Main Dishes
Zucchini Lemon Pasta
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
4
🍋 This Zucchini Lemon Pasta screams summer in every bite! Ready in just 35 minutes, this light yet creamy pasta combines fresh zucchini and bright citrus for a dish that's perfect for warm weather dining.
If you are looking for a summery pasta dish, this is it. This zucchini lemon pasta is zesty, fresh, and is a great way to use in-season produce like zucchini. Pasta dishes don’t need to feel super heavy, and this is a great (lighter) version of pasta to make when it’s summertime.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Zucchini Lemon Pasta
- Easy: This lemon pasta recipe takes only 35 minutes to make, making it great for busy summer nights.
- Nutritious: Packed with vitamins from fresh zucchini and a boost of protein from nutritional yeast.
- Light Yet Satisfying: Enjoy pasta without feeling weighed down.
🍲 Ingredients
Nutritional Yeast – I put nooch (also known as nutritional yeast) on pretty much everything! It’s a complete protein, packed with B vitamins (essential for plant-based eaters), and contains trace minerals like zinc, selenium, manganese, and molybdenum. It adds a wonderful cheesy flavor without dairy!
Zucchini – Zucchini is rich in vitamin B6, which can help with regulating blood glucose, and is even known to be good for your eyes! The best part about zucchini is how versatile it is, too – you can even bake with it!
👩🍳 How to Make Zucchini Lemon Pasta
- Melt the garlic herb butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once it begins to bubble, add the shallots and garlic.
- Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until fragrant and onion is tender.
- Add the julienned zucchini, nutritional yeast, salt, cracked black pepper, minced onion flakes, and chili flakes, and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream, stir, and bring the mixture to a light boil.
- Add the parmesan cheese and constantly stir to allow even melting.
- Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken for 5 minutes.
- Prior to making the sauce or during, prepare the Spaghettini pasta according to the instructions on the package in a large pot.
- Rinse and strain.
- Transfer the pasta into the pan with the sauce, mixing thoroughly to combine.
- Serve the pasta with fresh parsley and enjoy!
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Zest: Always zest your lemon before juicing it – it’s much easier and you’ll get more zest.
- Timing: Cook your pasta while making the sauce to save time and ensure everything is hot when served.
- Texture: Don’t overcook the zucchini – it should be tender but still have a slight bite.
- Sauce: If your sauce gets too thick, add a splash of pasta water to adjust the consistency.
🗒 Substitutions
- Pasta: Swap the long fusilli for your preferred pasta shape OR use gluten-free pasta!
- Herb Butter: If you don’t have any garlic herb butter, you can make your own! Simply mix garlic and fresh (or dried) herbs with softened butter.
- Vegan Version: You can substitute ALL of the dairy in this recipe for your favorite vegan options – use slightly less plant-based milk and add extra nutritional yeast to bring out that cheesy flavor!
- Protein: Add your favorite protein option to this dish – grilled chicken, shrimp, or chickpeas all work well.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store the pasta in the fridge for 3–5 days, and then reheat to serve! To prevent the pasta from drying out, add a splash of water or cream when you reheat it.
🤔 Common Questions
While best served fresh, you can prepare the sauce up to 2 days ahead and store it separately from the pasta. Reheat the sauce gently and toss with freshly cooked pasta.
Make sure to cook the zucchini just until tender-crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Also, use medium-sized zucchini as larger ones tend to be more watery.
Fresh lemon juice and zest really make this dish shine. Bottled juice lacks the bright flavor, and you’d miss out on the aromatic oils from the zest. But in a pinch, I’d use it!
Julienne or spiralize the zucchini for the best texture, which mimics pasta. You can also cut it into half-moons or small cubes, if you prefer.
Yellow squash, asparagus, peas, or cherry tomatoes all make excellent substitutions or additions to this dish.
Zucchini Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. garlic herb butter
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 5 shallots diced
- 5 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 medium zucchinis julienned
- 1 ½ tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp. minced onion flakes
- ½ tsp. chili flakes
- Juice of 1 ½ lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 3 cups Spaghettini pasta
- 3 tbsp. fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
Instructions
- Melt the garlic herb butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once it begins to bubble, add the shallots and garlic.
- Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until fragrant and onion is tender.
- Add the julienned zucchini, nutritional yeast, salt, cracked black pepper, minced onion flakes, and chili flakes, and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream, stir, and bring the mixture to a light boil.
- Add the parmesan cheese and constantly stir to allow even melting.
- Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken for 5 minutes.
- Prior to making the sauce or during, prepare the Spaghettini pasta according to the instructions on the package in a large pot.
- Rinse and strain.
- Transfer the pasta into the pan with the sauce, mixing thoroughly to combine.
- Serve the pasta with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Video
Notes
If you don’t have any garlic herb butter, you can make your own! Simply mix garlic and fresh (or dried) herbs with softened butter.
You can substitute ALL of the dairy in this recipe for your favorite vegan options- be sure to use slightly less plant-based milk and add extra nutritional yeast to bring out that cheesy flavor!
Swap the long fusilli for your preferred pasta shape OR use gluten-free pasta!
Add your favorite protein option to this dish! Delicious!
Store the pasta in the fridge for 5 – 7 days, and reheat to serve!
This was so delicious I went back for seconds!! I love creamy pasta and this one satisfied my craving without being heavy or too rich. I’ll definitely be making this again.
love that you loved this one kelsie!
This dish is so good and so filling! Not too rich and overly creamy like a lot of lighter pastas are. Very impressed! Made up my own garlic butter with whatever I had on hand and worked great. A definite staple in our house!
YAY!! I love this for you so much. Thanks Kayla!!
Love the recipe what herbs are with the butter
mostly parsley and green onin! I just post the recipe for one!