Fresh Garlic Herb Vegetable Scampi
Simple but flavorful, this garlic herb vegetable scampi tastes delicious and comes together in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 9 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice or to taste
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
-
Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot off the heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss to combine.
-
While pasta is cooking, prepare vegetables by washing, coring, and chopping into ¾-inch pieces. Set aside.
-
In a large 12-inch cast iron or other heavy duty skillet melt the butter and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic all at once and sauté for 1 minute (be careful not to burn).
-
Add the chopped vegetables, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 5-8 minutes until veggies are tender, stirring often.
-
Remove skillet from the heat. Add chopped parsley or basil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (or as much as desired) and cooked, drained pasta. Toss to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
1. Fresh minced garlic is best in this recipe. The refrigerated kind will not have the same flavor.
2. The fresh herbs really make the flavor pop in this recipe. I haven't tried it with dried herbs, but I think they will work if fresh are not available. I would probably start with 1 tablespoon of dried parsley or basil.
3. The recipe I adapted this from included quite a bit of lemon juice. I prefer just a squeeze to brighten the flavor a bit. Feel free to add more (or some lemon zest) if you want a strong lemon flavor.
4. For a seafood variation, cook peeled, deveined, raw shrimp in the 12-inch skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil about 5 minutes, stirring often until pink. Remove liquid and cooked shrimp from pan and set aside. Add at the very end.
5. This recipe is adaptable with other vegetables. I've also made this dish with frozen stir-fry vegetables when fresh are not available.