Creamy Zucchini Pasta

5 from 1 vote

A creamy and dreamy blended zucchini sauce tossed with your favorite pasta for an easy summertime dinner! With it's gorgeous green color, this summer pasta is sure to be a hit during zucchini season.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Meredith

Equipment

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta of choice* (I like to use protein pasta or whole wheat)
water for cooking pasta, with 1 Cup pasta water reserved*
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Cups zucchini cut into half-moon discs (about 2-4 small-medium zucchinis)
½ shallot, rough chopped
salt & pepper
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
½ Cup low-fat cottage cheese (we like 1%)
½ Cup parmesan cheese, divided
¼ Cup chopped fresh basil
1 + ½ Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
optional: red chili flakes for topping

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions in well-salted water. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and set the pasta aside, but do not rinse it.
12 ounces pasta of choice*, water for cooking pasta, with 1 Cup pasta water reserved*
Sauté the zucchini and shallots. While the pasta cooks, sauté the sliced zucchini and shallot in olive oil with a little salt and pepper until tender and starting to turn golden.
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil, 4 Cups zucchini cut into half-moon discs, ½ shallot, rough chopped, salt & pepper
Add the garlic. In the last 30 seconds of cooking the zucchini, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
1 clove garlic, rough chopped
Blend the sauce. Add the cottage cheese, half the parmesan, the cooked zucchini mixture, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to your blender (or food processor), and blend until completely smooth. If needed, add a little more pasta water to help get things moving.
½ Cup low-fat cottage cheese, ½ Cup parmesan cheese, divided
Toss it all together. Add the cooked pasta to the same pan you used to cook the zucchini. Pour the blended sauce over it, add the remaining parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and chopped basil. Toss until every piece of pasta is coated, adding more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin the sauce to your liking.
¼ Cup chopped fresh basil, 1 + ½ Tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Taste and season. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediately. Top with a sprinkle of red chili flakes if you'd like and enjoy while it's warm!
optional: red chili flakes for topping

Notes

*Pick a pasta shape that can hold up to a cream sauce. The best options are short tubular pastas, twisted shapes, or wide flat noodles like rigatoni, penne, fusilli, cavatappi, fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle.

*You likely won't use all of the 1 Cup of pasta water reserved, but it's better to have it and not need it vs. not having enough. The starchy water helps the sauce blend smoothly, helps the sauce stick to the noodles, and lets you adjust the consistency at the end.

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you reheat, warm it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave and add a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce back up, stirring before serving.

Variation Ideas:

Swap in ricotta. Replace half or all of the cottage cheese with ricotta for a more decadent version of the sauce.
Blend red pepper flakes into the sauce if you'd like heat throughout instead of just on top.
Finish with toasted pine nuts or walnuts for a little crunch on top.
Add a protein, like grilled chicken, shrimp, or Italian sausage.

Nutrition