There is a particular kind of zucchini pasta I keep coming back to every August — the kind that lets summer's most generous vegetable do the real work, with just enough technique to make it feel like more than the sum of its parts. These zucchini pasta recipes are exactly that. They have been tested by home cooks who are not trying to reinvent the dish, just make it well, with bright flavor, sensible ingredient lists, and the kind of weeknight ease that makes a Tuesday night feel a little more like a Saturday.
I have pulled together 7 favorites from some of the most trusted kitchens on the internet. Each one is built around zucchini at its peak, and the leftovers are even better the next day. Pick the ones that sound like your kind of comfort, save this page, and come back when you need it.
What's Inside
- Simple Fresh Zucchini Pasta Sauce
- Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta
- One-Pot Italian Pasta with Zucchini
- Simple Zucchini Pasta
- 5-Ingredient Zucchini Pasta
- Tomato Zucchini Summer Pasta
- Zucchini Pasta
The 7 Pasta Recipes with Zucchini
Every recipe below links to the original source where you will find full measurements, substitutions, and step-by-step photos. Most of these come together in under an hour, and the leftovers are even better the next day.
Simple Fresh Zucchini Pasta Sauce
Recipe from Salt & Lavender
A trusted Salt & Lavender recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta
Recipe from Bon Appétit
A trusted Bon Appétit recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
One-Pot Italian Pasta with Zucchini
Recipe from Pina Bresciani
A trusted Pina Bresciani recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
Simple Zucchini Pasta
Recipe from The Modern Proper
A trusted The Modern Proper recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
5-Ingredient Zucchini Pasta
Recipe from Rie McClenny
A trusted Rie McClenny recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
Tomato Zucchini Summer Pasta
Recipe from Cooking for Keeps
A trusted Cooking for Keeps recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
Zucchini Pasta
Recipe from Love & Lemons
A trusted Love & Lemons recipe that hits every note you want from a good zucchini pasta — bright, satisfying, and the kind of dish you end up making on repeat. Worth bookmarking for peak season.
That's a lot of pasta
If you have read this far, you are already the kind of cook who keeps a list like this somewhere — a folder of bookmarks, a screenshot on your phone, a torn-out page in a binder that you flip through when you cannot figure out what to make for dinner. Add this one to the pile, and I promise you will come back to it. Pasta is the most generous food there is, and the recipes on this list are the kind of generous that keeps giving all week long.
Happy cooking, friends.
—Elowen Thorn
Sources & Credits
Every recipe in this roundup is the work of a real home cook or food publication. I have linked to the original source for full measurements, substitutions, and step-by-step photos. If you make one of these, please leave a comment on the original post — it means more to those creators than you might think.
- Simple Fresh Zucchini Pasta Sauce — Salt & Lavender
- Creamy Lemon Zucchini Pasta — Bon Appétit
- One-Pot Italian Pasta with Zucchini — Pina Bresciani
- Simple Zucchini Pasta — The Modern Proper
- 5-Ingredient Zucchini Pasta — Rie McClenny
- Tomato Zucchini Summer Pasta — Cooking for Keeps
- Zucchini Pasta — Love & Lemons