Hooray for the abundance of summer produce! This Zucchini Pasta is my favorite way to use up all our backyard-grown goodies.
I would consider this to be similar to a homemade Alfredo sauce with a green goddess twist! The final meal turns into a creamy, silky, gimme-the-carbs type of dinner (you know when you have those days!). This recipe is exactly what you need to satisfy all those comfort food cravings. Other pasta favs include this Italian Sausage with Brown Butter and Herbs, my Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta, Southwestern Stuffed Shells!
WHAT IS ZUCCHINI PASTA?
Fresh Zucchini is sautéed with sweet yellow onion in a mixture of butter and olive oil until they’re soft and caramelized. Add a few cloves of minced garlic and continue to cook until fragrant. Next, you’ll add everything into a high speed blender with warmed heavy cream, tons of herbs, a good portion of grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Once blended together, the end results are oh-so-dreamy. I like to loosen the sauce with a bit of reserved pasta water and then mix it together with a groovy pasta (fusilli and cellentani are my favs!); this way the sauce can snuggle into all the pasta’s nooks and crannies.
THE 411 ON BURRATA & WHY I’M OBSESSED:
Burrata is a cow’s milk Italian cheese that’s made of mozzarella and cream. When handling in its full form, the cheese ball feels like it’s almost the same texture as a perfectly poached egg. A solid shell of mozzarella on the outside, yet soft to the touch in the middle. Once you break into it, you’ll find the luxurious center which is composed of a ooey-gooey, melt-in-your-mouth mixture of stracciatella and cream. Ahem, who wouldn’t want to get their hands on that?!! It’s so grand slathered onto toasty bread. The perfect addition to this marvelous meal!
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
Sweet and Spicy Balsamic Blistered Tomatoes with Burrata
Summer Peach Tomato Salad Sandwich with Bacon
Air Fryer Roasted Tomatoes with Shallots
Incredibly Easy Air Fryer Pasta Chips
VIEW ALL RECIPES BY CLICKING HERE!
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 4 cups Diced Zucchini, (3 - 4 medium sized)
- 1 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 cup Heavy Cream, warmed
- ½ cup Fresh Oregano, stems removed
- ½ cup Fresh Italian Parsley, stems removed
- 20 Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 cups Frozen Peas, thawed
- 1 lb. Fusilli Pasta
- ½ - ¾ cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 8 oz. Burrata
- Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese, as desired for garnish
- 1 Loaf Crusty Bread, for serving
- Add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once melted together, add the zucchini and onion. Cook until softened and caramelizing, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, or until fragrant (but not browned!).
- Warm the heavy cream and allow the softened veggies to cool for a few minutes. While the veggies cool, go ahead and cool your pasta according to packaged directions in salted water. When draining, make sure to reserve a cup of pasta water.
- Transfer the veggies + cream to a high-speed blender along with the herbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Blend until well incorporated and smooth.
- Add the zucchini sauce back to the skillet that you cooked it in along with a splash or two of pasta water.
- Mix together and then add the cooked pasta to the same skillet. Toss together until pasta is coated.
- Transfer the zucchini pasta to a serving platter. Nestle the burrata, cut in half, top with red pepper flakes, shredded parmesan and serve with crusty bread.
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- Feel free to add as much or as little reserved pasta water to your sauce, depending on your consistency preferences. You definitely need to add at least 1 – 2 tablespoons to marry the pasta to the sauce, but anything more than that is totally up to you!
- Don’t have burrata on hand? No worries, you can substitute with fresh mozzarella, feta, or skip the cheese all together. I highly recommend still keeping the parmesan though, as it’s salty and tastes fantastic inside the sauce AND a sprinkle on top.
- This can be served hot or cold. We enjoyed leftovers cold with some rotisserie chicken. It was fantastic!
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