This zucchini pasta recipe is lusciously creamy, flavored with Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, basil and lemon zest. A tasty easy dinner!
Bought a little bit of zucchini readily available? Right here’s one strategy to flip it into dinner: this Creamy Zucchini Pasta recipe! It’s luxuriously creamy, coating the noodles in a silky Parmesan and Pecorino sauce. Add rounds of savory sautéed zucchini, garlic, lemon zest and a pop of herbaceous basil, and every chunk is a symphony of taste. We wish to garnish with crunchy breadcrumbs for a pop of texture. This one was so satisfying, we couldn’t cease sneaking bites from the skillet earlier than serving! Right here’s tips on how to whip up this summery recipe at dwelling.
Components for this zucchini pasta recipe
There are a great deal of methods to make a zucchini pasta dish, starting from basic to artistic spins. After all, you may spiralize this inexperienced veggie into these fashionable noodles (yep, zoodles!). However for our spin, we choose a extra basic Italian-inspired vibe. This zucchini pasta recipe options skinny rounds of zucchini, sautéed till juicy and savory, mixed with a silky creamy sauce flavored with Parmesan and Pecorino. Toss in basil, garlic and lemon zest and it’s a celebration with the VIP components of summer time. Right here’s what you’ll want for this recipe:
- Pasta noodles: We like lengthy noodles like spaghetti or bucatini right here. But it surely additionally works with quick noodles like rigatoni or penne!
- Zucchini: Search for medium skinny zucchini, which makes easy-to-eat rounds. If all you might have is giant zucchini, slice them into half moons.
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Onion powder and salt
- All objective flour
- Milk
- Lemon zest
- Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese
- Basil leaves, for garnish
- Italian panko, for garnish (non-compulsory)
For the pasta: use quick or lengthy
This zucchini pasta works with any kind of pasta noodle, making it endlessly versatile! We prefer it with a protracted noodle like spaghetti or bucatini as a result of it offers a extra elegant really feel. However that’s to not say it’s not scrumptious with a brief noodle. What not to decide on? Don’t use angel hair: it absorbs an excessive amount of of the sauce and will get clumpy. Listed below are some high decisions for noodles for this zucchini pasta:
- Spaghetti
- Bucatini (hole spaghetti: a best choice!)
- Fettucine
- Linguine
- Rigatoni (our best choice for brief pasta)
- Gemelli
- Penne
- Medium shells
- Fusilli (spirals)
- Farfalle (bowties)
Recommendations on making zucchini pasta
Able to make this zucchini pasta? Soar all the way down to the recipe under. Or, listed below are just a few notes on the method to bear in mind whilst you’re making it:
- This recipe makes use of 3 pots: a big pasta pot, giant skillet for the zucchini, and small or medium saucepan for the cream sauce. Don’t fear: it’s value dirtying the three for the quantity of taste right here!
- When sautéing the zucchini, flip the slices usually so all of them get evenly brown. It takes a bit of persistence since you’ll have just a few layers of zucchini. It doesn’t must be excellent! Strive to not overcook them or it will possibly develop into mushy.
- The cream sauce comes collectively rapidly. Plan to spend 5 minutes of undivided consideration on the range for the sauce.
Don’t neglect the garnish
Bear in mind: this zucchini pasta recipe appears a bit of plain with out the garnish! So don’t go away it out! It provides each taste and visible model. Right here’s what to do:
- Load the pasta onto a plate. Attempt to get a great mixture of pasta and zucchini (which will be laborious with lengthy noodles!).
- Add chopped basil. This brings within the remaining recent, herby flavoring to the dish. Bonus facet word: basil turns brown within the fridge, so holding it as a garnish helps the look of leftovers.
- Sprinkle with Italian panko if desired (or Parmesan cheese). We love the crunch of a bit of breadcrumbs on high! Italian panko are seasoned with Italian herbs: you can even use plain panko or breadcrumbs. Or, use some further grated or shredded cheese.
- Add recent floor black pepper and/or pink pepper flakes. A touch of spice provides the ultimate seasoning.
- If desired, add further lemon zest. It appears good and punchy, nevertheless it’s not required.
Methods to serve zucchini pasta (and a word on portion measurement)
This zucchini pasta is a tasty summer time dinner recipe! Bear in mind: the portion measurement is modest at 8 ounces pasta for 4 servings. In the event you’re serving as a primary dish, add some further protein or facet dishes to make it a filling meal. Bought very hungry eaters? Ensure that so as to add protein, have filling sides or double it and use 1 pound of pasta. Listed below are just a few serving options:
- Add protein to the pasta like cooked hen, sauteed shrimp, or white beans (seasoned flippantly earlier than including)
- Serve with a protein-packed facet like Simple White Beans, Simple Cannellini Beans, or Simple French Lentils
- Add a veggie facet like French Inexperienced Beans, Inexperienced Beans Almondine, Sauteed Spinach or Sauteed Rainbow Chard
- Serve with summer time salads like Basic Three Bean Salad, Contemporary Peach Salad, Basic Corn Salad, Cucumber Salad, or Inexperienced Bean Salad.
Extra zucchini recipes
Love this summery inexperienced veggie? Listed below are a few of our favourite zucchini recipes for utilizing it:
This zucchini pasta recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Description
This zucchini pasta recipe is deliciously creamy, flavored with Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, basil and lemon zest. A pure and easy dinner!
- 8 ounces spaghetti or bucatini*
- 1 pound zucchini (2 medium skinny zucchini), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus extra if desired
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons all objective flour
- 1 ½ cup 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus extra to garnish
- ¼ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ cup chopped basil leaves, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned panko, for garnish (non-compulsory)
- Convey a salted pot of water to a boil and prepare dinner the pasta to al dente (style testing a minute or two earlier than the bundle directions point out). Drain and toss the pasta with a little bit of olive oil.
- In the meantime, slice the zucchini and mince the garlic. In a big skillet, warmth the olive oil over medium excessive warmth. Add the zucchini slices. Cowl the skillet and prepare dinner for 1 minute, then uncover and stir, transferring the underside slices as obligatory. Cowl once more for 1 minute then uncover and stir in ½ teaspoon kosher salt and onion powder, transferring slices to the underside layer as obligatory in order that they will get browned. Scale back the warmth barely. Hold the pan uncovered and prepare dinner about 6 to eight extra minutes till many of the zucchini are tender and browned, persevering with to flip the zucchini and transfer them to the underside layer in order that they prepare dinner evenly. Add the minced garlic within the final 1 minute. Then take away from the warmth.
- In a small or medium saucepan over medium warmth, soften the butter. Add the flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute. Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will immediately flip chunky. Always whisking, proceed so as to add splashes of milk till your complete amount is included and clean. Enhance the warmth and proceed whisking till the sauce begins to bubble and thicken, about 2 to 4 minutes. Stir within the Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the zucchini and stir within the sauce. If the sauce is sticky, add a splash of milk and stir it in to kind a creamy sauce, heating it over medium low warmth if obligatory. Style and add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- To serve, add the garnish (don’t omit!): high with chopped basil, breadcrumbs or extra grated Parmesan, recent floor black pepper, and non-compulsory pink pepper flakes. Leftovers retailer effectively refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
Notes
*This recipe additionally works with quick pasta noodles like rigatoni or penne.
- Class: Fundamental dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Pasta
- Eating regimen: Vegetarian
Key phrases: Zucchini pasta, pasta with zucchini, zucchini pasta recipe, zucchini pasta recipes
