I'm Guilty!

Although I didn't go away for the long weekend I did go out more than I should have (just ask my accountant), leaving me with little reason to cook or shop for food. I had a free night and still wanted to eat dinner after going to the gym yesterday, so fortunately found this basic recipe. Pasta, yogurt and zucchini? Not exactly a "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" combination, but surprisingly tasty (and cheap). I thought it might need some lemon zest, but the yogurt provided all the zest required. I also used 2% yogurt and less butter, cutting out some of the extra fat for a more guilt free meal. I was already up to my eyeballs in guilt after a lunch of a fried chicken BLT topped with fried green tomatoes. And bacon. I have to go back to the gym, stat!

Pasta with Yogurt and Zucchini

Adapted from Food & Wine

1 pound cut pasta
4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. One minute before the pasta is done, add the shredded zucchini to the pot. Drain the pasta and zucchini, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in the yogurt and the 1 cup of grated cheese and season the yogurt sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.

3. Add the pasta, zucchini and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and cook over low heat, tossing, until the sauce coats the pasta; transfer to warmed bowls and serve with the extra cheese.