Lemon zucchini pasta is a bright and fresh pasta dinner recipe that’s loaded with a generous amount of garlic, fresh lemon juice and zest, and diced zucchini. The vibrant pops of yellow and green make this pasta both delicious and beautiful!
This lemon sauce is a great change of pace when it comes to pasta dinner recipes. Some sauces are a bit too creamy for what I’m looking for, or some are a bit too Italian red-sauce. As much as I love those types of pastas, in the Spring and Summer I’m looking for something a bit lighter.
You will love this recipe because because there’s a touch of cream but not too much, just enough to add some structure. There’s a generous amount of garlic which pairs nicely with the lemon. The lemon juice and zest help cut through the cream and keep the flavors balance and light. And lastly, the diced zucchini adds texture.
INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you need to get this on the dinner table this week!
- Pasta. Choose a long noodle, I went with thin linguini. I prefer noodles that aren’t too wide.
- Lemons. You’ll need both the fresh squeezed juice and the zest.
- Light cream. I typically use light cream instead of heavy cream. For me, light cream adds just enough structure to the sauce without making it too heavy or too creamy.
- Chicken broth. Or swap out for vegetable broth if you want to stay away from any meat products.
- Zucchini. One large zucchini should be enough for the 2 cups of diced pieces.
- Parmesan cheese. Too keep this vegetarian you could also swap for vegetarian Parmesan.
- Garlic. You’ll need 7 cloves. That’s not a typo. This is a garlicky lemon sauce!
- Salt & Pepper.
- Butter, oil, flour. Oil for the zucchini, the butter and flour to make the roux for the sauce.
COOKING WITH LEMON AND GARLIC
It’s important to follow the order of adding the ingredients exactly as written. If you’ve ever added lemon juice to garlic too soon you know exactly what can happen…it turns blue!
When the sulfur compounds and enzymes found in garlic come into contact with lemon juice it causes a reaction that turns the garlic and bluish green color. While the garlic is still safe to eat, it creates an off-putting color that we certainly don’t want in this lemon zucchini dish.
How to prevent it? Make sure the lemon juice is added to the sauce at the very end of the recipe. This way the garlic is already well incorporated and you’ll avoid blue garlic mishaps!
Let’s complete the meal shall we? Keep it super simple since you’re already making pasta, zucchini, and a sauce.
- Caesar salad.
- Arugula salad.
- Garlic bread.
- Caprese salad.
For me you can’t go wrong with a Caesar salad. Buy the salad kits and all you need to do is open a bag.
For more lemon inspired dinners try some of these blog favorites!
Chicken piccata meatballs
Lemon chicken orzo soup
Creamy chicken piccata
Lemon basil tortellini
Lemon Zucchini Pasta
A fresh and bright pasta made with a garlic lemon cream sauce and diced zucchini.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Saute
Ingredients
7 cloves of garlic, grated
3/4 of a box of thin linguini (I never do the full box I always find it to be way too many noodles)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the zucchini
2 cups diced zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
Olive oil
Instructions
1. Start by cooking the zucchini. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to a large pan and heat over medium heat. Add the diced zucchini and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove to a plate and set aside. Wipe the pan clean. Meanwhile, bring a salted pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to the box instructions.
2. Add the butter to the pan over medium heat then add the grated garlic. Cook 1 minute, then whisk in the flour and cook 30 seconds more.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, light cream, salt, and pepper. Heat about 5 minutes to thicken.
4. Reduce heat to low, add in the Parmesan cheese and stir just to melt the cheese and incorporate it into the sauce.
5. Turn off heat. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cooked zucchini to the sauce. Stir. Lastly, add in the cooked pasta a little at a time stirring to coat all of the pasta.
Enjoy!