Recipe: Spring Mac and Cheese Rooted in Simplicity

Photos by Margie Raimondo

Spring does not ask for complicated food. It asks for attention. This is the season when zucchini begins to show up tender and sweet, when herbs return to the garden, and when meals shift from heavy to light without losing depth. It is also when I find myself returning to the simplest pastas — the kind built not on sauce but on instinct and a few good ingredients.

In this recipe, fresh vegetables, good olive oil, cheese and starchy pasta water come together without overthinking. Zucchini softens just enough to carry flavor. Feta brings a gentle saltiness and structure. Toasted pine nuts add warmth and texture. Finally, pasta water — the most underestimated ingredient in any Italian kitchen — does the quiet work of binding it all into something cohesive and light.

But this dish begins before the pan ever heats.

It begins at a farmers market table in May — talking to the person who grew the zucchini, asking what has just come in, what is coming next, what the season is telling them.

May is when central Arkansas markets reopen after winter, when Ferndale Market in Little Rock, Me & McGee Market in North Little Rock, The Front Porch Market in Benton, The Filling Station in North Little Rock, and Urbana Farmstead in Little Rock come back to life with color, conversation and produce picked at peak flavor.

Shopping local keeps dollars circulating in the community, reduces the distance food travels and builds relationships that reconnect people to food as a living system — not just a product. That is where this pasta starts. The recipe is simply how it ends up on the table.

Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta with Feta and Pine Nuts

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 pound rigatoni or other short pasta

• 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into ribbons or half moons

• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1 small onion, finely diced

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh herbs (mint, basil or parsley)

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Photos by Margie Raimondo

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and then drain.

2. Toast the pine nuts

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast pine nuts until lightly golden. Set aside.

3. Build the base

Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.

4. Cook the zucchini

Add zucchini and a pinch of salt. Add a ladle of pasta water and cook gently until just tender but still bright, about 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Bring it together

Add pasta to the skillet. Toss, adding more pasta water as needed until the pasta is lightly coated and glossy. Add feta and toss gently until it softens and lightly coats the pasta.

6. Finish and serve

Add pine nuts, fresh herbs, and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

This is how I like to cook in the spring — less about building a dish, more about letting the ingredients do the work.