Companion Chronicles: JP: 3 - Zucchini, Meet Linguine: A Caramelized Meal You’ll Love

Good Morning Readers ( I write this at 12:10 AM, officially 10 minutes past my due date),

I want to start by formally apologizing for the delay. These past few weeks have been some of the busiest and most hectic of my life when it comes to work. It's been a mentally draining but rewarding time. Because of this, I wasn’t able to get my blog posted on time. Even worse, I struggled to come up with a clear idea of what I wanted to write about. After much thought, I decided to share something I always enjoy, even after an especially exhausting day of work—my favorite meal: Caramelized Zucchini Linguine. I truly hope you all get the chance to try this dish, and if you do, please reach out and let me know what you think.

Before we get into the recipe, I wanted to share a little history of how I discovered this meal. Over a year ago, my roommate and I decided to split the cost of the meal delivery service "Everyplate." I would highly recommend this service if you're looking to save money while being able to cook and enjoy a wide variety of meals. Anyway, during our time using the service, my roommate and I tried probably 100 different meals, and not a single one came close (for me) to beating the caramelized zucchini linguine. Whenever we got it, I never let my roommate cook it (we had assigned cooking days) because I didn’t want her to mess it up and I prepared it a bit differently than the recipe suggested. That being said, if you ever try Everyplate and order this meal, let me know if you prefer their version or mine. I, of course, prefer mine. Okay, let’s dive into the recipe.

THE RECIPE (4 SERVINGS)

[feel free to call me during any of this for help]

INGREDIENTS & MEASUREMENTS

Linguine – 1 lb (1 box)
Zucchini – About 1 lb (typically 4 zucchinis, prepacked)
Lemons – 2 (the larger, the better)
Shallot – 1 (medium to large)
Garlic – 8 cloves
Parmesan Cheese (shredded, NOT grated) – 1 cup (I use the 1.5 cup bag from Publix)
Fresh Parsley – 1 tbsp, chopped
Vegetable Stock – 1 tsp
Cream Cheese – 2 oz (use an actual block)
Italian Seasoning – 1.5 tbsp
Butter – 3 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp (plus more to taste)
Pepper – To taste
Red Pepper Flakes – To taste
Olive Oil – 4 tbsp

STEP ONE: PREP

I like to start this meal by prepping everything I will need to make it.

1. Grab a pot big enough to cook a full box of linguine and fill it with salted water. Slowly bring that to a boil while you prep your veggies.

**FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE BELOW PICTURES FOR STEP 2**

2. Take your zucchini and cut them in half. Do not cut them in half length wise, cut them in the middle as shown in FIGURE 1 below. From here, stand each half up vertically and cut them into planks with about the same thickness as shown in FIGURE 2. Once you have done this with each zucchini, cut the planks into sticks like in FIGURE 3, but make them just SLIGHTLY less wide - more so where the black line I added is. Once they are all cut into these sticks, put aside.

3. Take the 2 big lemons you have and zest them. Make sure to get as much of the zest as you can as we want to make this a very lemony dish. After they are zested, go ahead and cut both lemons into quarters for later.

4. Get 8 cloves from your bulb of garlic, peel and finely chop them - set aside.

5. Peel, half and chop your shallot - set aside.

6. Pick your parsley leaves from the stems, and finely chop the leaves until you have about a tablespoon

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

STEP 2: COOKING

Once all the prep is done we can finally start our cooking process.

1. In a big pan ( I use one very similar to the one below) heat up 4 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.

2. Once pan and oil is heated, add your garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

3. Add your zucchini sticks and stir to get them all coated in the olive oil, garlic, and shallot mixture.

4. Add 1 tsp of salt over the zucchini and a pinch of red pepper flakes. You can always add more to taste.

5. Cook them, stirring and folding occasionally, until they are slightly caramelized and soft. **NOTE** I do not actually do this for a specific amount of time. I normally cook them until I can easily, with little pressure, cut one in half with the tip of my spatula. This is how I know they are done. **END NOTE** Once this step is about half way done, I add my pasta to the water and cook until al-dente (about 11 minutes) - drain and set aside.

6. Once your zucchini is cooked and soft, turn your heat to low and add your cream cheese (2 oz) and veggie stock (1 tsp) and stir until combined and the zucchini is creamy and coated. You will want to be sure there are no chunks of cream cheese and it has all been smoothed out.

7. Sprinkle your Italian seasoning onto the mixture and stir it to make sure it is combined and mixed.

8. Take 6 of the 8 lemon quarters you have (leave 2 for serving) and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Add all the lemon zest you have as well. Mix this all together until it is smooth and all the zucchini is coated. Turn off heat.

STEP 3: COMBINATION

1. Once your zucchini mixture is done, add the drained pasta, half a cup of the shredded parmesan, half the parsley, and 3 TBSP of butter into the pan with the mixture.

2. Mix all this together, folding the pasta into the mixture to get every noodle coated. The cheese and butter should melt and the pasta should have an nice coat of your smooth zucchini mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 3: PLATE

1. Once your noodles are coated and all the cooking is done, grab a big ol bowl and put a hefty helping of pasta into it.

2. Use the other half cup of cheese, as well as the other half of the parsley, to sprinkle on top.

3. Serve with remaining lemon wedge on the side (squeeze all of that in there as well).

4. It should come out looking a little something like the picture below.

STEP 4: ENJOY!

1. Enjoy the meal and let me know what you think!

(Deca)Daily Stoic: Wisdom for Every (10) Day(s)
March 21st, 2025
THE BEST RETREAT IS IN HERE, NOT OUT THERE

“Men seek retreats for themselves - in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. You are very much in the habit of yearning for those same things. But this is entirely the trait of a base person, when you can, at any moment, find such a retreat in yourself. For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less busy retreat than in your own soul - especially if on close inspection it is filled with ease, which I say is nothing more than being well-ordered. Treat yourself often to this retreat and be renewed”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations , 4.3.1