Caramelized Zucchini Pasta
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2pounds zucchini, coarsely grated (about 3 large zucchini)
- 8garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ½cup basil leaves, stems reserved, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1pound ridged or curly pasta (like medium shells or casarecce)
- ½cup finely grated Parmesan or pecorino (about ½ ounce), plus more for serving
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
597 calories; 16 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 95 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 864 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
In a large (at least 12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil. When it’s foaming, add the zucchini, garlic, the basil stems and half the basil leaves. Season with 1¼ teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook until pooling with liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the zucchini starts to sizzle, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Continue to cook until the zucchini is very soft, dark green, and reduced to about 1 cup, another 20 to 25 minutes. When you see a build up of browned bits on the skillet, add a couple tablespoons of water and stir, scraping up the browned bits. Repeat anytime more browning occurs. If you see burning, deglaze with water and lower the heat. (Caramelized zucchini can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week; it also freezes well.)
- Step 3
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the zucchini is about done, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta. If the zucchini is ready before the pasta, keep cooking it; the zucchini will only get better the longer it cooks.
- Step 4
When the pasta’s drained, remove the herb stems from the zucchini. Reduce the heat on the zucchini to medium, then add the pasta, 1 cup pasta water, and the Parmesan. Stir until the pasta is glossed with sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining basil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more basil, Parmesan and black pepper.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Thom-Shap
Ugh, why have I been leaving my giant zucchinis in people’s unlocked cars when I could have been making this instead? I made it without the basil so I could freeze some and have it be more versatile, but otherwise as written. I did scoop the seeds out. Now I am sitting here eating the first batch with a spoon while the second batch cooks. There may not be any for the freezer.
Vika
So I actually made this unlike the other comments. First of all this is the ugliest thing I've ever cooked! That said it was pretty good. Not spectacular but considering it looked like the mud pies I made as a toddler, I was impressed with the flavor. I added preserved lemons and anchovies per the recommendation, but I would honestly recommend against the anchovies - they really overpowered the zucchini flavor. Lemon and lots of pepper!
carolyn
for those of you commenting you can't bring yourselves to cook fresh garden squash for this long....have you ever tried it. Long cooked zucchini is fabulous, and just different than fresh in a very delicious way. Almost like when you roast it but obviously softer. Try it, you might like it! I for one am excited to try this one.
Jack F
I made this dish with a small baseball sized zucchini, twice the butter and twice the basil (the zucchini and basil fresh from the garden) and eight ounces of orecchiette. The pasta, which had a depth like mushroom ragu, was wonderful for two. My spouse described it as "restaurant worthy."
jessica
I made the zucchini per recipe instructions(minus the basil stems, not sure what that was about) and instead of using as a sauce I mixed with ricotta and Parmesan and used as filling for agnolotti. It was divine.
Grace
We thought this needed a higher zucchini-to-pasta ratio - I would double the zucchini or halve the pasta.
Tracy
I thought this recipe was pretty good. Zucchini, basil and lemon on pasta is always fantastic, and this way of making it is a little bit easier and less messy than some other approaches (like frying superthin zucchini slices--delicious, but labor-intensive). I added 2-3 times the recommended amount of lemon, plus chopped toasted pistachios for texture. A big hit!
Tommy
Can’t bring myself to cook my garden fresh zucchini to almost a paste. Prefer sautéed in oil with garlic, dried red pepper, for about ten minutes. Then over pasta. Rigatoni is my preference.
ESylvester
My 6 year old and 17 month old literally devoured this. There was hardly any food on the floor, which must be a good sign. They aren’t the devouring types either. Husband and I enjoyed it too and it was super easy, lots of down time to clean up while cooking. I didnt have fresh basil and added some dried Italian herbs and it worked fine. Definitely add pepper flakes for the grownups!
Mark
The zucchini looks like mush but tastes great. I cooked it into a brown rice risotto, adding to the rice nearly at the end, and everyone enjoyed. (1 cup dried rice to start, plus one small onion.)
rossi
I have made this several times. It's become one of my family's favourite dishes. I let the butter/oil brown up a bit before adding my garlic and I deglaze the pan with a dry white wine half way through the cook. sometimes I throw in some crispy pancetta and shallots and hatch chili peppers. I know it may seem silly to cook down such a delicate vegetable, but it's delicious and works all year round, with any type of pasta.
