Caramelized Zucchini Pasta Recipe (2024)

Ugh, why have I been leaving my giant zucchinis in people’s unlocked cars when I could have been making this instead? I made it without the basil so I could freeze some and have it be more versatile, but otherwise as written. I did scoop the seeds out. Now I am sitting here eating the first batch with a spoon while the second batch cooks. There may not be any for the freezer.

So I actually made this unlike the other comments. First of all this is the ugliest thing I've ever cooked! That said it was pretty good. Not spectacular but considering it looked like the mud pies I made as a toddler, I was impressed with the flavor. I added preserved lemons and anchovies per the recommendation, but I would honestly recommend against the anchovies - they really overpowered the zucchini flavor. Lemon and lots of pepper!

for those of you commenting you can't bring yourselves to cook fresh garden squash for this long....have you ever tried it. Long cooked zucchini is fabulous, and just different than fresh in a very delicious way. Almost like when you roast it but obviously softer. Try it, you might like it! I for one am excited to try this one.

I made this dish with a small baseball sized zucchini, twice the butter and twice the basil (the zucchini and basil fresh from the garden) and eight ounces of orecchiette. The pasta, which had a depth like mushroom ragu, was wonderful for two. My spouse described it as "restaurant worthy."

I made the zucchini per recipe instructions(minus the basil stems, not sure what that was about) and instead of using as a sauce I mixed with ricotta and Parmesan and used as filling for agnolotti. It was divine.

We thought this needed a higher zucchini-to-pasta ratio - I would double the zucchini or halve the pasta.

I thought this recipe was pretty good. Zucchini, basil and lemon on pasta is always fantastic, and this way of making it is a little bit easier and less messy than some other approaches (like frying superthin zucchini slices--delicious, but labor-intensive). I added 2-3 times the recommended amount of lemon, plus chopped toasted pistachios for texture. A big hit!

Can’t bring myself to cook my garden fresh zucchini to almost a paste. Prefer sautéed in oil with garlic, dried red pepper, for about ten minutes. Then over pasta. Rigatoni is my preference.

My 6 year old and 17 month old literally devoured this. There was hardly any food on the floor, which must be a good sign. They aren’t the devouring types either. Husband and I enjoyed it too and it was super easy, lots of down time to clean up while cooking. I didnt have fresh basil and added some dried Italian herbs and it worked fine. Definitely add pepper flakes for the grownups!

I have made this several times. It's become one of my family's favourite dishes. I let the butter/oil brown up a bit before adding my garlic and I deglaze the pan with a dry white wine half way through the cook.sometimes I throw in some crispy pancetta and shallots and hatch chili peppers. I know it may seem silly to cook down such a delicate vegetable, but it's delicious and works all year round, with any type of pasta.

The zucchini looks like mush but tastes great. I cooked it into a brown rice risotto, adding to the rice nearly at the end, and everyone enjoyed. (1 cup dried rice to start, plus one small onion.)

Make this.

if your large zucchini has large seeds i’d recommend removing them before shredding. good recipe to which i added preserved lemon and red pepper flakes.

I had an overabundance of yellow summer squash, and cooked them like this. I did all as directed, including freshly grated parmesan cheese. It needs a surprising amount of salt despite all the cheese, and needed hot pepper flakes as well. It wasn't bad, and I would make again, but it needs some tweaks to get to top form.

I'm with you, and as we lean to omnivore, I start with a couple of slices of bacon, diced fine instead of oil...and then shells, to capture the little bits.

This has become one of my favorite dishes to make. I add lots of thin onion to the zucchini and garlic, and stir in some canned or fresh tomato at the end. I tried adding anchovies to my last batch and didn’t love the flavor as much as my non-anchovy version. Love having this on hand for quick bruschetta snacks.

a really delicious recipe and added 1/4 of the rind of a preserved lemon since I was making a single serving! used rigatoni, a hint of pesto (didn’t have fresh basil) and mozzarella for a super creamy and satisfying lunch!

I enjoyed this, cooked as per recipe. Mild caveats: it took a lot longer to reduce down to the indicated volume, and to show any browning. Maybe I just should have had the burner all the way on high. I carelessly used table salt instead of kosher, and it was a little salty (luckily I used a little less than directed).In the end, I'm not sure that I could have even told you this started as zucchini. It was tasty enough, but just sort of caramelized biomass.

This was so good, and everyone loved it!

I didn’t love the baby food texture of the sauce. Is that what it’s supposed to be, or should I have added more pasta water? Also, what’s the final color you’re aiming for? The photo is too lightly sauced to tell. Mine was a sort of pale olive/khaki. I’m wondering if I just didn’t develop the flavor enough, even though I cooked it waaaay down and smashed the garlic cloves into it as it cooked. As it was, it was best as a foil for the fresh basil on top - really benefits from a bit in every bite

I agree this is not attractive (I wouldn't serve it guests) but it was really delicious. I made according to the recipe except that I had eaten all of the parmesan cheese at lunch time and didn't want to go to the store so I added about 1/4 cup of sour cream when I stirred everything together at the end. Fabulous! Added liberal amount of crushed red pepper and the zest from the lemon. Will definitely make again.

Delicious! I used a lot more zucchini, and upped the garlic to an entire bulb. And also added a very thinly sliced leek. I also deglazed with white wine. Served with cavatappi. For an added treat, serve with a spoon full of ricotta cheese (the kind you buy in the tin!!)

This is not a particularly difficult recipe, but it's not a particularly good one, either. I followed the recipe more or less as-is, and it's a super "meh" result. Even using salted butter and extra parmesan, it still ended up being a sweet dish, which is not really what I was looking for. You'd be better off just getting some good past and getting/making pesto and throwing some grilled zucchini on top of the dish before serving.

This is a an ugly yet extremely delicious dish. Made it with Trombette while in Liguria. Amazing!

Cool the zucchini an extra 5 minutes. Deglaze with dry white wine rather than water. Delicious!

I thought this was outstanding when I made it for dinner. However, next day the leftovers tasted quite bitter… maybe I added too much preserved lemon. I would leave it out next time to see if that makes a difference.

Sorcery. Skeptics, give it a try. You won't regret it.

Add toasted nuts! Nicely balances the flavor and makes the dish more substantial.

We really enjoyed this pasta. I agree with the other reviewers-- use half the amount of pasta or twice the sauce, but 1:1 will be much too little. I added a little ricotta for creaminess. Used red pepper flakes to give a kick of heat.The garlic flavor comes through and I think it is a beautiful way to use abundant garden zucchini.

This is an amazing rich and creamy dish! I left out the garlic and added a small sweet onion to the quartered and thinly diced zucchini. Deglazed the pan with lemon juice. Tossed with a handful of chopped fresh basil, parsley, and thyme and a 1/2 pint of roasted mini tomatoes. My family asked me to add it to the rotation.