A seriously delicious creamy zucchini pasta sauce that will blow your mind. Simple ingredients for a flavor packed creamy sauce infused with lemon juice and finished with fresh basil. The zucchini is cooked down until thick and jammy then mixed into sauce with loads of parmesan cheese - it's SO good!
Hi! I am so excited to write up this zucchini pasta recipe because zucchini is one of my absolute favorite vegetables (and food for that matter!). I absolutely love adding sliced zucchini into pasta, like in my Creamy Bacon Pasta. It soaks up sauce so well!
This pasta dish is a little different. The zucchini is grated then cooked down slowly until it loses moisture and becomes a thick jammy mixture. It mixes through the cream sauce so perfectly and I know you will love this one. It's so fresh and zingy with the lemon juice and basil.
This is definitely an adaptation of a Bon Appetit zucchini recipe but I have upped the amp and changed the way the sauce comes together. I find that adding parmesan to wet ingredients can cause clumping. I like to remove the zucchini before making the sauce so that the parmesan can melt into the cream on it's own.
Ingredients
Pasta - I used a bucatini but you could use regular spaghetti, fettuccine or a short shape. All pasta shapes will work!
Zucchini - The key is squeezing all the liquid out and cooking them down slowly. It's a great way to use up your summer zucchini but I love this any time of year! I topped with some fried zucchini slices too.
Cream - I always go for a light or single cream as cream sauces can thicken up so much once the parmesan is added.
Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves are always best!
Parmesan cheese - It is true that a really good quality parmigiano reggiano will make a difference but trust me, the sauce is amazing with a cheaper one too. PLEASE freshly grate your own, that is all I ask.
Lemon - I use the juice in the sauce and lemon zest on top. Lemon juice in a cream sauce cuts through the richness perfectly.
Fresh Basil - Always stir basil through at the very last second before serving.
Expert tips
- Take your time cooking the zucchini. Have your heat low and stir it every few minutes.
- The cream sauce should never be boiling just a really nice gentle simmer on a medium or even medium-low heat.
- If using dried pasta, undercook it by a minute so it can bubble away IN the sauce for a minute or two at end and still be al dente.
- Always reserve a mug of the starchy pasta water before draining. I like to try and time the pasta cooking and sauce so I can transfer the cooked pasta straight into the sauce. I use a spider strainer for this.
Preparing the zucchini
Grate with a box grater then place in a tea towel (I keep a specific old one in the cupboard for this task!). Wrap it up then twist it around and around as tight as you can so the water drains out.
Zucchini slice topping
I feel like Stanley Tucci has made a fried zucchini sauce so famous, so this is a little nod to that. Slice thin slices then fry in olive oil over a medium-high heat until golden brown. It is an extra step that looks nice but is definitely not necessary.
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How to make this recipe
The full recipe, ingredient list and a short tutorial video are in the recipe card below.
Get a pot of well salted water on to boil and drop the pasta in about half way through the zucchini cooking time.
ONE: In a large skillet over a medium heat cook the zucchini, onion and garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Lower the heat to medium - low and cook down for 20 - 25 mins.
TWO: You know it is ready when it is thick and jammy and sticking to the bottom. Remove from pan and set aside.
THREE: Add the cream into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the parmesan cheese.
FOUR: Add the black pepper, lemon juice and mix in quickly. Add ¼ cup of pasta water and let it bubble for a min or two to thicken.
FIVE: Add the zucchini back in and mix. Add your cooked pasta in and toss.
SIX: Let it gently bubble away for a min or two, adding another ¼ cup pasta water if needed. Add the basil leaves right before serving.
How much salt to put in pasta water
If you can stomach a mouthful of your pasta water, you probably haven't salted it enough! I have learnt a lot about salting water from Samin Nosrat and her book and series Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
For two people I generally use about 1.75L of boiling water and I use about ¾ tablespoon of table salt. Personally, I don't want to waste fancy salt in water. Table salt is generally the saltiest of all salts so if you use something like Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or Maldon, you might need to go closer to 2 tablespoons.