John
Make this.
Chef Agostino
if your large zucchini has large seeds i’d recommend removing them before shredding. good recipe to which i added preserved lemon and red pepper flakes.
Kristene
I had an overabundance of yellow summer squash, and cooked them like this. I did all as directed, including freshly grated parmesan cheese. It needs a surprising amount of salt despite all the cheese, and needed hot pepper flakes as well. It wasn't bad, and I would make again, but it needs some tweaks to get to top form.
Kim G
I'm with you, and as we lean to omnivore, I start with a couple of slices of bacon, diced fine instead of oil...and then shells, to capture the little bits.
XtineK
I don't normally comment on recipes, and I don't normally like zucchini. But, it being zucchini season, I thought I would make an exception on both counts. First, I would note that this is a delicious template. (Like many here, I made changes: omitting the basil and adding half an onion, omitting the lemon juice and adding red pepper flakes.) Second, this is not NEARLY enough caramelized zucchini for a pound of pasta or even a galette. I will be using it in a popover pie instead.
mbutler
I was skeptical. Cooking a garden fresh veggie for this much time?? But I’m a believer and I followed the recipe. The only thing I did was add a can of drained cannellini beans at the end. I’m tracking my protein and needed more. This is one of the most delish dishes I have made and sooooo easy and healthy. The beans made it creamy.
Aly
Delicious and easy way to use up all that summer squash. Made as directed except no cheese, still very yummy. Used fresh basil from my garden and that was it. I halved the pasta, which made flavor more concentrated and perhaps is why I didn’t need to add other things for flavor.
Linda Given
I marked this recipe a year or so ago and just made it tonight with fresh zuccini from a friend's farm. I trust Ali Slagle - but I was not expecting it to be SO good - loved it!! (and I used caviatappi - worked well!)
Katie H.
Hey, this was actually really delicious! I used one and a half monstrous zucchinis from the garden (about 2 lbs) and half the amount of pasta (1/2 lb) and I think the ratio was just about right. A pound of pasta would have been way too much. The zucchini definitely did not cook down to about a cup; it was more but that was just fine.I deglazed with wine and finished with a drizzle of balsamic and it was a HIT. This will be in regular rotation during zucchini season.
Fig
I could not wait until the zucchini cooked down, I started eating it after 10 minutes. I am going to make this all summer long, with or without pasta. Delicious. Thank you.
Julia
This may not be the most glamorous-looking pasta, but it is creamy, hearty, delicately flavored, and wonderfully easy to make! I caramelized my zucchini at a slightly lower heat (and for a bit longer) so I could walk away periodically without having to worry about it burning, and I deglazed the first time with a little white wine and the rest of the time with water.
Tamar
Only made the caramelised zucchini, which was absolutely delicious! Used it as a filling (with some cottage cheese) for a savoury sourdough galette, can definitely recommend cooking zucchini this way as it’s a very versatile and tasty meal component.
Val
This turned out delicious. A bit labor intensive with the constant deglazing of the pan but very worth the effort. Only thing I changed was adding red pepper flakes after I picked out the basil stems because I like a little spice. I wish I had comprehended the bit about picking out the stems because I decided to chop them up when I was prepping—don’t do what I did, leave them whole and make your life easier! I also pan seared some pancetta, super crispy, and sprinkled it on top at the end.
marsha
Amazing! Cook to recipe. But Double and freeze some!
Karsten
So simple and so delicious.
BR
This is similar to a recipe in the latest River Cafe cookbook. There's not really any need to grate the zucchini. Chopping it into small pieces works just fine.
Paula
This is my first epic fail with a NYT recipe. We ate it, grumbling a little but threw away the leftovers and the recipe.
CM
This has become one of my favorite dishes to make. I add lots of thin onion to the zucchini and garlic, and stir in some canned or fresh tomato at the end. I tried adding anchovies to my last batch and didn’t love the flavor as much as my non-anchovy version. Love having this on hand for quick bruschetta snacks.
DELISH
a really delicious recipe and added 1/4 of the rind of a preserved lemon since I was making a single serving! used rigatoni, a hint of pesto (didn’t have fresh basil) and mozzarella for a super creamy and satisfying lunch!
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