Straw and Hay with Zucchini and Pecorino is white and green tagliatelle tossed with zucchini, tomatoes and basil, ready in about 30 minutes. It feeds 4, and the two colors of pasta make a plain weeknight dinner look special.
Why This Recipe Works
The sauce starts with olive oil and butter together. The oil keeps the butter from browning too fast, and the butter adds a soft, round flavor that oil alone does not give.
Cut the zucchini into matchsticks, not rounds. Thin strips cook through in 10 to 12 minutes and sit among the pasta ribbons, so each forkful has some zucchini in it. A firm zucchini keeps its bite instead of turning to mush.
Fresh tagliatelle cooks in about 1 minute, so the sauce has to be ready before the pasta goes in. Tossing the drained pasta with the sauce right away lets the strands pick up the butter and juices. Pecorino on top adds a sharp, salty finish.
Straw and Hay with Zucchini and Pecorino Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces butter
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 14 ounces firm zucchini, cut into matchsticks
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced into small segments
- 5 basil leaves, chopped
- 8 ounces white fresh tagliatelle
- 8 ounces green fresh tagliatelle
- 3 ounces freshly grated pecorino cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Straw and Hay with Zucchini and Pecorino
Cook the sauce
- Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until soft. Low heat keeps the garlic from turning bitter.
- Cook the zucchini: Stir in the zucchini matchsticks and the tomato segments. Keep frying gently, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
- Add the basil: Stir in the chopped basil at the end. It keeps more of its fresh smell when it only warms through.
Cook and toss the pasta
- Boil the pasta: Cook the white and green tagliatelle in boiling salted water for 1 minute, or until al dente. Drain well.
- Toss with the sauce: Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until every strand is coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with pecorino: Divide the pasta among 4 plates and top each one with plenty of grated pecorino.
Recipe Tips
- Salt the water: Fresh pasta cooks so fast that the water is your only chance to season it. Salt the pot well before the pasta goes in.
- Have the sauce ready: Finish the sauce before you drop the pasta in the water. Fresh tagliatelle goes from firm to soft in seconds and does not wait well.
- Pick firm zucchini: Small, firm zucchini have less water and fewer seeds. They hold their shape as matchsticks and do not make the sauce watery.
- Grate the cheese yourself: Freshly grated pecorino melts into the hot pasta better than pre-grated cheese, which often has anti-caking powder.
What To Serve With Straw and Hay with Zucchini and Pecorino
Serve this straight from the skillet while the pasta is hot, with extra pecorino at the table. A simple arugula salad with lemon and a glass of crisp white wine go well next to it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Fresh pasta soaks up the sauce as it sits.
- Reheat: Warm the pasta in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or a small knob of butter. Heat it until hot all the way through.
FAQs
What does straw and hay mean in Italian cooking?
Straw and hay, or paglia e fieno, is a mix of plain yellow and green spinach tagliatelle. The pale and green strands look like straw and hay in a pile. The name describes the pasta, not any ingredient.
Can I use dried pasta instead of fresh?
Yes, but the cooking time changes. Cook dried tagliatelle by the package directions, usually 8 to 10 minutes, and start it before the sauce is done. Fresh pasta cooks in about 1 minute.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Yes, as far as the sauce goes. It has no meat or fish. Classic pecorino is made with animal rennet, so look for a vegetarian-labeled pecorino or use another hard cheese if that matters to you.
How do I keep the zucchini from getting watery?
Use firm zucchini and cut them into thin matchsticks. Cook them over gentle heat, stirring, so the moisture cooks off slowly. Do not cover the skillet, because a lid traps steam and turns the zucchini soft.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 640 kcal
- Total Fat: 29g
- Total Carbohydrate: 68g
- Dietary Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 24g
Straw and Hay with Zucchini and Pecorino
4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesWhite and green tagliatelle tossed with zucchini matchsticks, tomatoes and basil in a light butter and olive oil sauce, finished with pecorino. An easy pasta dinner for 4.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
14 ounces firm zucchini, cut into matchsticks
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced into small segments
5 basil leaves, chopped
8 ounces white fresh tagliatelle
8 ounces green fresh tagliatelle
3 ounces freshly grated pecorino cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Soften the onion: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until soft. Low heat keeps the garlic from turning bitter.
- Cook the zucchini: Stir in the zucchini matchsticks and the tomato segments. Keep frying gently, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
- Add the basil: Stir in the chopped basil at the end. It keeps more of its fresh smell when it only warms through.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the white and green tagliatelle in boiling salted water for 1 minute, or until al dente. Drain well.
- Toss with the sauce: Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until every strand is coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with pecorino: Divide the pasta among 4 plates and top each one with plenty of grated pecorino.
