If you’ve got too much zucchini on your hands (hi, summer!), this bright green Zucchini Pasta is the answer. It’s creamy, bright, and loaded with flavor in every bite.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Last year we had a tomato sauce summer, and this year we are going to have a zucchini sauce summer. This Zucchini Pasta is easy, fresh, and packed with veggies. It’s inspired by all the summer zucchini I can’t stop buying at the farmers market - what human needs to buy 10 zucchini every sunday? Not me... but somehow I cannot stop.. You saute it until golden and caramelized, blend it into a silky sauce with ricotta, parmesan, and a splash of lemon, then toss it with your favorite pasta. Zucchini Pasta is bright, cozy, and feels like a little hug in a bowl. Bonus: my kids devour it without realizing it was mostly vegetables.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini
- Olive oil
- Spinach (or any other green)
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon
- Ricotta
- Tuscan Seasoning
- Pasta (any short or long cut)
- Kosher salt
- Fresh basil
- Red pepper flakes
How to Make
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is golden and caramelized. Add the spinach and let wilt.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the zucchini mixture to a blender. Add the parmesan, ricotta, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- Toss the pasta with the zucchini sauce, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce is creamy and coats the noodles evenly.
- Serve the Zucchini Pasta immediately, topped with fresh basil, shaved parmesan, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t skip caramelizing the zucchini. That deep golden color brings tons of flavor.
- Use a high-speed blender for the silkiest sauce. A food processor works too, but it’ll be slightly more textured.
- Save your pasta water. It’s the magic that makes the sauce glossy and clingy.
- Any pasta shape works, but I love rigatoni, casarecce, or spaghetti.
- Finish with lemon zest for brightness and red pepper flakes for a little kick.
FAQ's
Can I make this ahead?
Yes! You can make the sauce up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Just reheat gently before tossing with pasta.
Can I freeze Zucchini Pasta?
The sauce - yes! It freezes beautifully! Just freeze in 1-2 cup portions so you can easily thaw enough for a dinner.
Is Zucchini Pasta good cold?
It’s actually delicious as a cold pasta salad too. Add some arugula and it’s a dream.
What else can I use the zucchini sauce on?
It's insane over pasta, chicken, salmon, steak, rice, you name it! Basically it's good on EVERYTHING. I even eat it straight out of the blender with a spoon.
Similar Recipes
Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
For the Zucchini Sauce
- 4 zucchini cut into medium cubes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup ricotta
- juice of 1 lemon plus more to taste
For the Pasta
- 1 pound pasta
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup pasta water
To Serve
- Basil
- Parmesan Cheese
- Lemon Zest
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and tuscan seasoning. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is golden and caramelized. Add the spinach and let it wilt.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the zucchini mixture to a blender. Add the parmesan, ricotta, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- Toss the pasta with the zucchini sauce, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce is creamy and coats the noodles evenly.
- Serve immediately, topped with fresh basil, shaved parmesan, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.
This is your summer pasta when you don’t want to turn on the oven and a great way to get your greens in. I didn’t have any fresh on hand and used defrosted chopped frozen spinach and it worked out great. Do not skip sautéing your zucchini until golden-it adds so much great flavor. The best part is this actually only took about 30 minutes too.
Excellent!! I also subbed cottage cheese, and added frozen peas at the end.
Parent and kids approved!! I subbed cottage cheese for ricotta and it was great.
Yum! Saw this on insta live and immediately added to my meal plan for this week! My store was out of ricotta, so I used cottage cheese and it was great blended up in the sauce if you need a sub. I mixed corn into the pasta…perfect blend with the zucchini and lemon flavors! Dreaming of all the ways to use this sauce this summer!
Oh Yay!!!! I am always looking for new things to do with all the summer zucchini! This looks delicious!
Perfect summer recipe! Will be making this sauce all summer long. ❤️