Basil + Summer Squash Pasta Recipe

Basil, Bounty & Becoming: A Summer Pasta That Feeds More Than Hunger

There are some days when the work is constant, the inbox is wild, and your nervous system is begging for a break—but instead of spiraling, you walk into your kitchen, barefoot, basil in hand, and you decide: This moment will be sacred.

Enter: Summer Squash & Basil Pasta.
A simple, soul-soothing dish I discovered via @epicurious, and instantly knew I had to try.
Not because it’s trendy. But because it felt ancestral.
Earth-grown ingredients. Fresh herbs. Real nourishment.
The kind of meal your body doesn’t just eat — it remembers.

Let’s talk about basil for a moment.

Basil isn’t just a garnish — she’s a healer.
Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, she supports brain health, calms the nervous system, eases pain, and — let’s be real — might just help us age like a fine, herb-scented wine. 🍃

In Ayurveda, she’s called Tulsi — the "Incomparable One."
A plant so revered, it’s considered sacred.
She helps with stress, focus, emotional resilience. She clears the air and the energy.

So when we bring basil into our food, we’re not just flavoring — we’re anointing.

The Recipe: Summer Squash & Basil Pasta

This is for the nights when you want ease, but also depth.
When you want to cook without rushing. Nourish without numbing.
When you want a pasta bowl that doubles as a prayer.

Serves: 4 magical beings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 2 lbs assorted summer squashes & zucchini, veggie noodles or quartered lengthwise, sliced

• Kosher salt

• 1 tsp Aleppo-style pepper, plus more for serving

• 12 oz paccheri, ziti, or other large tube pasta

• 2 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn like soft spells

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and gently brown the garlic until golden around the edges — about 4 minutes.

2. Add the squash. Salt it like you’re seasoning your life. Let it cook down, get jammy, even stick a little (that’s flavor). This takes about 12–15 minutes. Add the Aleppo pepper and stir with love.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until just before al dente.

4. Transfer pasta to the squash skillet with ½ cup of the pasta water. Stir in the Parmesan in stages, letting it melt and cling. Add more water as needed until it coats like silk.

5. Finish with lemon juice and most of the basil.

6. Serve in wide bowls. Top with more basil, more Aleppo, and more cheese if you desire. You’re allowed to indulge.

Why This Matters

Because you’re not just feeding your body — you’re feeding your nervous system.
Because a kitchen can be a temple.
Because basil is medicine, garlic is protection, and pasta is poetry in the right hands.

So tonight, when you cook, I invite you to do it slowly. To breathe deeply. To eat like a woman who knows that pleasure is power, that nourishment is non-negotiable, and that her softness is her strength.

You’re not just making dinner — you’re making magic.

🫶🏽✨🌿
With love & lemon zest,