Parmesan and Zucchini Pasta

This Parmesan Zucchini Pasta dish is one of the easiest and most delicious summer pasta meals. It’s filling and includes just a few ingredients to make it fast and delicious. 

In the middle of the summer when I’m knee deep in zucchini I’m always looking for good, simple recipes to use them in. This Parmesan Zucchini Pasta is one of those recipes. It’s not overly complicated or showy but it is intended to give you an amazing, easy meal using a few ingredients. Keeping the ingredients light allows those that are included to really stand out and when you’re working with fresh summer vegetables likes zucchini, they deserve to be the star of a dish. 

Fresh zucchini

Since it is the middle of summer, I have a lot of zucchini available right now and I’m betting you do too! If you don’t grow your own, you can find fresh zucchini in abundance in the grocery store right now. However, one of the things I love about this recipe is that you can usually find zucchini easily year-round. Sure the zucchinis might be smaller during other times of the year, but they will be there. The bonus of making this recipe now in the summer is that it will be in season. The more in season vegetables are, the better. (Here’s looking at you, tomatoes…)

Simple goodness

To make my Parmesan Zucchini Pasta, you won’t need a lot and it won’t take a lot of time either. The main ingredients include fresh zucchini, freshly grated parmesan, parsley, basil, extra virgin olive oil, a little bit of butter, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and pasta noodles. That’s truly it. This recipe relies on the zucchini, which is grilled, and the abundance of cheese and fresh herbs to coat everything finely and provide light flavors in the heat of the summer. 

The highlights of the dish

The Zucchini for the Parmesan Zucchini Pasta is grilled and that adds a nice flavor element to the dish. It caramelizes the zucchini just a little and that pulls a bit of sweetness out of this vegetable that plays wonderfully with just a touch of extra virgin olive oil and the cheese. In fact, the reason I came up with this recipe is because I was eating grilled zucchini with extra virgin olive oil and fresh sea salt and pepper for lunch each day. I wanted an excuse to carry over this delicious, easy veggie into a mealtime for my family too. 🙂 

If you don’t have an outdoor grill, I recommend you use something like this cast iron grill {HERE}. We use this all the time inside in the winter when we want the grill effect and flavor and it works so well!

The Parmesan is also a large component of the Parmesan Zucchini Pasta. I use an entire wedge of parmesan in this dish. That’s 8 oz. of freshly grated cheese. I grate it fairly small and then it gets sprinkled over the hot noodles and kind of melts into the extra virgin olive oil. It works well with the grilled zucchini because it provides a nice flavor without being overpowering. 

Tips for making Parmesan Zucchini Pasta

• I know I say this all the time but make sure to use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. It’s really the base of this meal and will be important flavor-wise to the dish as a whole. 
• That said, don’t go overboard on the extra virgin olive oil when grilling the zucchini. Make sure to use what’s specified in the recipe so the zucchini doesn’t get soggy. 
• Cut the zucchini into 4ths for grilling or 6ths. Depending on how thick the zucchini is you want to make sure it cooks up well but is also thick enough to have some presence. About 1/2 inch for the width is perfect. 
• I use Cavatappi for this dish but you can also use penne if you can’t find Cavatappi. 
• Make sure to use fresh basil and parsley. This is a must for a summer dish when you want to highlight all the good, growing, green things. 
• To save the pasta, put it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to one week. When reheating, reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. If you don’t have a microwave you can sauté it for two – 3 minutes over medium heat. 

Looking for more zucchini recipes? 

If you are looking for more ways to use those summer zucchini, try these recipes!

• Zucchini Bites with creamy garlic dip {HERE}
• Zucchini Bread {HERE}
• Kielbasa Skewers with summer vegetables {HERE}
• Homemade Vegetable Soup {HERE}
• Minestrone Soup {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my recipe for simple Parmesan and Zucchini Pasta. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. You can also find me on instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse and @sugarmaplekitchen. Our YouTube channel is @sugarmaplefarmhouse. Happy eating! 

Parmesan Zucchini Pasta

This Parmesan Zucchini Pasta dish is one of the easiest and most delicious summer pasta meals. It's filling and includes just a few ingredients to make it fast and delicious. 

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American

Keyword: Parmesan Zucchini Pasta, Summer pasta, Zucchini Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 large bowls or 8 small bowls

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Outdoor Grill or indoor griddle/grill
• Large pot for pasta water

Ingredients

Ingredients for the grilled zucchini

• 2-3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

Ingredients for the pasta

• 1 box or bag Cavatappi pasta or penne
• 1 8 oz. wedge of parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil
• 1/3 cup fresh, chopped parsley
• The grilled zucchini sliced from above cut into quarters
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• Optional: Sprinkle of red pepper flakes on each plate
• Additional 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt for the pasta water

Instructions

• Heat a large pot of water over medium heat. Sprinkle in the sea salt for thew pasta and when boiling add the pasta noodle. Cook per package directions.
• Slice and season the zucchini and add them to the grill over medium heat. About 350-400. Cook for about 3 minutes per side or until you can see the color change slightly and brown grill marks.
• Remove the zucchini slices from the grill and cut them into fourths.
• When the pasta is done, add it to a large bowl and add the butter and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well with tongs until all the noodles are coated. Then add the parmesan cheese and mix well again.
• Add the zucchini in and toss with the pasta. Add on the fresh herbs, salt and pepper and toss.
• Serve immediately with more salt and pepper as desired and red pepper flakes.