Creamy Garden Zucchini Pasta Recipe 🥒🌿
This creamy zucchini pasta is one of my favourite ways to use up those oversized garden zucchinis that seem to appear overnight. It’s packed with vegetables, fresh herbs, Parmesan, and plenty of flavour — and it’s incredibly easy to make.
The zucchini, onion, garlic, spinach and basil all get roasted together first, which gives the sauce a really rich flavour before everything is blended into a creamy pasta sauce 🥒🌿
Creamy Garden Zucchini Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: Approximately 4–6
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, approximately 1.5–2 lbs, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
Garlic, to taste
2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups fresh basil
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan
3 scoops unflavoured collagen powder
Fresh thyme, to taste
Fresh oregano, to taste
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Pasta of your choice
For Serving
Extra freshly grated Parmesan
Chopped green onion
Chilli flakes
Chicken
Instructions
1. Prepare the vegetables
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Roughly chop the zucchini and onion and add them to a large baking dish along with the garlic, spinach and fresh basil.
If you’re using one of those really oversized garden zucchinis, you can remove the larger seeds before chopping it.
2. Roast
Place the baking dish in the oven and roast for approximately 1 hour, or until the zucchini, onion and garlic are completely soft.
Roasting everything together first gives the vegetables time to soften and develop much more flavour before blending.
3. Blend the sauce
Allow the roasted vegetables to cool slightly.
Transfer everything to a blender, then add:
2 cups heavy cream
3 scoops unflavoured collagen powder
Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
4. Add the Parmesan
Pour the blended zucchini sauce into a saucepan over medium-low heat.
Add 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan and stir until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce.
Season with salt, pepper and herbs to taste.
I especially love using a mixture of fresh thyme and oregano straight from the garden.
5. Cook your pasta
Meanwhile, cook your pasta of choice according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta and add it directly to the zucchini sauce.
Fold everything together until the pasta is completely coated.
6. Finish and serve
Top with:
Extra freshly grated Parmesan
Chopped green onion
Chilli flakes for a little heat
Serve warm.
Want to Add More Protein?
Chicken is SO good added to this.
I also like using a higher-protein pasta, such as Chickapea noodles.
Between the Parmesan, collagen powder, higher-protein pasta and optional chicken, you can turn this veggie-packed pasta into a pretty substantial meal.
A Few Tips
If your zucchini sauce seems thicker than you’d like, you can loosen it with a little extra cream or a splash of pasta water.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, simply let it simmer gently for a few minutes before adding your pasta.
And if your garden zucchini got a little out of hand and grew massive before you noticed it — welcome to the club. 😂 Removing the larger seeds before roasting will give you a smoother sauce.
Can You Freeze Zucchini Pasta Sauce?
Yes. If you want to make this ahead, I prefer freezing the roasted zucchini vegetable base before adding the cream and Parmesan.
Roast and blend the zucchini, onion, garlic, spinach and basil, allow it to cool, then transfer it into freezer-safe containers.
When you’re ready to make dinner, thaw the base, heat it in a saucepan and then add the cream, Parmesan and seasonings.
It gives you the convenience of a freezer meal while still giving you that fresh, creamy finish when you serve it.
What to Serve With Creamy Zucchini Pasta
This is great on its own, but you could also serve it with grilled chicken, roasted chicken, garlic bread or a simple garden salad.
It’s one of those meals that feels a little indulgent while still using a huge amount of food straight from the garden.
And during zucchini season, that is a win in my books. 😂🥒
Save this one for the next time your garden gives you more zucchini than you know what to do with. 🌿🍝
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