No Recipe Pasta

• 1 pound pasta of your choice preferably a flat pasta. Campanelle works as an in between and is my pasta of choice for this.
• 1 raw egg beaten
• 3 oz fresh grated Parmesan
• 1 zucchini per two people eating.
• 5 oz of cherry or grape tomatoes per 2 people eating
• 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s
• Olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 minced garlic clove (optional)
• Parmesan for garnish (optional)
• minced fresh parsley (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Mix beaten egg and Parmesan.
3. Drain pasta and immediately return to hot pot over low heat and add butter and egg/cheese mixture. Toss well to both cook the egg and coat all the pasta. Use tongs for long pasta or a spoon for short pasta.
4. Slice zucchini in circles about 1/8” thick. Not too thick. Not too thin.
5. Halve tomatoes.
6. Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in nonstick skillet. I used a large 12” skillet. Heat for a minute on medium high and add zucchini. Cook tossing until soft and some slices are browning. Sprinkle with 21 Seasoning Salute (or just salt and pepper if you don’t have it). It’s about 1 tbsp if cooking for four. A little more if cooking for more people.
7. Remove zucchini from heat. Add garlic. Toss until dispersed. Add tomatoes. Toss until well mixed. Set aside.
8. serve pasta and top with vegetables. Garnish as desired with more cheese and/or parsley.

How do I write a recipe for food I never use a recipe for? It wasn’t easy. Like I don’t measure my seasoning, I just … season it! But since I’m writing these not just for my future reference but for my kids as well, I thought I’d include one of my “no recipe recipes.”

Tonight I measured out what was left of packages I used so I’d know how much cheese I used. I also used a beautiful fresh heritage chicken egg with the most beautifully rich yolk, so I’m sad I didn’t take a picture of it.

The 21 Seasoning Salute is something I recently bought on a whim at Trader Joe’s, and it’s the most amazing vegetable seasoning mix I’ve ever used. I will be buying this again. Before, I’d just use salt and pepper, so this will be fine.

I also cooked a couple chicken breasts in the instant pot and sliced them for some added protein. We only used 2-3 slices of chicken per person. The veggies and pasta are the star. The chicken is not really needed.

You’ll note in the photo I used curly parsley. Feel free to use flat leaf. Most people prefer it. I have a fear of accidentally buying cilantro, so I always use curly leaf.