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 solution 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 prefer 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 easy methods to whip up this summery recipe at residence.
Components for this zucchini pasta recipe
There are a great deal of methods to make a zucchini pasta dish, starting from traditional to artistic spins. After all, you’ll be able to spiralize this inexperienced veggie into these standard noodles (yep, zoodles!). However for our spin, we choose a extra traditional 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 substances of summer season. Right here’s what you’ll want for this recipe:
- Pasta noodles: We like lengthy noodles like spaghetti or bucatini right here. However it additionally works with brief noodles like rigatoni or penne!
- Zucchini: Search for medium skinny zucchini, which makes easy-to-eat rounds. If all you could have is giant zucchini, slice them into half moons.
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Onion powder and salt
- All function flour
- Milk
- Lemon zest
- Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese
- Basil leaves, for garnish
- Italian panko, for garnish (non-obligatory)
For the pasta: use brief or lengthy
This zucchini pasta works with any sort 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 prime selections 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? Bounce all the way down to the recipe under. Or, listed here are a number of notes on the method to bear in mind when 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 price dirtying the three for the quantity of taste right here!
- When sautéing the zucchini, flip the slices typically so all of them get evenly brown. It takes slightly persistence since you’ll have a number of layers of zucchini. It doesn’t must be good! Attempt to not overcook them or it may possibly change into mushy.
- The cream sauce comes collectively shortly. Plan to spend 5 minutes of undivided consideration on the range for the sauce.
Don’t overlook the garnish
Be mindful: this zucchini pasta recipe seems to be slightly plain with out the garnish! So don’t depart it out! It provides each taste and visible type. Right here’s what to do:
- Load the pasta onto a plate. Attempt to get mixture of pasta and zucchini (which may be arduous with lengthy noodles!).
- Add chopped basil. This brings within the last recent, herby flavoring to the dish. Bonus aspect word: basil turns brown within the fridge, so retaining it as a garnish helps the look of leftovers.
- Sprinkle with Italian panko if desired (or Parmesan cheese). We love the crunch of slightly breadcrumbs on prime! Italian panko are seasoned with Italian herbs: it’s also possible to use plain panko or breadcrumbs. Or, use some extra grated or shredded cheese.
- Add recent floor black pepper and/or crimson pepper flakes. A touch of spice provides the ultimate seasoning.
- If desired, add additional lemon zest. It seems to be good and punchy, however it’s not required.
Methods to serve zucchini pasta (and a word on portion dimension)
This zucchini pasta is a tasty summer dinner recipe! Be mindful: the portion dimension is modest at 8 ounces pasta for 4 servings. When you’re serving as a foremost dish, add some extra protein or aspect dishes to make it a filling meal. Bought very hungry eaters? Be sure so as to add protein, have filling sides or double it and use 1 pound of pasta. Listed below are a number of serving recommendations:
- Add protein to the pasta like cooked rooster, sauteed shrimp, or white beans (seasoned calmly earlier than including)
- Serve with a protein-packed aspect like Easy White Beans, Easy Cannellini Beans, or Easy French Lentils
- Add a veggie aspect like French Green Beans, Green Beans Almondine, Sauteed Spinach or Sauteed Rainbow Chard
- Serve with summer season salads like Classic Three Bean Salad, Fresh Peach Salad, Classic Corn Salad, Cucumber Salad, or Green 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 function 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-obligatory)
- 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 package deal 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, shifting the underside slices as needed. Cowl once more for 1 minute then uncover and stir in ½ teaspoon kosher salt and onion powder, shifting slices to the underside layer as needed in order that they will get browned. Scale back the warmth barely. Preserve the pan uncovered and prepare dinner about 6 to eight extra minutes till a lot of the zucchini are tender and browned, persevering with to flip the zucchini and transfer them to the underside layer so 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 the whole amount is included and clean. Improve 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 needed. Style and add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- To serve, add the garnish (don’t omit!): prime with chopped basil, breadcrumbs or extra grated Parmesan, recent floor black pepper, and non-obligatory crimson pepper flakes. Leftovers retailer nicely refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
Notes
*This recipe additionally works with brief pasta noodles like rigatoni or penne.
- Class: Fundamental dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Pasta
- Weight loss program: Vegetarian
Key phrases: Zucchini pasta, pasta with zucchini, zucchini pasta recipe, zucchini pasta recipes
