Zucchini Pasta
Why This Is An Amazing Zucchini Pasta Recipe
I am a sucker of an easy and cheesy pasta dish and this recipe is just that! It’s a velvety pasta that feels like it’s coated in a creamy sauce but it’s not.
The rich sauce is actually achieved by combining pasta water, two cheeses, and soft, sautéed zucchini. Pasta water has been the secret ingredients of many sauces, including one of my favorites cacio e pepe. That is actually where I drew my inspiration for this zucchini pasta recipe.
Pasta cooking water is used to keeping the cheese from clumping, it creates a rich and thick coating that coats the pasta smoothly. It is a great trick to avoid dry pasta and I took it a step further with zucchini.
How you ask? Well when cooking zucchini until soft, most of the outer part, closer to the skin, stays intact, but the softer inside part of zucchini gets incorporated into the sauce. You end up with a creamy and cheesy pasta sauce without actually using any cream.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Zucchini – it’s important to use fresh zucchini and do not peel it! Just make sure to wash it first, before using.
Pasta – you can use spaghetti or another long thin pasta you like. I don’t recommend using twisty pasta or the bits of cheese will get stuck in the pasta and sauce won’t be as smooth.
Pasta cooking water – is the most important part of sauce. If you think you may forget to save some pasta before draining, I use a trick. Set a large measuring cup under the strainer in the sink. That way if you forget and go to strain the pasta, you will catch the pasta water in the cup underneath.
Cheese – I chose to use Monterrey Jack cheese for the smooth melted texture and parmesan cheese for the rich and sharp flavor. You can also use just parmesan for an even sharper flavor. Just make sure to either get freshly grated off the block or grate it yourself at home. (Note that grated parmesan that is not kept refrigerated, does not melt well at all.)
How To Make This Zucchini Pasta
Mise en place – is a very important concept in cooking, meaning everything in it’s place. It means to have all your ingredients measured and ready to go before starting to cook. It’s even more important in fast recipes like this one.
Wash and dry zucchini before chopping it and don’t peel! Leave it unpeeled for the nutrients and structural integrity.
Lyuba’s Expert Tip: Depending on your comfort level, you can cook the pasta and zucchini at the same time or you can tackle them one at a time and just reheat pasta cooking water if it cools down a bit.
Bring a pot of water to boil and add about a tablespoon of coarse salt. Cook pasta until just done. Before draining pasta, carefully take out about 2 cups of cooking water and set it aside. Drain pasta and set aside while finishing zucchini.
Another tip: you will have pasta cooking water leftover after using some in sauce, save it for reheating. Store it in a separate container in the refrigerator. Add a splash of pasta water to the pasta when reheating.
Use a large cooking pan (I use a 15 inch cooking pan) to cook the zucchini. This way it won’t get too overcrowded and it will actually get a chance to get a nice golden sear instead of just steaming.
Preheat the cooking pan and add oil. Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and toss to mix. Let it cook, stirring from time to time, over medium to medium-low heat. Don’t stir too often so it gets a chance to get a sear on the bottom. Your goal is to cook the zucchini until completely cooked through and soft.
Once done, add in cooked pasta and both cheeses. Start mixing while pouring in HOT pasta water (reheat pasta water in the microwave in needed) and keep stirring until all the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce. It will take a couple of minutes of stirring and mixing, don’t give up.
When smooth, stir in the basil and serve!
Storing and Reheating
Store the leftovers in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.
Reheating – you can easily reheat portions in the microwave. Add a splash of pasta cooking water or broth to the pasta before reheating. Make sure to reheat in about 30-45 second increments and stir in between.
Can I Add Other Vegetables?
Yes, of course! Make sure to keep the amount of zucchini the same but feel free to add other vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and others. Just make sure to slice them into thin slices or chop into smaller pieces, similar to zucchini. You can even use leftover vegetables and stir them in closer to the end of the cooking process.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Zucchini Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs zucchini
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 1/4 cup pasta cooking water
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese block, grated
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tbsp chopped basil
Instructions
- This is a quick moving recipe so make sure to measure and prepare your ingredients before starting to cook. Expert tip: I recommend using a large cooking pan so that zucchini doesn't get too overcrowded. (I use a 15 inch pan but you can also use 12-14 inch cooking pans. No less than 12 inch wide though.)
- Wash and chop zucchini into thin quarter slices.
- Start a pot of salted water to cook the pasta and preheat the cooking pan over medium heat. Expert tip: Cooking both at the same time will save time but it can definitely be done one step at a time.
- Add olive oil to preheated pan and add chopped zucchini. Season it with some salt and pepper, toss, and let it cook over medium to a little below medium heat. Stir from time to time but not too often to let the zucchini get a nice golden sear. Make sure to cook the zucchini until completely done and soft that way it will partially incorporate into the sauce.
- Cook pasta until just done and before draining, take out 2 cups of cooking water. You will use most of it in the recipe and save the rest for reheating. Drain remaining pasta water off and set pasta aside while zucchini is finishing.
- Once zucchini is cooked and soft, lower the heat to medium-low and add in the cooked pasta, grated Monterey Jack cheese and parmesan cheese to the pan as well.
- Start stirring while adding in hot pasta cooking water. Keep stirring and mixing continuously until the cheese is melted and the sauce comes together nice and smooth, coating the pasta.Expert tip: if your pasta water cooled down, you can quickly reheat it in the microwave.
- Stir in fresh basil and serve right away!
Notes
- Gluten free substitution – you can easily substitute your favorite gluten free pasta to make the recipe gluten free.
- Storing – store leftovers in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.
- Reheating – this pasta reheats very well but you will need to add a splash of pasta cooking water if you saved some. If not, add a splash of broth when reheating. You can use a microwave to reheat individual portions in 30 second increments, mixing in between.
Nutrition
More Zucchini Recipes To Try
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Dinner Recipes, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
