I made our recipe for Zucchini Carbonara for the first time this summer—in an attemptto reverse my long-standing aversion to summer squash—but I wish I’d made it much sooner.

I’ve always accused zucchini of lacking a point of view, of a watery filler vegetable responsible for mushy dishes or swampy wraps. Trust cucina povera, the Italian tradition of cooking with what’s available, to refute that notion. Zucchini Carbonara is a veggie-infused riff on one of Rome’s four classic pasta dishes that we learned from Italian cookbook author Claudia Rinaldi. Here, seared zucchini stands in for the guanciale, or cured pork cheek, that gives classic carbonara its rich, salty porkiness, and it’s proof positive that even recipes made to center meat are superb—maybe better—without it.

Plus, it’s the perfect use for the last of your zucchini harvest. Here’s how to get it done (and catch the recipe in action on this episode of Milk Street TV).

Throw out your garlic!

You might have seen founder Chris Kimball say that he cooks garlic in olive oil just long enough to infuse it with flavor before ditching the actual cloves; this recipe calls for the same. Doing so allows garlic’s bite to mellow out and support the flavors of the carbonara mixture—pecorino and Parmesan cheese, egg yolk, black pepper and lemon zest—that form your sauce without overpowering it. I really love the additions of lemon, garlic and red pepper flakes here, even if they’re a little unusual.

Keep your zucchini slices thick—and sear them in a nonstick pan

Try not to go thinner than a quarter inch when slicing up your zucchini, so that it doesn’t reduce to mush when you brown it—it should keep some of its bite. Make sure you sear the coins in a nonstick pan, as I’ve found that zucchini sticks to even the most perfectly prepped stainless steel skillet as it releases moisture. As you sear, don’t mess with the zucchini for at least three or four minutes, even though you’ll be tempted. It takes that long for the squash to develop crust and color.

And, a final point, split your zucchini into two or three batches so you can brown them in a single layer. Crowding the pan might result in your accidentally steaming the zucchini—not the goal!

Undercook your pasta (and save some pasta water)

As with any dish that will finish cooking for a minute or two in the sauce, undercook it slightly when you first boil it. I take a minute or two off of the box’s instructions for al dente and find I’m good to go. This recipe calls for about a cup of reserved pasta water (and you’ll use at least half of it), but I’ve gotten into the habit of always saving pasta water before draining. It’s nice to have starchy water on hand for adjusting the consistency of sauces.

Emulsify your sauce off the heat

The difference between the creamy, silky sauce of our headiest pasta daydreams and gummy scrambled eggs comes down to a location change. But this step is where so many promising carbonara recipes fail unnecessarily. Take your pot off the heat! Once you’ve combined your drained pasta, seared zucchini and half of the reserved pasta water, heat it through on medium-high for just about a minute. Then, take your pot off the heat before adding your carbonara mixture and stir. Stir for two to three minutes, adding tablespoons of pasta water as needed, until everything is silky and luscious and clinging to the pasta and zucchini. Residual heat is all you need.

Once your pasta is dished up, you’ll see how meaty and deeply savory zucchini can be. In the spirit of cooking what’s around, I’ll be trying carbonara with other squash as it hits the farm stand—perhaps a sweeter honeynut next, as the weather cools down—or some mushrooms. I have a feeling the results will be excellent.

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Priyanka Shahane