Easy Pasta with Zucchini (and Potatoes)
This Pasta with Zucchini and Potatoes recipe is perfect for you! Ready in less than 30 minutes, this light and delicious pasta recipe makes the perfect summer recipe.
Servings: 4
Calories: 558kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta
- sea salt
- 1 Russet potato peeled and quartered lengthwise then cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced (red, sweet or 1 large shallot)
- 2 small spring zucchini halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, or 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, seeded with a spoon then thinly sliced
- sea salt (1-2 teaspoons or more, to your taste)
- freshly ground pepper (1 teaspoon, or more, to taste)
- ½ cup unsalted vegetable broth optional
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves only, chopped or fresh basil
- crushed red pepper flakes to serve
- Cheese your favorite vegan shreds or Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino if you’re not vegan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water boils, add in the potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes.
- In a large saute’ pan, add the extra-virgin olive oil and heat until it’s shimmering. Add in the onions until they soften. Add in the zucchini and stir to combine with the onions.
- Use a slotted spoon to grab the potatoes out of the pot and add to the pan with the zucchini and onions. Stir to combine and add some salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Salt the pot of water that had the potatoes and add in the pasta (see notes above about how much salt to add). Cook the pasta until it is 1 minute less than al dente.
- Meanwhile, keep cooking the zucchini and potatoes while the pasta is cooking. If you have any unsalted vegetable broth on hand, go ahead and add a little bit in (or a ladle of the pasta water) to loosen up the zucchini and potatoes.
- The zucchini sauce should be ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta (you want the potatoes to be tender when you touch with a fork and the zucchini to soften).
- Check the seasoning of the zucchini sauce, and add more salt and freshly ground pepper, to your taste.
- Drain the pasta when it is just before reaching al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
- Raise the heat of the zucchini sauce a little. Add the pasta to the saute’ pan with the sauce. Stir to combine and add a little bit of pasta water (a tablespoon at a time) if the sauce is too thick to loosen it up a little.
- Plate up the pasta and add on some chopped Italian parsley (or fresh basil) and crushed red pepper flakes (optional). ENJOY!
Notes
- Pre-cook potatoes slightly to ensure even cooking with the zucchini.
- Use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Salt the pasta water generously for well-seasoned pasta.
- Sauté onions until they're just soft to avoid over-browning.
- Add pasta water to the vegetables to create a silky sauce.
- Cook pasta 1 minute less than al dente for the perfect texture after mixing with the sauce.
- Use fresh herbs for a burst of flavor.
- Adjust red pepper flakes according to your heat preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 632IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg