Create a simple yet elegant vegan zucchini pasta in less than 25 minutes. With a few simple ingredients, you can make a zucchini pasta recipe the whole family will love!
I love creamy pasta dishes, and this vegan zucchini pasta is the perfect quick and easy meal in under 25 minutes! Zucchini has a mild flavor, slightly sweet and slightly bitter, with a rich feel. The sweetness in zucchini becomes more evident when it is cooked, making this the best zucchini pasta recipe you will ever taste!
Jump to:
Whenever I see a deal at the grocery store, I tailor my menu around whatever vegetables I find. The organic zucchini was beautiful and inexpensive, two of my favorite words today. If I can save a buck and make a fabulous dinner for the family, it's a win-win!
Zucchini Pasta Ingredients
- Zucchini: Zucchini is mild and sweet; it comes in a green variety or yellow called summer squash. I used a combination of both. Adding the yellow summer squash adds additional color.
- Shallot: Shallots have a delicate and sweet flavor with a hint of sharpness, while onions bring a more intense heat.
- Plant Milk: I used unflavored, unsweetened oat milk because I like its natural creaminess.
- Flour: I used oat flour as a thickening agent in the milk mixture.
- Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves whenever possible.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a thickening agent, but it also tastes cheesy, and as a bonus, it contains B12 and a lot of protein.
- Salt/Pepper: Salt and pepper enhance the flavors in the sauce.
- Spaghetti Noodles: I chose whole grain spaghetti noodles.
- Parsley: Parsley is added as a garnish for a fresh herb taste.
- Thyme: Thyme is earthy and minty, minty and citrus-laced, savory but also sweet, and slightly woodsy but also flowery, with traces of lavender or toned-down rosemary.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is added at the end to add acidity and a light citrus flavor to the sauce
Zucchini Pasta Ingredient Substitutions
- Use zucchini, summer squash, or a combination of both. Or, use eggplant.
- Try red onion or yellow onion instead of shallots.
- Choose any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
- Any flour works well with this zucchini pasta recipe.
- Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
- Miso paste or soy sauce is often used to replace nutritional yeast in recipes.
- Salt-free seasoning or seasoning of choice is an excellent substitute for salt and pepper.
- For a unique pasta dish, choose any type and shape of pasta.
- If you don't like parsley, try basil instead. Or any herb of choice.
- Using bottled lemon juice works as well.
How to Make Vegan Zucchini Pasta
Begin by grating the zucchini using a box grater on the large side onto a towel or cheesecloth. Then, grate the garlic cloves and shallot using the same side of the grater.
Next, squeeze the excess water from the grated zucchini, shallot, and garlic into the sink or a bowl. There should be approximately ⅔ cup of fluid or more. So, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!
Now in one pot, boil water with a small amount of salt and begin cooking the spaghetti for 11 minutes. In a second pan, begin to saute the zucchini, shallot, and garlic mixture in the meantime. Add a little vegetable broth if it begins to stick.
Then, blend the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast together in a small blender cup.
When the spaghetti is al dente, remove 1 cup of pasta water and set aside before draining into a colander. Put the spaghetti back into the larger pan, and add the cooked zucchini mixture to the spaghetti. Use tongs to combine.
Add the milk mixture and use the tongs to move the mixture into the vegan zucchini pasta. Include salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.
Serve on a platter and sprinkle with parsley and thyme. Add more salt and pepper as desired. For an added cheesy taste, sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Whenever I eat pasta, I always serve it with a big salad full of raw, nutrient-dense vegetables. For this zucchini pasta recipe, I enjoy citrus dressing for salads, or I also love the tanginess of creamy balsamic dressing.
I also enjoy eating vegan garlic bread on the side.
Recipe FAQs
Zucchini is rich in vitamin B6. Research suggests that this vitamin can help with regulating blood glucose. The vitamin may even play a protective role against diabetes.
Salting helps combat the bitterness of both of these water-dense vegetables by drawing out some of the excess moisture and the bitterness, aiding with the overall texture as well.
There's no need to peel zucchini. In fact, the skin is a big source of zucchini nutrition (the deep green color is a dead giveaway), so you definitely want to leave the skin on.
Tips
- Look for zucchini that are small to medium-sized (no longer than 6 to 8 inches). They should be firm and free of nicks and cuts. Really fresh zucchini will bristle with tiny hairs. How to store: Keep zucchini tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
- Save some time by using the box cutter for the zucchini, shallot, and garlic.
- Blending the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast help to prevent clumping.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to your individual preference.
- Add the lemon juice until after removing the pasta from the stove.
- Try adding vegan parmesan cheese for an added cheesy flavor.
- Serve with a large salad and vegan garlic bread.
Try this vegan zucchini pasta if you want a quick, delicious meal! Simple never tasted so good.
Quick and Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes
If you love this zucchini pasta recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini/summer squash grated
- 1 large shallot minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
- 12 ounces whole grain spaghetti noodles or noodles of choice
- 1 lemon juiced
- ½ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant milk I used oat milk
- 1 teaspoon flour I used oat flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese optional
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons thyme chopped
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini, shallot, and garlic cloves using the large hole side of a box grater on a towel or cheesecloth.
- Squeeze the excess water from the zucchini over a sink or bowl until there is approximately ⅔ cup of liquid or more. Discard the water.
- In a large pot, boil water and 1 teaspoon salt to cook the noodles.
- While the water is heating up, blend the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast, and set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, in a large skillet, cook the zucchini, shallot, and garlic mixture on medium-low heat. If the mixture sticks, add a small amount of vegetable broth to the pan.
- Cook the zucchini mixture for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
- Before draining the pasta, remove 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Drain pasta in a colander in the sink. Then, return the drained pasta to the pan and place it on the stove at medium-low temperature.
- Add the cooked zucchini mixture to the pan with the pasta, add ½ cup of the pasta water, and toss the pasta and zucchini mixture together using tongs.
- Now, add half the plant milk mixture, and toss again.
- Add the remaining pasta water and plant milk mixture. Gently toss to coat.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the salt and pepper and lemon juice. Toss the pasta again. Taste and adjust seasoning for personal preference.
- Sprinkle with parsley, thyme, and optional vegan parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Look for zucchini that are small to medium-sized (no longer than 6 to 8 inches). They should be firm and free of nicks and cuts. Really fresh zucchini will bristle with tiny hairs. How to store: Keep zucchini tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
- Save some time by using the box cutter for the zucchini, shallot, and garlic.
- Blending the plant milk, flour, and nutritional yeast help to prevent clumping.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to your individual preference.
- Add the lemon juice until after removing the pasta from the stove.
- Try adding vegan parmesan cheese for an added cheesy flavor.
- Serve with a large salad and vegan garlic bread.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Leave a Reply