This lemon-basil zucchini pasta celebrates the flavor of slow-cooked zucchini and pairs it with creamy goat cheese and crispy zucchini chips. This will be your new favorite vegetarian pasta recipe!
This zucchini pasta recipe is not the quickest meal to make, but the finished product is so beautiful. It makes for an amazing vegetarian pasta recipe!
This recipe has a few individual components. None of them are particularly complex to make but doing them all for one meal will require a bit of organization in your kitchen.
Zucchini pasta sauce: Onions and diced zucchini simmer over low-to-moderate heat for 20–30 minutes. Pulling the water out of the zucchini slowly leaves you with all the zucchini flavor and none of the mushiness. Lemon juice, sliced basil, and pasta cooking water added at the end make a super flavorful sauce! From there, we add pasta to the sauce to coat it with the sauce.
Creamy goat cheese: Goat cheese, heavy cream, and extra virgin olive oil make for a luscious accompaniment to the pasta.
Crispy zucchini chips: Thinly sliced zucchini chips add the perfect amount of crunch at the end.
How to put it together:
Once you have the individual components for this lemon-basil zucchini pasta recipe prepared, simply put them together!
Spoon the goat cheese onto shallow bowls and spread it into an even layer. Carefully the zucchini pasta on top and then finish with a few crispy zucchini chips on top.
Finish the entire plate with lemon zest and fresh basil leaves for a perfect burst of brightness at the end.
This zucchini pasta recipe will be your new favorite spring go-to dinner. It looks beautiful and tastes even better. You will love the flavor the slow-simmered zucchini lends to the sauce.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check my archives!
If you made this recipe, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment to tell me how you liked it! If you take a picture of it, please tag me on Instagram so I can feature you in my feed!
Lemon-Basil Zucchini Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot
- Colander
- Electric hand mixer or whisk
- Skillet
Ingredients
Zucchini pasta:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 3 zucchini trimmed and small-diced
- .5 ounces fresh basil thinly sliced, a few basil leaves reserved for garnish
- 1 lemon juiced and zested, zest reserved for garnish
- 12 ounces tagliatelle
- Salt and pepper to taste
Creamy goat cheese:
- 6 ounces spreadable goat cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Crispy zucchini chips:
- 1 zucchini trimmed and sliced paper-thin
- Salt
- ⅓ cup neutral oil
Instructions
Prepare the sauce:
- Heat the neutral oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until just translucent. Add the zucchini and season with salt. Cook over moderate heat (low to medium heat) for 20-30 minutes. The zucchini shouldn’t brown too much. Instead, it should simmer, slowly pulling out the water and then evaporating, creating a jammy texture.
Start the zucchini chips:
- Arrange the thinly sliced zucchini on a paper towel-lined plate, avoiding overlap as much as possible. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 15–20 minutes.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
Prepare the goat cheese:
- Combine the goat cheese, heavy cream, and extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Add salt and mix with an electric hand mixer or a whisk until smooth and creamy. Taste and season to your preferences.
Fry the zucchini chips:
- Pat the zucchini slices dry. Remove as much water as possible! Heat the neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the zucchini slices in an even layer and cook for 1–3 minutes per side or until golden-brown all over. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Finish the pasta sauce:
- Once the sauce finishes simmering, add the sliced basil and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta cooking water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2–3 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Spoon the goat cheese onto shallow bowls and smooth it out with the back of your spoon. Pile the pasta on top and arrange a few crispy zucchini chips on top. Garnish with basil leaves and lemon zest. Enjoy!
