Zucchini is showing up in abundance at city greenmarkets. At Union Square on Saturday morning, the stalls were stacked high with summer squash—thin, green, and still cool from the early harvest. Many home cooks are turning to lighter meals as temperatures climb.
Eric Kim, a New York-based food writer, has offered a pared-down pasta recipe that uses zucchini as the main ingredient. The dish draws on aglio e olio, an Italian standard, but swaps in thin rounds of zucchini for much of the bulk. Garlic and olive oil remain at the core, with the squash cooked just until tender.
The recipe requires only a few ingredients and comes together in less than half an hour. Kim recommends using a mandoline for even slicing, though careful knife work will do. The result is a plate of pasta that feels appropriate for the season—light enough for a late dinner after a humid day.
Restaurant chefs have long used zucchini in summer pastas, but the home version often veers toward complicated preparations. Kim’s approach strips the process down. The focus remains on the vegetables, with minimal seasoning beyond salt, pepper, and the zest of a lemon.
As July approaches, easy dishes like this are likely to see more play in city kitchens. With air conditioners running and windows open onto noisy streets, fuss-free meals appeal to those who would rather spend their evenings outside.