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Simplest Zucchini Parmesan Pasta. Garden fresh summer zucchini cooked down and mashed into a buttery, peppery parmesan pasta sauce – without using any cream. This quick pasta takes just minutes to make and uses the simplest of summertime ingredients, most of which you may have in your pantry right now! This dish isn’t super fancy, but it’s totally delicious.
I’m all about quick cooking, minimal ingredients, and little-effort recipes right now. It’s probably why I haven’t wanted to make a layer cake in months. Like most of you, I’m looking for fast and delicious recipes. Especially when it comes to summer dinners.
For us, summer dinners are always enjoyed on the later side. With the sun staying up until 9 pm, we never end up sitting down for dinner before 8 pm. For this reason alone, quick and simple dinner recipes are best – we’re tired and hungry!
That’s when I fall back on recipes just like today’s Zucchini Parmesan Pasta. A simple pasta that highlights two of my favorite summer foods, zucchini (or yellow summer squash) and fresh garden-grown basil.
I’ve been making this simple zucchini pasta for years, we just love it! Originally, I made this because I had an abundance of zucchini and fresh basil that needed to be used up!
With everyone’s gardens starting to flourish, I knew we needed to make my favorite pasta! I know you all will really love this one!
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Medium zucchini / yellow summer squash
- Garlic
- Chopped fresh thyme
- Chili flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Salted butter
- Grated parmesan
- Grated pecorino or manchego cheese
- Fresh basil
Here are the details
Step 1: Start cooking the pasta
You can use any cut of pasta you love, long or short. I think a thick-cut rigatoni noodle works very nicely! Spaghetti or fettuccini would be nice too.
Just before you drain the pasta, reserve a little over a cup of the pasta cooking water. You’ll need the pasta water to help create the yummy sauce.
Step 2: cook the squash
While the pasta is cooking, start the zucchini. You can also use yellow squash or a mix of the two. The secret is to cook the zucchini until it’s deep golden and caramelized. Once it hits this stage, it can be easily broken down and mashed. Cooking the zucchini this way allows for the flavors to really come out, it becomes sweet and buttery. It’s honestly just magical.
I find the zucchini is easiest to break down if you shred the zucchini first and then add it to the pan. Just like you would shred cheese.
I decided to leave the zucchini on the chunkier side, but if you prefer a smooth pasta sauce, you could puree the zucchini in the food processor. This is an extra step and an extra dish to wash though.
Chunky or smooth, it’s going to be good.
Step 3: finish the sauce
Once the zucchini is cooked, add the reserved pasta water, the cheeses – parmesan and pecorino, and butter to the pasta. Toss until you have a nice cheesy sauce.
Finish this pasta with fresh basil and lots of freshly cracked parmesan. Enjoy this warm, while the sauce is hot and creamy.
This is one of those recipes that can easily become a staple because it’s truly so easy, simple, and delicious. And if you happen to be growing zucchini this summer, I foresee this becoming a staple in your kitchen too!
Looking for other simple pasta dinners? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
One Pot Lemon Butter Ricotta and Zucchini Pasta
Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes
Spicy Zucchini Ricotta Lasagna with Oregano Breadcrumbs
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Lastly, if you make, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Simplest Zucchini Parmesan Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 487 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta, any cut works
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 medium zucchini/yellow summer squash, shredded or chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- chili flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino or manchego cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, reserve 1 1/4 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain.2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, garlic, thyme, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is golden, 5 minutes. Mix in the butter. Using the back of your spoon or a potato masher, mash down the zucchini until it becomes a chunky sauce. 3. Add 1 cup of reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pasta, parmesan, and pecorino, and toss until melted. Add more pasta water if need to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat, toss in the basil.4. Serve topped with fresh basil and pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
*If a smooth sauce is desired, transfer the zucchini to a food processor before adding the pasta and puree until smooth.
This post was originally published on June 19, 2023
I couldn’t care less about Rachel Markle, but this recipe was pretty good.
Thank you Alicia! xTieghan
Awesome!
Thank you! xTieghan
Made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! Will definitely make again! I had to use Parmesan cheese, as it’s all I could find at the store, but i used fresh grated, (not canned) Parmesan.
Amazing! so glad you loved this Gina! Thank you! xTieghan
Just wanted to say this recipe is so good! The only changes I made were that I used parmesan instead of manchego because that’s what I had and I cooked the zucchini/squash mixture a bit longer because I did not time everything our poorly. I also added in some chicken sausage at the end for a little protein. My husband HATES zucchini and squash, and to be honest, I’m not far behind him. I’ve tried to sneak it into dishes by shredding it in, but he usually notices and says something. We got about 7 total zucchini and summer squash in our CSA box this week so I knew I needed to try something and I’m so glad I found this recipe. I did puree it at the end mostly to see if I could disguise the fact there was zucchini and squash in it (I had planned to say it was a creamy pesto if needed LOL). Not only did I think it was delicious, but my husband ate it saying he liked it as well and I don’t think he suspected there was zucchini in it. I loved the flavor and can’t believe how creamy it was without any real cream. Great recipe for using up that summer produce!
