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Home Pasta Recipes

Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce

By:Nagi
Published:3 Aug '20Updated:4 Aug '20
125 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce may well become your new favourite zucchini recipe. Quick, easy, economical and a great way to use zucchinis to make a luscious pasta dinner!

Plate with spaghetti with Creamy Zucchini Pasta Sauce (Courgette)

Real Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce – NOT “Zoodles”!

If you landed here expecting one of those low carb zucchini pasta “zoodle” recipes, you’re going to be sorely disappointed because this is about as far as you can get from a health food trend.

It’s real spaghetti all the way, in all its carb loaded glory, and the zucchini pasta sauce is swimming in cream.

Low carb? Absolutely not. Low fat? Nope.

100% delicious? YES!

Skillet filled with creamy Zucchini pasta sauce

What you need for Creamy Zucchini Pasta Sauce

This recipe is a wonderful way to turn 4 zucchinis into dinner. Here’s what you need.

  • Zucchinis – called courgettes in some parts of the world. 600g/1.2lb or so – bit more or less works fine;

  • Pasta – this can actually be made with any pasta at all, short or long. But it does work particularly well with long pasta because the shredded zucchini “clings” to it. For the photos and video, I used bucatini, the spaghetti that’s hollow inside, just for something different. Loved the extra thick pasta strands, not so fond of the strange sensation of sucking on a straw when I’m slurping up the pasta – but I think that’s me being immature? 😂

  • Garlic and onion – essential flavour base for this simple pasta sauce;

  • Parmesan – adds umami (savoury flavour) into this otherwise very simple pasta sauce. Best to use freshly grated if you can because it melts into the sauce better, but store bought grated works fine too. Don’t have parmesan? Use any cheese you have! Don’t have cheese? Add a sprinkle of chicken or vegetable stock powder;

  • Cream – because this is a creamy sauce! Evaporated milk is an excellent substitute. Coconut milk would work but I think would taste odd over pasta (I could be wrong);

  • Chicken or vegetable broth/stock – as above with parmesan, adds flavour into this sauce. Without it, it does lack a bit of flavour; and

  • Corn isn’t essential, but it does add cheerful little pops of colour and bursts of sweetness into this pasta dish. I’ve just used canned here but fresh corn would go down a treat.

Grating zucchini

How to make Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce

Grating the zucchini is ideal to make a lovely creamy sauce that clings to the pasta. When you grate it, you might feel somewhat alarmed (or perhaps virtuous) at the enormous mound of zucchini. But don’t fret! It shrinks a LOT when cooked.

Key Step – tossing pasta with sauce

The creamy zucchini sauce will seem somewhat thin because the water coming out of the zucchini dilutes the cream. But don’t be concerned – once the pasta is added, the recipe calls for you to (enthusiastically) toss the pasta in the sauce for around 2 minutes on the stove which reduces the sauce and makes it cling to the pasta rather than pooling in the skillet.

The photo on the left is just when the pasta is added – you see how the sauce is just pooled in the skillet – then on the right is after 2 minutes of tossing. See how there’s no sauce left in the skillet? It’s all on the pasta!

Fork twirling pasta with Creamy Zucchini Pasta Sauce (Courgette)

Who ever would’ve thought you could make something so amazing from just a few drab looking zucchinis??

Being that this is loaded with zucchinis, you can totally justify not adding a side salad to your meal. But something fresh and crunchy wouldn’t go astray – try one of these:

Close up of a refreshing Cucumber Salad with a tasty Herb & Garlic Dressing
Cucumber Salad with Herb Garlic Vinaigrette
Close up of Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta in a white salad bowl, ready to be served
Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomato Feta
A classic Greek Salad with plump olives and a beautiful homemade Greek Salad Dressing. www.recipetineats.com
Greek Salad
Italian Dressing - the one dressing everyone should ALWAYS have in the fridge! Keeps for 2 weeks. www.recipetineats.com
Italian Dressing Recipe
Close up of juicy Tomato Salad with Basil, ready to be served
Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil
Close up of forkful of Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta
Side Salads

And if you’re cooking to impress, add a side of Garlic Bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread. Carb overload? Totally. But sometimes, you’ve just gotta live a little! 😉 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Skillet with Creamy Zucchini Pasta Sauce (Courgette)

Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Mains, Pasta
Italian, Western
4.93 from 38 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a wonderful way to use zucchinis to make a luscious pasta dinner! It's summery yet at the same time comforting, quick, easy and while perhaps not low fat, this makes a good dent into our daily recommended vegetable intake!

