Creamy Pasta With Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
- 2medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1½tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- Pepper, to taste
- 2tablespoons slivered almonds
- ⅓cup heavy cream
- 1sprig basil, with leaves and stem
- 3tablespoons goat cheese
- ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 6ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
657 calories; 36 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 816 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the zucchini and oil with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Step 3
Simmer the cream and basil sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
- Step 4
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce. Serve topped with the zucchini and almonds.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Peggy
I really shy away from turning on the oven in summer, so sautéed the zucchini in same skillet I used to toast almonds. Very nice flavor and almonds essential for texture.
REBECCA CHERRY
This is a unique and refreshing dish but, I agree with the comments about the proportions of vegetable to pasta and basil/lemon to sauce. Specificity would help here because the variation in basil sprigs size and leaf count alters the intensity of the infusion. after letting the sauce sit, I removed the cooked basil and added julienned fresh basil when I tossed the pasta. lastly, I doubled the amounts on both lemon zest and almonds.
Blm
I replaced the zucchini with butternut squash pieces and it was delicious. It would make a great vegetarian addition to the Thanksgiving table.
HBN
This was very good and I got a definite "make again" from the family, but I think I'd add a bit of Parmesan at the end next time as I felt it need just a little bit more flavor.
HBN
I made this again last night and added sauteed mushrooms and garlic to the sauce. Amazingly good.
Sean
Love the simplicity of this recipe. Next time I will increase the amount of Basil. I love the flavor and found it too muted wish the amount I used.
P.S. I have a bit of a crush on Melissa, consequently, all of her recipes are great for me.
Maike
We used half and half instead of cream the second time we made this, and couldn't tell the difference!
Erica
I doubled the lemon zest, and next time I'll double the zucchini as well.
Gigi
I don't care for it either! I would either substitute fresh ricotta, imported feta or mascarpone if you like a cream cheese taste.
Or next time you're at your favorite cheese shop or even a great cheese department in a supermarket you might ask the cheese manager for a recommendation.
Sue
I was grateful for comments on this recipe and incorporated several. I used 4 1/2 cups of zucchini and bumped up the lemon zest just a little. I was glad I had saved some pasta water, but I needed only a couple tablespoons. It was absolutely terrific with the hand-made fettuccine I was lucky to have. A definite keeper!
Christine P.
A keeper especially when the garden zucchini starts coming. I didn't have heavy cream. Substituted low fat milk, increased the amount to 1/2 cup. I added 2 beaten eggs after tempering, cooked this "custard" 2 minutes then added cheese. I had whole wheat rotini instead of spaghetti.
Lasse
We love this recipe and have made this several times. However, roasting 1/2-inch zucchini cubes at 500 degrees for half an hour will totally obliterate them. At that temperature, 15 minutes is plenty.
Portez
One fourth cup of reduced cream sauce added to six ounces of spaghetti will not result in "creamy" pasta. Either the amount of sauce should be increased or that of the pasta reduced--or perhaps both.
Mac
I subbed feta instead of goat cheese and added lemon juice to bump it up. Definitely needs some pepper as well. Delicious.
Sharon Hart
Ooh we loved this dish. We cooked the courgette on (180 degrees C - UK oven) I bought a Tri-colour pack of spaghetti and the flavours of the spaghetti added nicely to the dish, as I don’t like whole wheat spaghetti. We added a capful of vodka to the cream once it had warmed up a bit before adding the goats cheese. I also managed to buy a very nice goats cheese that wasn’t expensive it tasted lovely. I added chopped up basil on top after. Will definitely cook again. Yum.
academic omnivore
Substituted almonds for pancetta because luxury, added a bunch of fresh basil at the end, and more lemon zest as others recommended.
Flossie Kate
I made this using half-and-half instead of heavy cream (1/2 cup) and I added some sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and some sautéed sugar snap peas. It’s excellent!!
Gradeshpande
Decidedly meh. Not a lot of flavor for all that you do. The basil smelled amazing while simmering in the cream, but the taste was totally overwhelmed by the toppings (even something as mild as zucchini). Almonds were the tastiest past of the finished dish.
meggeers
Can cook zucchini in air fryer
Marta Simmons
To spark this up we added fresh tomato pieces in a basil and oil marinate. I will do it next time by adding the cream and cheese to a skillet w the hot pasta and then the basil/tomatoes at the end w the pine nuts, zest and zucchini. The stirring of the basil in the cream was putsy and added little flavor and a dirty pan.
susan
This was delicious! I only had pine nuts… toasted them and it tasted great. Also, added Parmesan to the cream sauce. Cooked the zucchini in my air fryer and thought the texture was great! Will make this again!!!
Marianne
My family and I love this recipe. Roasted asparagus pieces make a great substitute for the zucchini. Otherwise, I follow the recipe exactly as written and serve it with freshly grated parmesan.
nara
I used ricotta instead of goat cheese. It turned out good too!
SaraM
Delicious! Even my 3 year old ate it. 500 is too high an oven temp for roasting zucchini though. I did 25 minutes at 425 and it came out perfectly. I also added a little garlic and some red pepper flakes to the sauce. Finished off w Parmesan per the other reviews.
Hollis
This was delicious! I roasted some sliced yellow onion along with the zucchini. And added smashed garlic to simmer in the cream with the basil. Swapped pistachios for the almonds and topped with pecorino. I loved the crunch from the nuts and the freshness from the lemon zest, and I agree with the other comments that this dish could happily stand up to more of both.
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