Creamy Zucchini Pasta is the recipe you need at the end of a busy day. We make a silky, creamy sauce, well flavoured with sautéed onion and garlic, as well as fresh thyme, cubed ham, lemon zest and Parmesan. When tossed through pasta, it makes a family friendly meal using simple ingredients that is so quick to prepare that you can have it on the table in 30 minutes.

Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Although we use simple, readily available ingredients, we have a perfect blend of flavours and texture that give us a dish that is full of flavour.
- It is simple but elegant.
- If you use an appropriate cheese, you have a vegetarian meal. And for a gluten-free meal, just swap to the appropriate pasta.
- When you need an easily prepared meal, a pasta dish, such as my Creamy Tuna Pasta or Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta are always great options.
- It is flexible – if you have any leftover Roast Chicken, you could shred some and add to the pasta sauce. It would be a great addition.
Recipe Inspiration: anyone who has grown zucchini knows that they are prolific! This recipe came about one year when I had a copious quantity and was experimenting with different ways to use them. This recipe became a family favourite.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Penne pasta: we prefer penne rigate - penne translates to “pen” and rigate means “ridged.” The surface of the penne has ridges that help the sauce adhere.
- Extra virgin olive oil: this is the least processed olive oil, obtained from the first pressing of the olives. It provides great flavour.
- Zucchini/courgettes: I prefer medium zucchini. They are sweeter and have fewer seeds than large ones. They should be firm to the touch, without bruises or blemishes, and the skin vibrant green. We have used green ones here as they are the ones you are most likely to find at the grocery store. However, the colours vary with different varieties.
- Brown onion/yellow: this is a popular onion. You can use a white onion if you prefer.
- Garlic: for the best flavour, use fresh cloves.
- Fresh thyme leaves: a traditional Mediterranean herb that elevates the flavours in the sauce.
- Ham: we have used cubed leg ham.
- Heavy/thickened cream: this is cream with a minimum milk fat content of 35%.
- Lemon zest: the zest contains a lot of flavour and adds a bright note to the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: for the best flavour, use good quality Parmigiano Reggiano. If you wish, you could use Grana Padano, that also is very flavoursome.
- Salt and pepper: for the best result, always check that your food is properly seasoned, adding sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. It is the difference between a dish with flavour and one that is bland.
- Pasta water: pasta water holds the key to a great plate of pasta. It contains salt and starch from the cooked pasta. When you add the cooked pasta to the sauce, along with some of the reserved pasta water, it acts as a thickening agent and emulsifies with the cream, creating a silky, luxurious sauce which clings to the pasta.
Variations:
Pasta: you can use another short pasta, such as rigatoni, or a long pasta, such as linguine or spaghetti.
Ham: you could swap out for bacon, and cook it with the onion.
Spice: you could add some dried chilli flakes if you like a little heat.
How To Make Creamy Zucchini Pasta:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Sauté the zucchini:
Put a large pot of water on to boil and generously salt once boiling.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the zucchini and onion and cook, stirring occasionally. Season well with salt and pepper.
2 – Bring the sauce together:
Meanwhile, put your pasta on to cook until just al dente.
Add the garlic and thyme. Add the ham, cream and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
3 – Add the pasta to the sauce:
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and a little pasta water at a time to get the desired consistency.
4 – Add in the Parmesan cheese:
Turn off the heat and stir through the parmesan cheese. Check that the seasoning is to your liking before serving.
Hint: use freshly grated, good quality Parmesan. Pre-grated packaged cheese often contains an anti-caking agent, which means that the cheese doesn’t melt properly, and your sauce may become lumpy.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Yes, you certainly can, you just need to use the appropriate pasta. And, be generous with the pasta water, as gluten-free pasta absorbs more liquid.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To avoid the sauce splitting, I suggest when reheating, you add a small amount of water or cream and heat very gently on the stovetop.
It literally translates as “to the tooth”, meaning that the pasta retains a little firmness when you bite into it.
No, please don’t rinse the pasta. You will wash away all the starch and it’s the starch which helps the sauce adhere to the pasta. You will also wash away the pasta flavour.
Top Tip:
For the best results, I recommend you have your appliances and ingredients prepared before you start cooking. This will mean that the cooking process is quicker and smoother.
Serving Suggestions:
This Creamy Zucchini Pasta is quickly and easily made, making it ideal for busy weeknights or any time that you are sharing a relaxed meal with friends.
We like to serve it with:
- Some warm bread, such as our Spelt Focaccia.
- A green salad, such as our Rocket and Pear Salad.
- Alongside an additional protein source, such as our Mediterranean Marinated Chicken Breast.
This easily made, simple pasta recipe is full of flavour and certain to become a family favourite. I look forward to hearing if you try it.
Alex xx
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Creamy Zucchini Pasta
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 340 g (12 ounces) dried penne pasta See Note 1
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil See Note 2
- 3 medium zucchini/courgette – cut into a small dice - about 1 cm/0.4 inch. About 450 g/1 lb prepared weight.
- 1 small brown/yellow onion – finely chopped
- 4 large cloves of garlic – finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves – finely chopped
- 200 g (7 oz) ham – cut into a small dice - about 1 cm/0.4 inch. See Note 3
- 310 ml (1 ¼ cups) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 4
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 40 g (½ cup) Parmesan cheese - freshly grated See Note 5
- sea salt and pepper – to taste See Note 6
- 1 cup pasta water – reserve before draining pasta – you may not need to use it all See Note 7
Instructions
- Put a large saucepan of water on the stove and bring to the boil. Once boiling, salt your water.
- To a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the zucchini and onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, put your pasta on to cook until just al dente.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the ham, cream and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and a little pasta water at a time to get the desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat and stir through the parmesan cheese. Check that the seasoning is to your liking. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Pasta: I like a short pasta with this sauce such as penne, rigatoni or fusilli. However, you could use a long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine if you prefer.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Ham: we have used cubed leg ham, cut from a thick piece.
- Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
- Parmesan: use freshly grated, good quality Parmesan. Pre-grated packaged cheese often contains an anti-caking agent, which means that the cheese doesn’t melt properly, and your sauce may become lumpy.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour.
- Pasta water: this is the key to a great plate of pasta. It contains salt and starch from the cooked pasta. When you add the cooked pasta to the sauce, along with some of the reserved pasta water, it acts as a thickening agent and emulsifies with the cream, creating a silky, luxurious sauce which clings to the pasta.
- Make this gluten-free: simply use a good quality gluten-free pasta. Gluten-free pasta absorbs more moisture than regular pasta, so you may find you need to add plenty of pasta water.
- Storage: the pasta is best when eaten freshly cooked. However, if you have any leftovers, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Reheating: the pasta can be reheated in the microwave or gently in a frying pan. To avoid the sauce splitting, I suggest when reheating, you add a small amount of water or cream and heat very gently on the stovetop.
- Freezing: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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