Table of Contents
This lemon zucchini pasta is creamy (without any cream!), bright, and full of lemony, garlicky, jammy zucchini goodness. Just a few pantry staples and dinner is sorted!
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 📹 Watch The Video | 👩🍳 Recipe Tips | 🥗 Serving Suggestions | 📝 Full Recipe Card | 🍽 More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
Okay, here’s the deal with this lemon zucchini pasta: it’s the kind of humble, five-ingredient magic that tastes like you ordered it at a small trattoria tucked into a cobbled street somewhere in southern Italy.
Inspired by the iconic Spaghetti alla Nerano (yep, the one Stanley Tucci raves about), this version has a little twist — lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic for that extra zing and brightness.
The zucchini gets cooked until caramelized and soft enough to melt into a silky sauce with Parmesan and pasta water. It’s light but creamy, lemony, garlicky and slightly sweet from the zucchini, and honestly…it shouldn’t taste this good given how simple it is.
Plus, it’s easy to make vegan, and it’s a delicious way to use up those two zucchinis that have been sitting in the fridge for ahem way too long. I often mak thise when I feel like a lazy girl meal for one but my family enjoys it too.
👩🍳 Looking for more zucchini recipes? Check out my zucchini crust pizza (with chorizo and eggs), my super easy garlicky zucchini noodles, party-perfect Parmesan-crusted zucchini bites or my veggie-loaded high-protein zucchini slice. For more, check out my roundup of the best summer squash and zucchini recipes.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this lemon zucchini pasta recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
For the zucchini sauce:
- Zucchini – the star! sweet, soft, melts into sauce.
- Garlic – because everything is better with garlic in my world).
- Olive oil – go for good-quality, adds richness, and is actually the base for the sauce, so flavor matters.
- Lemon zest + juice – adds brightness, tang, and cuts the richness.
- Salt + pepper – seasoning, don’t skip.
For the pasta and finish:
- Spaghetti or fettuccine – anything long and slurpy if perfect here.
- Pasta water – for creamy emulsifying magic.
- Parmesan or Pecorino – for umami creamy touch; you could use nutritional yeast for a vegan spin.
- Fresh basil & chilli flakes – optional but so good for finishing.
- Swaps/Add-ons: You can use any pasta shape, add chickpeas, tuna, or grilled chicken to bulk it up, or go dairy-free with nutritional yeast. Also fab with a side salad or roasted veggies.
How To Make Lemon Zucchini Pasta
Find the full recipe instructions and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for lemon zucchini pasta.
- Cook your pasta in salty water until al dente. Don’t forget to save a cup of pasta water (liquid gold when it comes to making sauce!)
- Start browning your zucchini in olive oil over high heat — don’t be shy, we want golden bits – but then bring the heat down to medium-ish.
- Add garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Cover and let it get jammy and soft for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add lemon juice. Stir it all up and adjust how lemony you want at the end.
- Toss in the pasta, Parmesan, and pasta water. Mix until creamy and glossy. Taste and season further, or add more lemon juice.
- Serve with basil, chilli flakes, and extra Parm. Maybe a cheeky drizzle of olive oil, too.
Watch The Video
Recipe Tips
- Don’t stir the zucchini too much while browning—it needs a couple of minutes to caramelize and brown.
- Yes, you need a bit of olive oil to make the sauce. Traditional recipes call for even more, but I find about 3 tablespoons is a minimum. If making a larger batch, increase the oil amount too, not just zucchini.
- Make it vegan by using nutritional yeast or a vegan Parm.
- Want it richer? Add a pat of butter with the Parmesan.
- Leftover zucchini sauce is amazing on toast with a fried egg. Just saying.
- Storage tips: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water. Not ideal for freezing, as the zucchini sauce changes texture.
- Make-ahead tips: You can caramelize the zucchini sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 2–3 days. When ready to eat, just reheat it and toss with cooked pasta and cheese.
Serving Suggestions
This pasta is a meal on its own, but if you’re feeling extra, serve it with a fresh cucumber tomato feta salad, garlicky sautéed greens such as my garlic lemon asparagus, or grilled chicken tenders. Garlic bread is ace, too!
💬 If you’ve tried this lemon zucchini pasta or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and or sign up to my Newsletter to see more of my delicious food.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cooked & Loved
This lemon zucchini pasta is creamy (without any cream!), bright, and full of lemony, garlicky, jammy zucchini goodness. Just a few pantry staples and dinner is sorted! Find step-by-step photos and more recipe tips above.
-
Cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted water until al dente. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water.
-
While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add diced zucchini and let it cook for 1 minute without stirring to start browning.
-
Add another tablespoon of olive oil and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to brown more sides.
-
Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then cover with a lid and let it cook for about 7 minutes, stirring once or twice, until zucchini is soft and caramelized.
-
Add 1.5–2 tablespoons lemon juice, stir, then add in the cooked spaghetti, Parmesan, and ⅓ cup pasta water. Toss well until creamy and saucy.
-
Serve with basil, a sprinkle of chilli flakes, and more cheese. Maybe a drizzle of good olive oil too.
- Is this like spaghetti alla Nerano? Spaghetti all Nerano is a classic Italian dish made with fried zucchini and pasta, made famous by Stanley Tucci’s show Searching for Italy. Super simple, super delicious. Mince uses garlic and lemon, which aren’t traditional and a little less oil.
- Can I use other pasta shapes? Absolutely. Long pasta like linguine or fettuccine works beautifully, but short pasta like rigatoni is just fine too.
- Can I make this vegan? Yes! Swap out the Parmesan for nutritional yeast, vegan Parm, or a dairy-free cheese.
- Do I have to caramelize the zucchini? Yes. That’s where the magic happens. It brings out the natural sweetness and gives the sauce its texture.
- Is this freezer-friendly? Not really. The zucchini sauce can get watery and lose its silky texture after thawing.
- Don’t stir the zucchini too much while browning—it needs a couple of minutes to caramelize and brown.
- Yes, you need a bit of olive oil to make the sauce. Traditional recipes call for even more, but I find about 3 tablespoons is a minimum. If making a larger batch, increase the oil amount too, not just zucchini.
- If the zucchini isn’t sweet or flavorful, a pinch of sugar helps coax out more flavor.
- Want it richer? Add a pat of butter with the Parmesan.
- Leftover zucchini sauce is amazing on toast with a fried egg. Just saying.
- Storage tips: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water. Not ideal for freezing, as the zucchini sauce changes texture.
- Make-ahead tips: You can caramelize the zucchini sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 2–3 days. When ready to eat, just reheat it and toss with cooked pasta and cheese.
Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9