Zucchini Parmesan Pasta
This creamy pasta dish features tender rigatoni and caramelized zucchini in a satiny, herby, parmesan cheese sauce! Quick, easy, healthy, and ready in about 20 minutes!
There’s so much flavor in this dish! And, surprisingly, there aren’t that many ingredients. The flavor comes from the pan-seared zucchini, Italian herb seasoning, and plenty of crushed red pepper flakes. There’s also a decent amount of parmesan cheese, so the sauce is salty, nutty, floral, and slightly fiery.
This dish is wholly vegetarian, but you can add protein if you want. To ramp up protein in this dish, add cooked chicken, shrimp, salmon, or steak. Another great idea? Top the finished pasta dish with poached eggs!
Don’t forget to save some of the pasta cooking water when you drain the pasta. The key to this sauce is using some of the pasta cooking water as the base. The starchy water creates a thick, rich sauce, while acting as a medium for all the other ingredients to meet.
Zucchini and parmesan cheese have a natural affinity. Fresh zucchini is grassy and slightly sweet, nuances that partner perfectly with the salty cheese. If possible, use freshly grated parmesan cheese, not the shelf-stable, shaker-style cheese. I buy pre-grated parmesan cheese from the refrigerated cheese section of my grocery store.
Feel free to add more vegetables to this pasta dish. Great additions would be yellow squash, fresh or canned tomatoes, mushrooms, green peas, corn, and broccoli.
Make this dish as fiery as you want. This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, which adds a nice amount of heat, but not too much. Feel free to use more or less to suit your tastes. You can always serve more at the table.
Zucchini Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta of choice, I used mezzi rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini, cubed, or cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add the garlic, Italian herb seasoning, and red pepper flakes and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until the herbs are fragrant.
- Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and butter bring to a simmer. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Fold in the cooked pasta and stir to coat. If needed, add more pasta water to thin the sauce. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on the side.