Meatless Monday: Grilled Zucchini & Buttermilk-Basil Pasta

Welcome to Meatless Monday, a column in the spirit of the Meatless Monday initiative, which promotes going without meat one day a week to reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

Here we'll share favorite recipes in which vegetables are the main attraction. About this time of year, greenmarkets and garden patches are usually overflowing with zucchini. So we thought we'd share a lovely, light pasta dish for late summer get-togethers.

Grilled Zucchini & Buttermilk-Basil Pasta

Ingredients

5 Tbsp buttermilk
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white-wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash (or both!), halved and cut lengthwise into
   1/4-inch slices
1 lb pasta, preferably linguine

Method

1. Heat a grill over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup, combine buttermilk and 5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil with white-wine vinegar. In a food processor, combine garlic, basil, and Parmesan and process until basil is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. With machine running, add buttermilk mixture in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Toss zucchini with remaining tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill zucchini until lightly charred and tender, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping once. Set aside.

3. Cook pasta to al dente per package instructions. Toss cooked pasta with buttermilk-basil mixture. Top with grilled zucchini on a large platter and serve.