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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!
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.
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.
Tried this dish tonight and so good!! You never disappoint us with your recipes and so easy to make!! Thank you for feeding my family so good😁
Hey Sarah,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Have a great day! xT
So good! Made a double batch – family devoured it. Have some for leftovers so I’ll get some for lunch tomorrow. Will definately make again. Thank you!!
Hey Melissa,
Awesome! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xT
This was a clear winner in our house and a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini. I decided to add some chili flakes which we usually omit because I was afraid it would be too plain. They added a nice kick but not spicy. We will definitely be making again! The only thing is it took much longer for the shredded zucchini to reduce maybe 30min before it was golden.
Hey Valerie,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for making this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
I wanted to love this recipe and maybe i did something wrong butI followed the directions exactly. Somehow it came out very sticky and didn’t turn into a sauce. The cheese just all clumped up onto the spoon and I had to add milk and a lot of pasta water to even smooth it out enough to make it coat the pasta.
Hi Kellie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues with the sauce! xx
Made this last year and loved it! This time, it turned out like watery soup 🙁 . I think 1 cup of pasta water was too much. Next time, I’ll just add a little at a time. Bummer… Hopefully the flavor is still good! Thanks, Tieghan, for your recipes 🙂
Hi Amy,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you this year! xx
This is one of my favorite summer dishes! I rarely make pasta in the summer because it feels heavy. This is light, bright, refreshing! Great on it’s own, or with a side salad to make a fuller meal. Shredding the squash is the way to go 🙂 thanks for a summer rotation addition!!
Hey Thea,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it is always enjoyed! Have a great 4th of July! xT
One of my favorite recipes from this site! It’s so buttery and creamy; it’s hard to believe all that flavor is just from the zucchini. I add the zest and juice of one lemon to brighten it up a bit. But I have to say it is NOT a 30-minute recipe by any stretch of the imagination. All that grating and chopping takes forever. I love this recipe, but it’s definitely not a quick last-minute meal like it says.
Hey Sasha,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe so often and your comment, I am so glad to hear that it always turns out well for you! x
Kid approved: Zucchini has never been on my kids’ list of approved veggies, but they both loved this (ages 13 & 11). Actually made a pecorino pesto situation on the side and added in a couple tablespoons of that in place of the garlic/basil. Big hit!
Hey Kristin,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it and your comment:) Love that your kids enjoyed too! xT
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
Hi Kendalle,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this dish! xT
I haven’t made this yet because I have a question, about how many cups do the 3 to 4 chopped zucchinis make? We have some sliced zucchini in the freezer from our harvest last year, but didn’t label how many zucchinis are in each bag… whoops :’) they were also significantly larger than grocery store zucchini so I know the ratio will be off regardless. Thanks in advance and hope to make this soon, it sounds so delicious!!
Hey Anna,
I would say it’s about 3 cups of zucchini. Let me know how this dish turns out for you, I hope you love it! xT
Made this for dinner and it was a huge hit. Will definitely be making its way into my dinner rotation from now on.
Thanks so so much for trying out this recipe! Have a lovely day! xT
This is is absolutely delicious. Because my husband is allergic to dairy products, I substituted nutritional yeast and plant based cream cheese for the cheeses. He loved it! Served it alongside grilled mahi mahi.
Hi there! Thank you so so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have an amazing weekend 🙂 xT
This was so delicious and easy. I added grilled chicken and chopped bits of bacon. Delicious!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a lovely week! xT
I make lots of your meals for my family. I don’t eat meat so can only eat the vegetarian or pescatarian meals. This was a great recipe. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for sharing all your amazing recipes. Hope to get one of your books soon. ❤️
Love to hear this, Val! Thanks so much for trying this dish and your comment:) xT