Zucchini Parmesan Pasta

Perfectly cooked pasta is tossed with shredded zucchini that has been sauteed in butter with garlic, shallots, and chilies. Topped with loads of fresh parmesan and your choice of herbs, Zucchini Parmesan Pasta is a quick and easy meal perfect for a family dinner or a meal for one while sitting on the couch with a movie!

Zucchini is not something I cook with very often. It’s just one of those things I don’t think of when buying produce. I really should work on correcting that, because we both love zucchini. Albeit, I will only eat it if it’s cooked, but John.e is okay with eating it raw with hummus. With summer approaching and my garden plan including zucchini this year, I’m sure there will be more recipes like this Zucchini Parmesan Pasta in the future.

I love to bake with zucchini too! My Autumn Spiced Zucchini Bundt Cake is one of my most popular cake recipes. Rightfully so; it’s absolutely delicious! Of course, everyone who loves to bake has a recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies! My recipe makes thick and moist, soft and chewy cookies – yum!

When it comes to a successful pasta dish with shredded zucchini, the trick is to get as much of the liquid out of the zucchini as possible. Failing to do so will likely result in a very watery pasta, and I can’t speak for everyone, but that is just not favourable to me at all!

PASTA SHAPES

Any pasta will do well in this recipe. But, for maximum flavour, you want to use pasta that will hold onto that delicious sauce. Kinds of pasta like spaghetti, linguine, pappardelle, etc., are all great pasta options. But, they have one thing in common. The surfaces of those kinds of pasta are flat. A flat pasta means that the sauce can run off more easily. You want to use pasta that the sauce will stick to.

Look closely at pasta like rigatoni, fusilli, or penne. They all have a ridged surface. Not only do the ridges get filled with the pasta sauce, but they also hang onto things like the bits of garlic, the grated parmesan, and just about anything else in your sauce.

I’m using ballerine-type pasta, sometimes referred to as campanelle as well. They are cone-shaped, but have a frilly outer edge. Because of their shape, they can retain sauce quite well!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pasta – Read my notes above about the best pasta shapes for holding onto the sauce.
• Olive oil – I can’t imagine pasta without olive oil!
• Garlic – Fresh garlic is a must for this dish!
• Shallots – From the onion family, shallots have a mild flavour and a pale purple colour. You can use red onions here too.
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – This is completely optional, but I love pasta with a bit of heat, so I add extra!
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper, of course, and some dried thyme as well.
• Butter – Just a little bit goes a long way here. It adds so much flavour so don’t skip it.
• Pasta Water – Don’t throw that pasta water down the drain! Save a cup to make the sauce. The starchy, salty water is the key to a good sauce!
• Zucchini – Two large zucchini are needed. Read the section below for more information on how to prepare the zucchini.
• Parmesan – Lots of parmesan! Please try to use a parmesan that comes in a wedge. Pop it in your food processor and pulse it until it has the consistency of wet sand. Avoid the parmesan in shaker cans if possible.
• Garnish – I love fresh parsley in pasta dishes. Fresh thyme leaves are a great option here. You could use fresh basil too.

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI PARMESAN PASTA

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, but undercook it just slightly. It will cook further when added to the sauce. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil and shallots. Saute the shallots for 2-4 minutes until just cooked. Add in the garlic and dried red chili flakes, if using. Stir into the shallots and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, and butter. Stir to combine until the butter is fully melted.

Next, add in the zucchini and stir. Cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes. Add the drained pasta into the skillet and toss to coat. Add half of the parmesan and toss to incorporate. At this point, add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water at a time, mixing well between each addition until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency. You may not use all of the reserved pasta water, depending on your preference.

Plate the pasta and top with the remaining parmesan and garnish with your choice of fresh herbs. Fresh thyme is a great choice, along with parsley. Fresh basil leaves are also a great addition.

HOW TO PREPARE THE ZUCCHINI

To get rid of the water in zucchini, there’s a very easy solution.  Grate the zucchini very finely using either a box grater or a food processor.  Once the zucchini has been grated, I like to let it sit in a bowl for about fifteen to twenty minutes just so that it can relax a bit.  The grated strands will slowly release the water.  Next, scoop handfuls of the grated zucchini and squeeze out the water by cupping your hands together.  Transfer the squeezed zucchini to the center of a clean kitchen towel.

Once all the zucchini is piled high into the center of the towel, gather up the sides and twist to get as much water as possible out of the zucchini.  Unfold the towel and transfer the zucchini to a bowl, lightly fluffing it with your fingers until you’re ready to use it.

Trust me, even though the grated zucchini has been through the wringer – literally! – it’s the best approach to obtaining the perfect pasta sauce.  The water content is not needed to get a delicious coating on the pasta.

COOKING PASTA

Let me talk to you a bit about how to get the pasta just right without overcooking it. Someone once told me that I prepare pasta like an old Italian grandma. That has stuck we me for so many years. You see, Dear Reader, I’m far from perfect, but cooking pasta is one thing I can certainly do perfectly. I don’t care what the back of the pasta package says, cook your pasta according to taste and texture. Ignore everything else. Here are my 4 steadfast rules:

Rule #1: Say no to oil!

Do you add oil to your pasta water before adding the pasta? Stop that right now! I don’t know who’s responsible for that, but I have seen some TV chefs do it! If you add oil to your pasta water, do you know what happens when you put the sauce on it? The sauce won’t stick as well as it should. It will slide off because the oil prevents it from sticking.

Rule #2: Add extra salt!

Salt the water. I used to be so afraid of salting pasta water because I thought it would be too salty to eat. Salting the water, before you add the pasta, is the only chance you get to season that pasta. Let the water come to a full boil before adding your salt. The water should taste like the ocean. Don’t dump the salt in; stir it in. Preventing the salt from settling at the bottom of your pot will keep your pot looking shiny and new. If you have pots with what looks like a tarnished or unpolished interior bottom, it’s because salt sat at the bottom of your pot.

Rule #3: Get that pasta moving about immediately!

Stir the pasta for a good minute when you first add it to the water. This helps to wash off some of the starch and prevents the pasta from sticking to the pot and to itself. I always pull out a piece of pasta 4 minutes before the package says it will be ready. Taste it. Chew it. It shouldn’t be completely soft. If it has a bit of bite left in the center, get it out of the water and drain it immediately. You can thank me later!

Rule #4: Do not rinse!

So many of us are tempted to rinse pasta under running water after it’s been drained. I think it comes from the notion that it gets rid of the starch. Well, it does in a way. But, when pasta begins to cool off and dry, it becomes a little sticky. That stickiness soaks up pasta sauce, so don’t flush it out! A quick drain is all you need. Get the pasta into a bowl or onto a plate. Get the sauce on it and serve it up. (That all applies to hot pasta dishes, but for a pasta salad, go ahead and rinse. Get all of that starch off!)