Zucchini penne pasta is a vegetarian dinner option perfect for fresh summer squash. It's tangy and perfect for hot summer days when you want to eat a lighter meal.
This zucchini penne is the perfect light dinner on any hot summer evening. Enjoy it with a glass of wine from the back porch and watch the sunset in the distance.
Modified from my Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta, this recipe harnesses a wonderful balance of savory, tangy, and buttery flavors in every bite.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's easy to make. Boil pasta in one pot and saute some veggies in another, and by the time the pasta has finished cooking, you can toss everything together and serve.
- It goes great with lighter side dishes. Pair your meatless pasta dinner with some toasted garlic bread and a simple green salad for a complete meal experience. You can even serve some Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake for an easy after-dinner dessert.
- It's a frugal recipe. This dish is great for helping to trim down the grocery budget. At less than $1 per serving, this recipe is perfect for meatless Mondays.
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🥘 Ingredients
Pasta- You'll need a box of dry pasta for this recipe. I recommend using penne pasta, but any pasta type or variety should work just fine.
Pasta Water- Before draining your pasta, reserve some water. This will help to make the sauce stretch and adhere to the pasta better.
Butter- For added richness in the sauce, the butter will give us a creamier taste.
Olive Oil- For added flavor and to help cook the veggies, you'll need a little bit of olive oil.
Garlic- You can use fresh garlic or jarred garlic, but you will need about 4-5 cloves worth of minced garlic.
Lemon juice- Adding in a little lemon juice will help to keep the flavors light and vibrant.
Parmesan cheese- I recommend using shredded parmesan cheese (from the cold deli section of your grocery store) as it will melt and taste better than the dried parmesan from a can.
Seasonings- We just need salt and pepper for basic seasonings to keep it simple.
Zucchini- I recommend using fresh chopped zucchini.
Cherry Tomatoes- Using cherry tomatoes will give us a vibrant burst of color and tangy flavor to bring the recipe full circle with complementary flavors.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Penne Pasta Recipe with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in your penne pasta.
Cook as directed on the product packaging until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the zucchini mixture.
Wash your zucchini and slice in half. Remove the ends.
Chop each zucchini half into ¼ inch thick slices. Set aside for now.
In a large pan, add your olive oil, butter, and minced garlic.
Sautee together until the butter has melted and the garlic is fragrant.
Add in the zucchini, salt, and pepper.
Cook for about 8 minutes until softened.
Add in halved cherry tomatoes during the final minute or two of the zucchini cooking.
Cook for the remaining time and allow the cherry tomatoes to soften.
Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta into a colander. Add drained pasta to the pan with the zucchini and tomatoes.
Add in the lemon juice and water. Mix well to combine.
Add in the shredded parmesan cheese.
Mix well until the pasta is evenly coated.
Serve warm and enjoy.
📖 Variations
For a meaty variation, you can add in some sliced turkey sausage. Slice them into coins and add them to the pan with the zucchini so they can cook and become caramelized. Yum!
By swapping out the reserved pasta water for heavy cream, you can get a creamy pasta variation.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Adding salt to your pot of boiling water will help to make the pasta taste even better.
You'll want to heat the zucchini over medium heat (about 350F). Too hot will cause it to burn, and too low won't cook it fast enough to be finished when the pasta is ready.
If you finish your zucchini before the pasta is finished, you can turn the heat off and let the pan rest on the warm burner until you're ready to combine everything.
🍳 Reheating
This pasta is very easy to reheat in the microwave. We like to add a serving or two of it to a plate and heat it for about 1-2 minutes.
For larger serving sizes, I'd recommend placing the pasta in a large pot over medium heat on the stove with a few tablespoons of water or butter. Reheat until warmed through.
🥗 Side Dishes
You can serve this dish with just about anything, but I think some Baked Brats would be great.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
You can precook the pasta and rinse in cold water, before storing in a gallon sized zipper topped baggie in the fridge overnight.
You can chop the zucchini the night before too. Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Then when you go to make your meal, you can have it on the table in about 10 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Keep any uneaten pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat again before serving.
💭 FAQs
Thanks to the smooth skin of zucchini, they are one of the easier veggies to clean. Just run them under cool running water and brush your hand or a soft brush along the sides, tops, and bottom to remove any dirt.
Zucchini is high in antioxidants and hydration and is full of many other nutrients as well. They're great for your health and a perfect way to add something green to the plate.
Yes! Zucchini skin is where most of the health benefits like carotenoids hide. To eat the skin means you're ingesting more of the nutritional goodness these veggies have to offer. While you can peel the skin, there's no reason to because it's so thin and will easily soften as it gets cooked.
More great pasta recipes to check out soon
- Cream Cheese Bacon Pasta Bake
- Ragu Spaghetti Sauce
- Grilled Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Sauce
- Pineapple Teriyaki Yakisoba Noodles
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Penne Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Penne noodles ($0.92)
- ½ cup Reserved pasta water ($0.00)
- 2 large Zucchini, chopped ($1.86)
- 4 Tablespoons Butter ($0.36)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil ($0.13)
- 4 teaspoons Garlic, minced (4-5 cloves) ($0.25)
- 1 teaspoon Salt ($0.10)
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved ($1.24)
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice ($0.24)
- ½ cup Shredded Parmesan cheese ($1.47)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in your penne pasta.
- Cook as directed on the product packaging until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the zucchini mixture.
- Wash your zucchini and slice in half. Remove the ends.
- Chop each zucchini half into ¼ inch thick slices. Set aside for now.
- In a large pan, add your olive oil, butter, and minced garlic.
- Sautee together until the butter has melted and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes until softened.
- Add in halved cherry tomatoes during the final minute or two of the zucchini cooking.
- Cook for the remaining time and allow the cherry tomatoes to soften.
- Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta into a colander. Add drained pasta to the pan with the zucchini and tomatoes.
- Add in the lemon juice and water. Mix well to combine.
- Add in the shredded parmesan cheese.
- Mix well until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
Variations
- For a meaty variation, you can add in some sliced turkey sausage. Slice them into coins and add them to the pan with the zucchini so they can cook and become caramelized. Yum!
- By swapping out the reserved pasta water for heavy cream, you can get a creamy pasta variation.
Recipe Tips
- Adding salt to your pot of boiling water will help to make the pasta taste even better.
- You'll want to heat the zucchini over medium heat (about 350F). Too hot will cause it to burn, and too low won't cook it fast enough to be finished when the pasta is ready.
- If you finish your zucchini before the pasta is finished, you can turn the heat off and let the pan rest on the warm burner until you're ready to combine everything.
Reheating
- This pasta is very easy to reheat in the microwave. We like to add a serving or two of it to a plate and heat it for about 1-2 minutes.
- For larger serving sizes, I'd recommend placing the pasta in a large pot over medium heat on the stove with a few tablespoons of water or butter. Reheat until warmed through.
Side Dishes
- You can serve this dish with just about anything, but I think some Baked Brats would be great.
Make Ahead Instructions
- You can precook the pasta and rinse in cold water, before storing in a gallon sized zipper topped baggie in the fridge overnight.
- You can chop the zucchini the night before too. Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Then when you go to make your meal, you can have it on the table in about 10 minutes.
Storage
- Keep any uneaten pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat again before serving.
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