Summer Squash Parmesan Pasta + Turkey Meatballs

Here’s a lighter end-of-summer recipe featuring garden tomatoes + the seasonal summer squash that’s been on sale all over town: Summer Squash Parmesan Pasta + Turkey Meatballs in this 9/3/17 edition of Sunday Scratchups, your weekly recipe from scratch around grocery sales and affordable ingredients.

You might notice that the pasta/meatball ratio is a little off here: You get a lot of pasta, but just 12 meatballs. This is a feature, not a bug, because on the first night everyone enjoys meatballs over their warm pasta — and on the next night, you can serve the leftover veggie pasta cold as a hearty side dish. Win-win!

Summer Squash Parmesan Pasta + Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

– for the meatballs

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red or orange bell pepper, finely chopped (I used an orange pepper and chopped it very small with my little food chopper)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 tsp minced)
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 lb 85/15 ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

– for the veggies

1-3 small to medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced (about 12 oz)*
1-3 small to medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced (about 12 oz)
1 pint (about 1.5 cups) cherry or grape tomatoes
8 whole peeled garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

– for the pasta

12 oz box bowtie (farfalle) pasta
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook about two minutes, then add bell pepper and garlic and saute another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you cut up the squash, then add turkey, egg, Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, and sea salt to a large bowl. Add cooked onion & pepper mixture and combine, being careful not to overmix.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (both the meatballs and veggies are messy; don’t skip it), and spray each with cooking spray. Roll turkey mixture into 12 large meatballs and space evenly across one baking sheet. Spread squash, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes in as close to a single layer as possible across the second baking sheet and toss with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then top with Parmesan.

Put both pans in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 23 minutes, switching baking racks and stirring veggies halfway through, or until meatballs are cooked through and squash is tender.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. (Start the water boiling about the same time you put the meatballs and veggies in the oven, and the timing should work out pretty closely.) Drain, reserving about one cup of the starchy cooking liquid, then return pasta to the pot.

Toss hot pasta with Parmesan, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid until cheese is melted and noodles are coated with a very light sauce, adding additional pasta water to thin out as necessary. Stir in cooked veggies (scrape in the whole pan, including the cheese and juice from where the tomatoes burst), then serve your veggie pasta topped with turkey meatballs and additional Parmesan to taste.

* Note: I had small yellow squash and medium zucchini, so used three summer squash + one zucchini — the ratio isn’t all that important; use what you have!

Perfect for a summer’s day…

This light yet filling summer squash Parmesan pasta balances nicely with the turkey meatballs, while including the sweet bell pepper both gives you another shot of veggies and helps keep the meatballs from drying out (as ground turkey is sometimes wont to do). If you have extra cherry tomatoes, you can throw some more on in there, too — they provide a lovely burst of sweetness in the saltier pasta and meatballs.

Summer Squash Parmesan Pasta + Turkey Meatballs, printable recipe

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Summer Squash Parmesan Pasta + Turkey Meatballs

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If you have extra cherry tomatoes, you can throw some more on in there, too -- they provide a lovely burst of sweetness in the saltier pasta and meatballs.

Course dinner

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 plus a leftover side dish

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the meatballs

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red or orange bell pepper, finely chopped (I used an orange pepper and chopped it very small with my little food chopper)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 tsp minced)
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• 1 lb 85/15 ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

- for the veggies

• 1-3 small to medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced (about 12 oz)*
• 1-3 small to medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced (about 12 oz)
• 1 pint about 1.5 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 8 whole peeled garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

- for the pasta

• 12 oz box bowtie (farfalle) pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook about two minutes, then add bell pepper and garlic and saute another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Remove from heat and let cool a bit while you cut up the squash, then add turkey, egg, Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, and sea salt to a large bowl. Add cooked onion & pepper mixture and combine, being careful not to overmix.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (both the meatballs and veggies are messy; don't skip it), and spray each with cooking spray. Roll turkey mixture into 12 large meatballs and space evenly across one baking sheet. Spread squash, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes in as close to a single layer as possible across the second baking sheet and toss with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then top with Parmesan.
• Put both pans in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 23 minutes, switching baking racks and stirring veggies halfway through, or until meatballs are cooked through and squash is tender.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. (Start the water boiling about the same time you put the meatballs and veggies in the oven, and the timing should work out pretty closely.) Drain, reserving about one cup of the starchy cooking liquid, then return pasta to the pot.
• Toss hot pasta with Parmesan, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid until cheese is melted and noodles are coated with a very light sauce, adding additional pasta water to thin out as necessary.
•  Stir in cooked veggies (scrape in the whole pan, including the cheese and juice from where the tomatoes burst), then serve your veggie pasta topped with turkey meatballs and additional Parmesan to taste.

Notes

I had small yellow squash and medium zucchini, so used three summer squash + one zucchini -- the ratio isn't all that important; use what you have! You might notice that the pasta/meatball ratio is a little off here: You get a lot of pasta, but just 12 meatballs. This is a feature, not a bug, because on the first night everyone enjoys meatballs over their warm pasta -- and on the next night, you can serve the leftover veggie pasta cold as a hearty side dish. 

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