Experiment with what works for your tastes. I can't stress enough the importance of salting your pasta water. It makes a HUGE difference. Remember, pasta has zero salt in it so seasoning your water is the one chance you have to add some flavour INTO the pasta.
Recipe FAQs
I have used bucatini but you could use any long shape. A short shape will be great too, there are no rules here so use any kind of pasta you love.
I prefer a single or light cream as it thickens up a lot with the parmesan cheese. You can use heavy cream if you prefer but you might just need to add some more pasta water.
The key is having the heat quite gentle. The cream should never be boiling, it should be barely at a simmer. Add it in and then whisk it in really quickly. A flat whisk is great for this.
Want some other recipes to try?
If you loved this recipe then check out my recipe section for all sorts of delicious pasta recipes and tutorials. Next time you have some zucchini to use up then try my Spring Pasta Primavera. For some buttery goodness try my Confit Garlic Butter Pasta and for something completely different my new simple Pasta Arrabbiata is a must!
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review and star rating down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you have made too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!
Recipe
Easy Creamy Zucchini Pasta Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 x medium zucchini see notes
- ½ medium onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ¾ cup cream
- 50 grams parmesan finely grated
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Salt to taste
- 200 grams dried pasta or 300 grams fresh
Instructions
- Prepare the zucchini. Grate with a box grater then place in a tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze as much water out as you can. After squeezing I had 440 grams of grated zucchini. A bit more or less is fine!
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet that will fit all the pasta on a medium heat and add the zucchini, onion and garlic.
- Lower the heat, add a couple of big pinches of salt and gently cook down for 20 - 25 minutes until pretty much all of the moisture is gone and it is thick and jammy. Adjust your heat as needed, a low heat will be best.
- Stir every couple of minutes and you know it is ready when it is sticking to the bottom of the pan. See video below or photos above for reference.
- Remove the mixture from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
- While zucchini is cooking, cook your pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Add the cream to the empty pan the zucchini was in and bring to a very gentle simmer, it should never boil at any point so keep your heat low.
- Add the finely grated parmesan in 2 - 3 separate lots, letting it melt in between each addition.
- Add the black pepper and lemon juice and and mix in quickly.
- Add ¼ cup of pasta water and mix. Let it gently simmer for a minute or two to thicken slightly.
- Add the zucchini mixture to the cream and mix in well then add your cooked pasta and toss well.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Let it very gently bubble away for a min or two and add another ¼ cup pasta water to loosen if needed.
- Toss the basil leaves through right before serving and serve with lemon zest and extra parmesan on top.
Stephanie M. says
Frankly, I am usually skeptical about zucchini pasta recipes - they’re usually watery and the zucchini is bland. I am so happy I put my skepticism aside for this recipe. The carmelized zucchini was so flavorful and had a great texture. I am going to be sad when zucchini season is over and I can’t make this on a regular basis anymore.
Mary Saternus says
Absolutely delicious. I usually do things the hard way, but had to bring out the food processor for the zucchini. The pepper really brings out the flavors too.
Emilie Pullar says
haha fair enough with food processor!! Thanks so much for making it Mary 🙂
Stella says
I made this and would thought I’d be stoked to get it at a restaurant it was that good!
Emilie Pullar says
Haha love that!! Thanks so much Stella 🙂
JC says
5 star, this recipe is delicious! While it takes time getting the corgette cooked down, it's not a complicated recipe and the taste is absolutely worth it. Easy to follow and tastes gourmet. Thank you!
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much!! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Corri says
OKAY. I WAS NOT READY. This is seriously as good as it looks, and every flavor just lights up in your mouth. It’s a very low stress recipe too, which I really love. Thank you for this one ?
Emilie Pullar says
hahaha love this!! Thanks so much Corri!
Katie says
Delicious! I love a good meatless dinner.
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it Katie!! 🙂
Anna says
Going on regular rotation. SO AMAZING!
Emilie Pullar says
Yay, so happy to hear that!!