If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, this recipe is for you! Made with simple summer ingredients, this creamy zucchini pasta is a delicious and nutritious meal that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner.

Creamy zucchini pasta in a white bowl with a fork with parmesan cheese and basil on top.

Whether you’re looking to add more fiber to your diet, trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables, need to use an abundance of zucchini, or simply want a new dinner idea, this creamy zucchini pasta recipe is a great way to do it.

The combination of cooked zucchini and ricotta cheese creates a creamy zucchini pasta sauce that you can add to any pasta you like and will help to ensure everyone is eating more greens and protein.

Two bowls of creamy zucchini pasta with fusilli noodles with a side of parmesan cheese.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick – Ready in 25 minutes, this zucchini pasta recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal.
Easy – If you can boil pasta and sauté vegetables you can make this recipe.
Creamy – The combination of zucchini and ricotta cheese makes a rich and creamy zucchini pasta sauce.
Vegetarian – This veggie-filled recipe is something everyone can enjoy.

Ingredients for Creamy Zucchini Pasta

Pasta – You can use short-cut pasta such as fusilli, cavatappi, or penne, or long pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini.
Zucchini – You can use fresh or frozen zucchini for this recipe. Although I used green zucchini in my recipe, you could use yellow summer squash as well.
Ricotta – To make the creamy zucchini pasta sauce and add some protein at the same time.
Parmesan – To add a bit more protein, enhance the creaminess, and ensure the sauce is nice and cheesy.
Shallot – To build the base of the sauce, a small onion will also work. If you don’t have an onion, you can use 1 teaspoon onion powder instead.
Garlic – To add a depth of flavor. If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
Lemon – A bit of lemon juice and lemon zest to add some brightness to the creamy zucchini sauce.
Olive Oil – To add some healthy fats and cook the veggies.
Salt and Pepper – To season the pasta.
Fresh Basil – Although optional, finishing the pasta with some fresh basil helps to brighten the dish.

You can also top your pasta with red pepper flakes if you want to add a bit of heat.

Dietary Adaptions

To Make it Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta noodles.

To Make it Dairy-Free: Swap the ricotta for non-dairy ricotta cheese or full-fat coconut milk, and swap the parmesan for half the amount of nutritional yeast.

Raw diced zucchini in a pan with onion and garlic.

Cooked diced zucchini in a pan with onion and garlic.

How to Make Pasta with Creamy Zucchini Sauce

Boil the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente, then drain, and set aside.
Cook the zucchini. Sauté the zucchini in a pan with olive oil, onion, and garlic until tender.
Blend the sauce. Add the cooked zucchini mixture, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
Mix the pasta and sauce. Return the drained pasta to the pot, cover it with the creamy zucchini pasta sauce, add parmesan cheese, and lemon zest, and toss until well combined.
Season to taste. Top the fresh basil leaves and additional parmesan cheese as desired.
Serve and enjoy!

You can find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

Sauteed zucchini, ricotta cheese, salt, and black pepper in a blender.

Creamy zucchini pasta sauce in a blender.

Red’s Nutrition Tip

I made my recipe with whole milk ricotta cheese, however, if you wanted to reduce the calorie content slightly you could use skim milk ricotta cheese instead. Regardless of which you option choose, you’ll still create a rich, creamy, and veggie-filled pasta sauce.

Fusili pasta, creamy zucchini pasta, shredded cheese, and lemon zest in a pot.

Pasta with creamy zucchini sauce in a pot.

What to Serve with Zucchini Pasta

This creamy zucchini pasta is a balanced meal with complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein and can certainly be enjoyed on its own. If you want to increase the protein content, I recommend serving it with some grilled shrimp, chicken, or steak. To increase the fiber content, I recommend serving it with a simple green salad.

Close up of pasta with creamy zucchini pasta sauce in a white bowl with a fork.

Storage + Reheating

To Store: Allow the pasta to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To Freeze: Once cooled, transfer the pasta to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: Allow the pasta to thaw completely before reheating. To reheat the pasta on the stovetop, place the pasta in a pan on medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons of water, stirring gently, until the water has been absorbed and the pasta is warmed through. To reheat the pasta in the microwave, place the pasta in a microwave-safe container with 1-2 tablespoons of water and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the water has been absorbed and the pasta is warmed through.

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