Gerard and it is just too darn good to limit it to a summer meal.
Living in San Luis Obispo our warmest months are September and October so tomatoes and basil remain plentiful and readily available at the very least throughout these warmer months, and under the right conditions even longer.
I was drawn to her recipe when I saw this colorful, vibrant dish in her cookbook a couple of weeks ago.
I loved the idea of making it lighter by using half pasta and half spiralized zucchini. And finally a chance to use that spiralizer I bought on sale months ago!
note: If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a mandoline or a julienne peeler to cut the zucchini into ribbons, or thinly slice it into matchsticks.
You might not live in a warmer climate, but you may have access to a market where you can find fresh basil and beautiful ripe cherry or grape tomatoes . If so, give this fun dish a try.
And if not, save it away for next summer. You won’t be sorry.
Fresh Summer (or anytime) Bolognese (serves 4)
(adapted from Half Baked Harvest cookbook by Tieghan Gerard)
Kosher salt
½ pound dried pasta (spaghetti, linguini, or fettuccine)
1 pound lean ground beef (85/15)
2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 14-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
½ cup white wine
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto, store-bought or homemade
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 zucchini, spiralized (see note above)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
8 ounces burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes, or combination
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium. When the skillet is just smoking, add the ground beef and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, wine, pesto, roasted red pepper, and ½ cup water.
Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the basil and Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.
3. Toss the hot pasta with the spiralized zucchini, olive oil, and lemon zest.
4. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and top with the sauce. Add the burrata or fresh mozzarella to the pasta. Add a handful of tomatoes and olives to each. Garnish with basil.
