Pasta with Mushroom-Zucchini Sauce

This stripped-down pasta dinner for two comes together in about 10 minutes of active cooking. Thinly sliced mushrooms and zucchini strips get a fast stir-fry in olive oil until they just start to brown at the edges, then low-fat white cheese melts into the hot vegetables and coats everything in a light, creamy sauce.

The key is slicing the vegetables thin and uniform so they cook at the same rate. Zucchini cut into thin strips and thinly sliced mushrooms will soften and pick up color in about three minutes total. That brief browning concentrates their flavor instead of steaming them into something watery.

Toss the cooked pasta in while the cheese is still melting so the starch on the noodles helps the sauce cling. A generous shower of grated Parmesan on top finishes it with a salty, nutty punch.

Chef Tips

• Use whatever short pasta you have on hand. Penne or fusilli grab the sauce well.
• Don’t crowd the pan. The vegetables need contact with the hot surface to brown, not steam.
• If your zucchini is releasing too much water, your heat is too low. Crank it up and let the moisture cook off before adding cheese.
• Have everything sliced and measured before you start. This cooks fast and there’s no downtime.

Variations

• Add halved cherry tomatoes to the stir-fry for a pop of acidity.
• Stir in a handful of fresh basil or baby spinach right at the end.
• Swap the white cheese for ricotta dollops for a creamier, slightly sweeter finish.