Creamy Pasta with Zucchini Sauce

A Simple Veggie Pasta Sauce

Roasting zucchini and shallots in the oven develops so much flavor and keeps this dish really easy and beginner friendly. Once roasted, the veggies are blended up quickly with parmesan and cottage cheese, creating a creamy and savory sauce for pasta. It’s a great option for using up zucchini and sneaking in some extra protein and veggies into your weeknight dinner.

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: I like zucchini, but some preparations can make it mushy and boring. By blending it into a sauce, you get all that flavor but none of the mush. Great way to sneak it in!

Emily: Recipes that are healthy, low effort, and have loads of flavor hit the sweet spot. This is a great dish that kind of works in all you need in one meal too: carbs, veg, and protein.

Why We Love Pasta with Zucchini Sauce

• Short ingredient list. And everything is easy to find at a store.
• Simple steps and mostly hands-off. Easy instructions and minimal hands-on work. Just roast, blend, and mix. 
• Creamy without using cream. Blended roasted veggies and cottage cheese make the sauce creamy without any heavy cream.
• Protein boost. Blending cottage cheese into the sauce adds protein and tang.
• A fun way to use up extra zucchini. Even if you don’t like zucchini, you’ll love this pasta. Roasting the zucchini and shallots adds a ton of mild vegetable flavor.
• Easy to customize and add your favorite protein. Add stronger flavor by blending in some roasted garlic, or top with grilled chicken or salmon. 
• Weeknight and kid-friendly. Everything is ready in under an hour, and the zucchini flavor is mild and not overpowering, so kids won’t even know there are veggies in it.

Ingredients In This Pasta With Zucchini Sauce

• Pasta: we like long noodles for this recipe like fettuccine, spaghetti, or bucatini, but you can use any pasta you like. 
• Zucchini: roasting the zucchini brings out deeper flavor.
• Shallots: these caramelize when roasted, adding savory flavor to the sauce.
• Cottage cheese: creates a creamy base to the sauce and adds protein. If you don’t like cottage cheese, you really won’t taste it here. 
• Parmesan cheese: adds salty, nutty flavor to help round out the sauce.
• Olive oil: used to roast the vegetables.
• Salt and black pepper: simple seasoning for the vegetables and sauce.

How to Make Creamy Zucchini Fettuccini

1. Roast the zucchini and shallots. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the chopped zucchini and shallots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes until they’re darker in color, soft, and starting to brown a little. 

2. Cook the pasta. Cook the fettuccine to al dente according to package directions. Reserve a little pasta water before draining the pasta (up to 1 cup of pasta water).
3. Make the pasta sauce. Place the roasted veggies, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and a little pasta water in a blender and blend until smooth. We typically use about ½ cup of pasta water, but you can start with less and add more if you need it to thin out the sauce, depending on your preference.
4. Finish the pasta with zucchini sauce. Pour the blended sauce over the cooked noodles and toss to coat. It may seem like a lot of sauce at first, but the noodles will continue to stiffen up and soak up the sauce as it sits. Taste and adjust for seasoning, and top with more parmesan cheese or fresh herbs if desired.

Our Tips For Pasta With Zucchini Sauce

• Use full-fat cottage cheese for best flavor and creaminess. Low-fat is more watery and will make for a thinner and less flavorful sauce.
• For the creamiest consistency, use a blender for the sauce, not a food processor. Food processors will work in a pinch, but they tend to keep the sauce on the chunkier side instead of creamy.

• Save some pasta water for blending. Before you drain the pasta, ladle out some pasta water into a container. If you forget to do this, don’t worry. You can use regular water or broth instead.

How To Store And Reheat Leftover Pasta

• Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for a few days. 
• Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. The pasta and sauce will tighten a bit in the fridge, so as you reheat it you may want to add a little water, broth, or milk to loosen it up.

The Best Way To Serve Pasta With Zucchini Sauce

If you’re wondering “how should I serve zucchini pasta,” we suggest either enjoying it on its own for a light dinner or lunch, or serving it with additional vegetables, sides, or protein main dishes to make it a heartier meal. 

• Enjoy it with some nice crusty bread, like our Parmesan Cheese Bread with Chives and Black Pepper, for a carb-on-carb explosion.
• Pair with a simple green salad or another vegetable. Try our Simple Green Salad with Apples and Bacon or our Roasted Broccoli with Lemon. 
• Serve it with your favorite simple protein. Try our Moroccan Inspired Spiced Chicken or Sweet and Smoky Salmon.

Variations: How To Make It Your Own

This sauce is minimalist and simple (in a good way!) so it’s easy to add your own flare. 

• Mix in unblended vegetables like diced, sauteed mushrooms or wilted greens.
• Add grilled chicken, pan-seared shrimp, hot smoked salmon, or crumbled bacon to the pasta. 
• Finish with extra Parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper, or top with fresh herbs like parsley or chives.
• Blend fresh basil, parsley, or chives right into the sauce for an extra herby kick.
• Add red pepper flakes for a little heat.
• Use another pasta if fettuccine isn’t your favorite.

Creamy Pasta with Zucchini Sauce

This easy creamy pasta with zucchini sauce is a simple and healthy weeknight dinner option. The sauce comes together easily by blending roasted zucchini and shallots with parmesan and cottage cheese for extra protein. This simple pasta is creamy without being heavy, and it’s secretly healthy with the roasted veggies.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:30 minutes mins

Total Time:40 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy, Weeknight

Servings: 6

Author: Rachel & Emily Conklin

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 pound zucchini, cut into ½ in slices (about 2-3 zucchini)
• 2 shallots, diced large
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt for veggies plus more for sauce, if needed
• ¼ tsp black pepper (a couple turns)
• 1 pound uncooked fettuccini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
• 1 cup cottage cheese (not low-fat)
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ to ½ cup pasta water (or can use vegetable or chicken broth instead)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the zucchini and shallots with olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 to 30 minutes until they’re darker in color, soft, and starting to brown a little.
  1 pound zucchini, cut into ½ in slices (about 2-3 zucchini), 2 shallots, diced large, 2 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt for veggies, ¼ tsp black pepper (a couple turns)
• While the zucchini roasts, cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Reserve a little pasta water before draining the pasta (up to 1 cup of pasta water).
  1 pound uncooked fettuccini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
• Place the roasted zucchini and shallots, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and pasta water in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired (we usually add a little more too). Note: we typically use about ½ cup of pasta water, but you can start with less and add more if you need it to thin out the sauce, depending on your preference.
  1 pound zucchini, cut into ½ in slices (about 2-3 zucchini), 2 shallots, diced large, 1 cup cottage cheese (not low-fat), ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, ¼ to ½ cup pasta water (or can use vegetable or chicken broth instead)
• Pour the blended sauce over the cooked noodles and toss to coat. It may seem like a lot of sauce at first, but the noodles will continue to stiffen up and soak up the sauce as it sits.
• Taste and adjust for seasoning, and top with more parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon, or fresh herbs if desired.

Notes

• Use full-fat cottage cheese for best flavor and creaminess. Low-fat is more watery and will make for a thinner and less flavorful sauce. 
• For the creamiest consistency, use a blender for the sauce, not a food processor. Food processors will work in a pinch, but they tend to keep the sauce on the chunkier side instead of creamy. 
• Save some pasta water for blending. Before you drain the pasta, ladle out some pasta water into a container. If you forget to do this, don’t worry. You can use regular water or broth instead.