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This simple zucchini pasta is an easy one-pot pasta recipe where ditalini pasta cooks in a garlic zucchini sauce. It’s a great summer meal in under 30 minutes that is comforting and flavorful without being heavy.
Quick Look: Zucchini Pasta
- Total time: 30 minutes with 15 minutes of prep work.
- Main ingredients: Zucchini, garlic, shallots, white beans, vegetable broth, and ditalini pasta.
- When to serve: You want a healthy pasta packed with vegetables. Can be served as a main dish or side to baked chicken kabobs.
- Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean diet, vegetarian and vegan diet, and is dairy free friendly. It is customizable to a gluten free diet, as well as a migraine diet.
- Why you’ll love it: This zucchini pasta uses an Italian cooking technique of simmering the ditalini pasta in the zucchini sauce so you get a super flavorful, creamy pasta dish without any heavy cream. White beans not only add to the creaminess, but also pack in fiber and nutrition without overpowering the flavor, allowing the zucchini to shine.
Using ditalini pasta allows you to easily cook it in one pan, infusing the sauce into it while the starches from the pasta create a thickened, creamy sauce. Similar to my garlic butter pasta, this recipe packs in some plant protein and fiber in a really subtle way.
Ingredients
Here’s a list on details you may need for grocery shopping. For the full recipe, please see the card at the bottom of this post.
- Zucchini – You’ll need one pound of green zucchini, which is roughly 2 medium squash. This also translates to about 3 cups, chopped. While you can use summer squash or yellow squash for this recipe, zucchini is recommended for best results.
- Ditalini pasta – A small tubular pasta that easily cooks in the sauce, eliminating the need for two pans. You can find it at Walmart, Target, Safeway or online. This is difficult to substitute as you’d want to go with a smaller pasta shape like orzo. We did find in recipe testing that Rummo Tubetti Rigati took a little longer to cook and also absorbed more broth than the smaller Barilla ditalini.
- Shallots – Shallots have a less robust flavor compared to onion, that elevates pasta dishes without overpowering them. Although these look like tiny onions, the flavor leans garlicky, which highlights the zucchini. While you can use onion in a pinch, the flavor with shallot is much more refined.
- White beans – A great Mediterranean ingredient that increases the overall fiber and protein, but also adds a great creamy flavor and texture when blended. This are also called “Cannellini beans”. I recommend canned white beans with low or no added salt.
- Broth – Use a low sodium vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian, but you could also use rotisserie chicken broth or bone broth to increase the protein content. In recipe testing, we found that the amount needed varied greatly depending on brand of ditalini and what pan was used. So plan to have at least 4-5 cups on hand.
- Lemon – Using the zest and juice adds some acidity and flavor which makes the sauce more complex.
- Basil – Use fresh, especially in the summer months. For fall, you could add fresh rosemary as a topping for a woodsy flavor profile.
- Kosher salt – I use Diamond Kosher salt which is less salty per volume compared to Morton’s or other brands. If you are using another brand, you may want to decrease the recommended amounts to your own taste.
Recipe Variations
- Add cheese – Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, stirred in at the very end of cooking or 1/2 of a Boursin garlic and herb cheese (about 3 ounces), also stirred in once the pasta has cooked through.
- Gluten free – Use a rice-based orzo if you cannot find a gluten free ditalini pasta. This may alter some of the cooking time, making it slightly shorter.
- Protein – Cook chicken or shrimp in the same pan before cooking the zucchini, or add in pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. This would also be wonderful paired with simply seared salmon. You can also add bone broth or use Brami protein pasta.
- HYH diet – Omit the lemon juice. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar for some acidity. Use Boursin cheese to increase the flavor.
How to Make Zucchini Pasta with Ditalini
Step 1: In a large pan, like enameled cast iron, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook till softened and browned, then add in the garlic and chopped zucchini. Stir to cook for about 3 minutes till the zucchini is softened and brown in parts.
Step 2: Pour the broth into the pan and add in drained and rinsed white beans, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boil over high heat for boil for 1 minute. Use an immersion blender to blend about half to the veggies and beans into a creamy sauce.
Step 3: Once the liquid has returned to a boil, add the ditalini pasta and cook, stirring often for about 10-12 minutes until the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice and cheese, if using.
Step 4: Spoon the pasta into shallow bowls and top with zest and thinly sliced basil.
Tip for Blending Zucchini Sauce
A good immersion blender makes this a one-pan pasta with minimal clean up. In recipe testing we found Braun produced a smoother sauce than Kitchen Aid. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add half the veggies and about 1 cup of broth to a regular blender.
I prefer to leave some of the zucchini and beans whole as it creates more texture, but if you want a more creamy zucchini sauce, blend the sauce till smooth.
Storage Information
- Refrigerator – This pasta keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. You may need to add a little bit of broth when reheating in the microwave or on the stove top as it will thicken when it cools.
- Freezer – Freeze the pasta for up to 3-4 months. I recommend using the 2 cup Souper Cubes to freeze and then transfer to a freezer bag for easy, long term storage. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or heat on the stovetop with a about 1/4 cup of broth, stirring continuously till warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this zucchini pasta with a bibb lettuce salad and a warm, crusty baguette for a filling vegetarian meal.
As a side dish, this will pair incredibly well with cast iron roast chicken, pan seared salmon, or an air fryer NY strip steak or air fryer filet.
More Zucchini Recipes
Need to use up more zuccchini, try these recipes.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Easy Zucchini Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender or Regular blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 shallots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound zucchini, about 2 medium zucchini, diced into ½-inch cubes , about 3 cups diced
- 15 ounces canned white beans, drained and rinsed, also called cannellini beans
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth, plus more if needed (plan to use around 4 cups), choose a more flavorful brand, like Bonafide
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly ground
- 12 ounces ditalini pasta
- 3 ounces Boursin garlic and herb cheese, optional, but recommended for flavor
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped zucchini and saute for 3 minutes.
- Pour 4 cups of broth into the pan and add the drained and rinsed white beans, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the veggies and beans to create a rich and creamy sauce. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a measuring cup to remove about half of the veggies and beans, plus about 1 cup of the broth, and transfer it to a blender. Blend until smooth, then add it back into the pan.)
- Once the liquid has returned to a boil, add the ditalini and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes. If needed, add more broth to thin out the sauce. Stir in Boursin cheese, if using. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve in shallow bowls with more freshly ground black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, basil, and lemon zest on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Broth measurements – This varied based on what kind of pan was used (wider used more broth), ditalini pasta brands (smaller ditalini used less broth), and boiling time. 4 cups worked well in testing, but I recommend having at least 5 cups on hand, just in case the sauce is too thick.
- A note on cheese – Although this pasta is great dairy free, everyone preferred it with added 1/2 round of Boursin garlic and herb, or 1/2 cup grated parmesan. If you do not use any cheese, do not skip the lemon juice.
- HYH/low histamine – Use Boursin instead of added lemon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and filling! It worked great reheated with a little bit of broth.