Ingredients

  • 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 onion , finely sliced (brown, white, yellow)
  • 600g / 1.2 lb zucchini (courgette), grated using standard box grater
  • 1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
  • 1 cup thickened/heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock/broth , low sodium
  • 3/4 cup parmesan , finely grated using microplane (Note 1 for store bought)
  • 1 cup corn (canned, drained, about 2/3 of a can, OR fresh)
  • 300g/ 10oz spaghetti, fettucini or other long strand pasta (I used bucatini)

Finishing & serving

  • Parmesan
  • Extra finishing options: Handful of fresh basil (stir in at end), sprinkle of bacon or pangrattato

Instructions

Cook Pasta:

  • Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tablespoon of salt.
  • Cook pasta per packet directions MINUS 2 minutes (yes, 2 whole minutes!) - pasta should be a bit too firm in the middle.
  • Scoop out a big mug of pasta cook water, set aside (for sauce loosening, just in case), then drain.

Creamy zucchini sauce:

  • Melt butter in a large skillet or pot over medium high heat.
  • Garlic and onion: Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 1/2 minutes until onion is slightly golden.
  • Cook Zucchini: Add zucchini, cook for 1 minute. Then add salt and pepper, then stir for 2 minutes until it reduces in volume by about 1/2.
  • Add liquids: Stir in cream, chicken stock, parmesan and corn. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. It will still seem watery because water comes out of the zucchini - don't worry, it cooks down in the next step.
  • Toss! Add pasta, then use two wooden spoons to toss well for 2 minutes, or until sauce reduces and is coating the pasta instead of pooling in the skillet. If it gets too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta cooking water. Pasta will finish cooking in this step.
  • Serve: Remove from stove, serve immediately, garnished with extra parmesan.

Recipe Notes:

1. Parmesan - if you grate your own, make sure you either weigh the parmesan or pack the cup when measuring. This is because freshly grated parmesan is much fluffier than store bought.
If using store bought parmesan, add it in with the pasta, don't try to melt it in the sauce because it won't melt through the sauce, you'll end up with chunks of melted cheese in the sauce.
2. Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 631cal (32%)Carbohydrates: 62g (21%)Protein: 18g (36%)Fat: 35g (54%)Saturated Fat: 21g (131%)Cholesterol: 112mg (37%)Sodium: 547mg (24%)Potassium: 729mg (21%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 1572IU (31%)Vitamin C: 33mg (40%)Calcium: 233mg (23%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: courgette pasta sauce, pasta with courgette, pasta with zucchini, zucchini pasta sauce
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

Yesterday. Poor Geoff – he just wants to enjoy his Chili Mac and Cheese in peace, without Dozer staring at him with rivers of drool down his chest!!

(For those who are new here, Geoff is the local who lives at the Bayview dog beach. He looks after the park like its his own backyard. We are very lucky to have him as part of our community!)

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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125 Comments

  1. MILLER - Jane says

    December 31, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    Sorry to say I found it very bland

    Reply
  2. Karen Yasin says

    August 19, 2022 at 9:03 pm

    Hi Nagi, I made your laksa with noodles tonight, wow! Absolutely awesome, thankyou 10/10👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    May 15, 2022 at 1:42 pm

    5 stars
    Added 2 chopped bacon rashers & was very tasty.. will try adding mushrooms next time as well……

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 15, 2022 at 5:25 pm

      Bacon makes everything better!! N x

      Reply
  4. Catherine says

    April 26, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    Is a hit with this family, delicious. Thanks Nagi

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2022 at 3:29 pm

      Woohoo!! I’m glad your family liked it Catherine!! N x

      Reply
  5. Patricia says

    February 1, 2022 at 12:28 am

    Oh my goodness. Or should I say oh your goodness because this recipe is so much more than the sum of its parts (just like your smoked sausage and fried rice). We loved this and so did our guest.

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    January 18, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    Just wondering why you say to use unsalted butter, then add salt to the recipe? Please don’t take it personally, as I see lots of recipes like this.

    Reply
    • Miriam says

      February 2, 2022 at 9:16 pm

      Some salted butters contain more salt than others, & having the ingredients separated allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe.

      Reply
  7. Kelly says

    January 15, 2022 at 12:51 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is phenomenal! It’s now my daughter’s new favourite pasta. She thinks it’s a “broccoli sauce” as I blended the zucchini in (before adding the corn) because my kids won’t eat zucchini 😁

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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