That is so great! I am so glad you all loved this recipe, Justine!! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good! Added the parmesan slowly to avoid clumping, and it worked perfectly. It did require a much larger pot than I was expecting, so had to make a switch when I added all the noodles and realized I wouldn’t be able to stir. Oops! It was perfect with whole wheat penne noodles. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much Genevieve! I am so glad you loved this one! xTieghan
This recipe looked so great and everything worked out superb until I tried to add parmesan and the cheese began to clump together. 🙁 Do you know what I might be doing wrong?
Hey Jasmine, what kind of parmesan are you using? Is it freshly grated or pre-grated? I’d recommend using freshly grated as this will melt much nicer for you! If you are using freshly grated, was there anything you changed when you where making this? Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good! I’m a mom of a 9-month old, so I’m now looking for recipes that are 1) quick, 2) healthy, and 3) easily adaptable for a 9-month old baby’s diet, since we want her to eat the “normal” food that we eat for dinner. This was perfect. I added cannelini beans for some protein, and kept the sauce pretty thick so it was more of a chunky puree we could spoon-feed her, but everything else I kept the same, and the whole family loved it!
Thank you so much Kayleigh! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Tried this yesterday and it was delicious and so very easy. Will definitely be making its way into our supper recipe rotation.
Thank you so much Sheila! I hope you love this every time you have it! xTieghan
Yum! Made this tonight and we all enjoyed it very much and have plans to have it again soon.
A funny aside: My brother hates cooked zucchini, unless it is still sort of crunchy. He has literally gagged on cooked zucchini that was too soft. Since the zucchini in this recipe is cooked until it is creamy, he had no idea what it was. With the additional flavors in it, he gobbled up every bit of his serving, and said it was, “A+!”
After enjoying this tonight, I started thinking about how the creamy zucchini could also be used as a base in soups, and as the cream sauce in casseroles. Who da thunk it?
Thank you SO much for sharing!
Wow that is too great! I am so glad you all enjoyed this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I did make this. And my gosh it was amazing. I had Alot of zucchini and not a big enuff pan. So i dod it in batches. So it was naturally 1/2 like puree 1/2 chunky. I have 8 zucchini to cook this week and I was looking (it’s probably obvious) online, if deglazing the pan with white wine would alter sauce. And at what part should i add it. B4 or after the pasta water. What would you think?
Hey Kelly! I would add the wine before the pasta is added to the skillet, then bring it to a boil and toss with the pasta. Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I’ve been looking for ways to get my 3.5 year old to eat more veggies. He helped make this dish and liked it (as did my husband and I)! I quickly pureed the zucchini to help disguise the more obvious “greenness” but left it slightly chunky and my son still ate it up. Thanks for another delicious meal!
Thank you so much Christine! I am so glad you loved this!
Made this tonight for the first time, food prepping for the rest of the week. It was incredible. I’ve now convinced myself that I’m a pretty decent cook, if I have a good recipe to follow. Not wasting time on bad recipes anymore (I’m looking at you, pinterest). Forgot to take a picture of it in the pot though…
I am so glad you loved this and it turned out so well for you, Katherine! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! I added some spinach after crushing the squash just to add another veggie. Amazing!
Thank you so much Renee!
Making this again and again for the busy nights! We didn’t have a great masher for the zucchini so we just threw it into a blender and it tasted great!
That is so awesome! I am so glad you loved this Melanie! Thank you!
Long-time follower of your blog and first-time commenter here! I just had to take a few moments to thank you for this particular recipe—I had read the same article about Meghan Markle and her favourite pasta dish and knew I wanted to make something like it for the Labour Day dinner I was hosting today; I thought it would be a great way to showcase the last of our summer bounty (soooo many zucchini) and I was so pleased to find your version! I made it just as your recipe directed choosing parmigiano-reggiano cheese and it was a HUGE hit! Two pounds’ worth of pasta disappeared within 30 minutes.
Served alongside your garlic & herb roasted cherry tomato pizza with caramelized onions (which was also devoured in a flash) the dinner was a great way to bid farewell to summer and beckon in autumn. Thank you for being a part of our family dinner and I look forward to choosing something from your roster for Canadian Thanksgiving!
Sounds so amazing! I am so glad you loved this and other recipes of mine Sabrina! Thank you!