Creamy Zucchini Pasta

This creamy zucchini pasta recipe uses spiralized zucchini noodles and linguini noodles. It's a great way to enjoy summer zucchini.

It has a rich, decadent sauce made from cream, butter, and lemon, brightened with fresh herbs. This delicious meal is ready in 25 minutes.

This will be one of your family's favorite recipes! The creamy alfredo-like sauce is a perfect pairing for the zucchini.

This pasta recipe is the best—it's got a bright, creamy sauce. Half the noodles are spiralized zucchini, which lightens it up.

It's one of the best ways to use up a bunch of zucchini in the summer months. Even though it has a heavy cream sauce, it still feels light and fresh.

It's an easy dinner for 4 people and is ready in less than half an hour. It's a crowd-pleasing recipe because of the delightful lemony sauce.

Make sure to check out all our favorite zucchini recipes.

Ingredients

You'll only need a handful of simple ingredients to make the tangiest, creamiest zucchini pasta!

Pasta - we used linguini for this recipe, but you can use spaghetti as well.

Dairy - you'll need heavy cream, butter, and parmesan for this recipe (we said it was creamy!)

Zucchini - you'll need 3 medium zucchini for this. Try not to use huge zucchini, when they're overgrown they don't taste as delicious.

Seasonings - you'll need at least one lemon (for both juice and zest); some fresh herbs like fresh basil, sage, or mint; kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

You need to prep all your ingredients before you start making this recipe.

It comes together quickly, but you'll have multiple things on the stove at once, so make sure your prep work is done before you start heating your pots!

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. When the water is boiling, add your pasta and cook to al dente (according to package instructions).
3. Meanwhile, start a saucepan or large skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon zest and the heavy cream. Whisk often till bubbles begin to form. 
4. Add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time to the cream. Whisking till it’s combined. Repeat until all the butter has been added. 
5. Remove the cream sauce from the heat when it’s slightly thick in texture. 
6. Heat a skillet or pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. 
7. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Work in batches if your skillet is smaller. 
8. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water in case your sauce is too thick. 
9. Add the zucchini and pasta to the cream sauce. Toss or stir to combine. 
10. Add the parmesan cheese in small handfuls, stirring till it’s melted. 
11. Then add the herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. 
12. Serve immediately and enjoy. 

Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few optional ingredients or changes you can make to this recipe.

• Fresh Herbs - the herbs in this recipe are flexible - we used mint, sage, and basil. You could also use rosemary, thyme, or parsley.
• Coconut Milk - you can swap coconut milk for the heavy cream if you'd like. It does give this pasta a sweeter flavor, but it's just as creamy!
• Seasonings - want to give this recipe a little heat? Add some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne.

More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love

We love a quick and delicious pasta recipe. Here are some of our favorite veggie-heavy pasta recipes we think you'll enjoy the next time you want pasta!

• Sicilian Pasta Alla Norma - a classic, Sicilian dish that is full of rich flavors. The roasted eggplant and the slow-cooked tomato sauce are an incredibly satisfying combination. 
• Easy Lemon Chicken Pasta - the bright flavor of the lemon, mixed with the subtle leeks, spinach, and parmesan is unbelievably good!
• Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Pasta Shells - these shells are a delicious, vegetarian recipe. They are cheesy pasta deliciousness at its best!
• Pearl Couscous with Tomatoes and Zucchini - a couscous salad with zucchini, mozzarella, and tomatoes is hearty and full of bright flavors.
• Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta - loads of flavor and the just-burst tomatoes are like little pockets of joy in each bite. 

Storage

You can save this zucchini pasta for up to 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.

I don't recommend freezing the cooked pasta as the zucchini will not reconstitute very well.

When you reheat the pasta, feel free to add a tablespoon of water and a bit of olive oil if it's a little dry.

Tips for this Recipe

Links on some posts are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cooking Tips - Save a cup of pasta water before you drain your pasta. If your sauce is too thick, use of little of this to thin the sauce. Add the reserved pasta water a ¼ cup at a time to loosen the sauce if necessary.

Specialty Ingredients - We like Rao's linguine and used it in this recipe. Feel free to use a gluten-free pasta as well.

Recommended Tools - We highly recommend having a spiralizer for this recipe - it helps make the zucchini noodles quickly and keeps their sizing consistent. We use a 5-blade spiralizer.

Alternative Diets - you can make this recipe vegan by swapping the heavy cream for coconut milk, the butter for vegan butter, and the parmesan for vegan parmesan.