I promised you all a recipe featuring my Zucchini Jam as a sauce, so here it is!  Step by step instructions on how to make a full batch of zucchini jam posted here.  If you want to make a small batch just for this dish, simply grate up one zucchini, cook that down on high heat until all of the water evaporates out and the volume reduces by half, and allow to caramelize slightly for 10 minutes or so.  Use this as the base for your pasta sauce when making this dish!

Recipe down below, photo up top!

Summertime Italian Pasta with Zucchini Jam

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of pasta
  • I used Cavatappi, penne or rotini would work great here too!
• 2 Italian sausages, removed from the casings
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ tsp Calabrian Chili paste
  • Sub with pepperoncini, or dried red pepper flakes
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of zucchini jam
  • Sub with a batch made with one zucchini as explained above

Method:

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, season the water liberally with salt and add the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a large sauté pan.  Put the pan over medium high heat and allow the oil to heat through, about 30 seconds. 
3. Add the Italian sausage to the pan, using a spoon to break apart into smaller crumbles.  Cook the sausage on high heat until fully browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally.  This should take about 5 minutes.
4. When the sausage has cooked through, add the garlic and the chili paste to the pan with the sausage, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan with the sausage and cook to heat through, about 1 minute.
6. Add the zucchini jam to the pan with the sausage and stir to fully combine. 
   1. If the garlic was beginning to get too brown, add this to stop the cooking process on the garlic to prevent it from burning.  This can be added along with the tomatoes as needed.
7. Check the pasta for doneness by pulling some out of the pan and tasting.  Reserve some of the pasta water in a mug or heat-proof measuring cup, set aside.  When the pasta is ready, drain into a colander in the sink and add to the sauce.
8. Stir to combine the pasta into the sauce.  If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to the pan and stir to combine thoroughly.
9. Plate the pasta and top with some shredded Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!