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This bowl of Lemon Basil Zucchini Pasta Alfredo is becoming one of our favorite summer pasta dishes. I took a classic pasta recipe and updated it with a light yet creamy caramelized onion sauce, summer zucchini, and fresh lemon and basil. Every twirl of pasta has delicious summertime flavors that melt in your mouth. It’s a creamy bowl of lighter pasta Alfredo that comes together in under an hour. Perfect for warm summer nights!
Summer solstice is on Thursday, and you all, I’m so ready for it! In my mind, it’s been summer since June 1st, but now that it’s really official – according to the calendar, we can break out all of our best summer dishes and start utilizing the amazing produce that summer has to offer.
Of course, zucchini is one of the summer vegetables that seems to be most abundant from June through September. I love to cook and bake with zucchini. I use it in salads, pasta, rice bowls, and even mixed into our summer cakes and muffins!
It is such a versatile ingredient!
The other week, my brother sent me this pasta video featuring a caramelized onion sauce. Honestly, it was too heavy and intense for me, especially for summer. But I did love the idea of incorporating a slowly caramelized onion into a creamy summer Alfredo sauce.
I wanted this pasta to feel cozy, taste delicious, and still be light. The addition of lemon and basil helps to keep this Alfredo feeling fresh and summery. It turned out so delicious!
These are the details
Step 1: cook the pasta
Boil your favorite pasta cut. For this Alfredo sauce, I love some longer cuts of pasta, such as fettuccini or linguine.
I used Mafaldine Italian Pasta di Gragnano, which is always fun!
Step 2: cook the lemon
Next, while the pasta cooks, caramelize slices of lemon in butter. Then chop the lemon slices and toss them with lots and lots of fresh basil.
Save the mix for topping the pasta. You can eat the lemon, rind and all! When the lemon is cooked, the bitterness is removed, and it’s delish.
Step 3: make the sauce
Now, start caramelizing the onion with some butter. Once the onion is caramelized, add it to the zucchini.
Allow the zucchini to cook until it turns a pretty golden color. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and a generous pour of heavy cream. Simmer the sauce until it thickens.
Step 4: finish this up!
Add so much parmesan cheese, then toss in the pasta.
At this point, plate the pasta, sauce, and zucchini. Then top with that reserved lemony basil mixture from step 2. And you can never go wrong with extra parmesan cheese, so add some more!
When you twirl the warm, buttery lemon pasta into the creamy Alfredo sauce, it instantly melts in your mouth, along with the buttery zucchini. And the onion adds just the perfect amount of uniqueness to the sauce. It’s not intense, just delicious!
Looking for other summer pasta? Try these weeknight favorites.
Jammy Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas
Antipasto Pasta Salad with Herby Parmesan Vinaigrette
One Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, and Sausage Pasta
20 minute lemon butter pasta with ricotta and spicy breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Lemon Basil Zucchini Pasta Alfredo, 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!
Lemon Basil Zucchini Pasta Alfredo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 659 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 linguine or fettuccini
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 zucchini or yellow summer squash, very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Remove 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Drain.2. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon slices. Sear until the lemon is caramelized, about 1 minute per side. Remove the lemon from the skillet. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix with the basil.3. To the same skillet, add 4 tablespoons butter and the onion. Cook until caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, zucchini, thyme, and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook another 5 minutes until golden. 4. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and the cream, stirring until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the parmesan, then toss in the pasta. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 5. Serve topped with the reserved lemon/basil mix. Twirl the pasta up with the sauce and zucchini. EAT and ENJOY!
This post was originally published on June 18, 2024
This was a 100%++ win in our house! In the spirit of the Olympics, we are giving this a gold. Even the picky eaters went back for seconds and never complained about the zucchini. (The Unnamed Object in the meal) They just ATE and I just smiled. Thank you for another dinner WIN!
Hey Diane,
Amazing! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
Made this tonight and it was so good! Such an interesting summer twist. The lemon basil topping made the whole thing.
Hey Amy,
Wonderful! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! x
That was delicious! It was Easy, Quick, and Wonderful. After a day with my horse, harvesting the lavender and veggies from the garden, and swimming, something beautiful but easy was on the plan. Delicious!! The perfect end to a Summer day. Thank you.
Hey Kym,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Happy Monday! xx
I have made this twice for my husband and I with the zucchini from our garden. It is absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe
Hey Cathy,
Thanks so much for making this dish, so glad to hear that you have been enjoying the recipe! Have a great day! xx
Not a win unfortunately. I followed the recipe to the letter. My fresh lemon caramelized beautifully and chopped like a dream. They taste absolutely awful. I was smart enough to salt/drain the zucchini and it cooked up so well, tasted great in the sauce, then I added the pasta and it all turned into a brown/green mush. Not even the zucchini! My little zucchini circles are perfectly in tact and doing their darndest to hold this dish together but honestly, I don’t even know if we’ll end up eating it sadly. Too much effort for barely mediocre pasta 🙁 I don’t hate the caramelized lemon idea so I may try that bit again and put on top of ice cream or something. But I really did make it correctly and it just didn’t taste very good so I don’t know what I’ll change but I find it promising enough to try again.
Hi Meredith,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Could I sub Asparagus? Obsessed with your recipes!
Hey Jenah,
Sure, that would work nicely for you! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
I must not have cooked the lemons long enough because they were still super bitter. I liked everything else about the pasta besides the lemons.
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear the lemons were so bitter for you! xx
Turned out sooooo good! Summer dinner on the patio paired with fresh salad (nectarines/cucumber toppings), and rosemary sourdough bread! I subbed Gruyère for the parm & it was delicious!
Hey Dani,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I wanted something light for dinner and this was perfect, plus it contains all my favourite ingredients. Great recipe and will definitely make again soon.
Hey Colleen,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I was skeptical about the lemon directions, but oh my, DO NOT skip this step! This was a perfect meatless Monday meal! I’ll try asparagus and mushrooms next time; use whatever veggies you love!
Thanks so much, Gina:) I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it ! xT
This is so delicious! Awesome recipe, thank you!!
Hey Natalie,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for your comment, love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you giving it a try! x
LOVE!!! Absolutely delicious. Now we eat it every week.
Hey Alison,
Fantastic! Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thank you so very much for trying it! xT
Is there a chicken or protein recipe that you would suggest to add to this pasta?
Hey Richelle,
Sure, chicken and shrimp would both be delicious here! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xT
This is delicious! I will making it again.
Everyone loved it.
Hey Leslie,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it! xT
Sorry, to clarify, when you say to cut the lemon slices and mix with basil (step 2) do you include the rinds as well? To then eat the cooked rinds? Or do you remove the rinds after caramalizing?
Hey Clare,
I like to include the rinds, but if you want to skip them that it totally fine too:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT