Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes is 20 minute healthy pasta dinner that is summertime must have!
Zucchini and bursting baby tomatoes create a delicious sauce combined with fresh garlic and basil. Then coat each piece of al dente pasta sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Quick healthy pasta dishes like penne with broccoli, healthy pasta skillet and spaghetti with tomato sauce save the day in our household many days. Enjoy!
Summer Pasta with Zucchini
This pasta with zucchini is nothing short of amazingness. I couldn’t stop eating it. Shocking, I know, because nobody likes pasta. Also give my inner Ukrainian all the garlic!
I got the idea for pasta with zucchini and tomatoes from my zucchini bake. I kept pasta amount low just enough to make the dish filling.
I swear this zucchini and pasta is so good, I could eat it all week long. It keeps your kitchen cool and uses an abundance of produce in season. I always seem to have more than I need on hand.
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Zucchini
- Tomatoes
- Basil and garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
9 ingredients and 20 minutes. That’s it!
How to Make Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes
I will share with you my multitasking method of cooking 20 minute dinners.
Tip: Make sure you use large deep skillet before you begin.
1. Chop Vegetables
I start with chopping all the veggies. All zucchini come in different sizes. Just chop it in universal bite size pieces.
2. Cook Veggies and Pasta at Same Time
Then I boil water for pasta and start cooking vegetables at same time. This way, by the time pasta is ready, zucchini and tomatoes are ready as well.
Cooking zucchini fast on medium-high heat keeps them firm.
Cherry or grape tomatoes are the best for this dish because they hold their shape better than full-grown tomatoes without making zucchini tomato pasta mushy. Cutting them in halves ensures the juices’ release making a base for the sauce.
What Pasta Can I Use?
Use short pasta like fusilli, penne or rigatoni. Whole wheat, brown rice or any other gluten free pasta contains more fiber and nutrients. Keep in mind it doesn’t hold its shape as well as white semolina pasta. So watch it closely and do not overcook.
Chewy al dente pasta is half of the success to a tasty pasta with zucchini and tomatoes. I add al dente pasta directly from the pot to the skillet without draining. I find once pasta is drained, it starts drying out and sticking together.
3. Add Fresh Garlic and Basil at the End
And then I season it all at once with salt, pepper, herbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I like my garlic minced vs. grated for this dish. Basil or fresh parsley. These flavors make pasta dish the bomb dot com. Add fresh at the end. Don’t cook them.
Somehow only olive oil seems suitable to me here. Probably because this pasta is kind of Mediterranean and extra virgin olive oil with deep sweeter flavour fits right in.
Enjoy!
How to Store Pasta
Any pasta tastes best fresh. If you happen to have leftovers of pasta with zucchini, transfer to a glass container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 1 day. I find plastic transfers its taste to food.
And I wouldn’t go past 2 day. Pasta becomes too soggy as vegetables contain a lot of water. Recipe can be cut in half if needed.
More Healthy Zucchini Recipes to Try
Still have lots zucchini to use up? Here you go:
- Crustless zucchini quiche
- Chicken zucchini casserole
- Parmesan zucchini sticks
- Zucchini lasagna
- Zucchini casserole
- If you are a fan of zucchini, check out my collection of 30 healthy zucchini recipes.
Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 7 oz short whole wheat pasta like penne fusilli or farfalle
- 2 lbs zucchini chopped in bite size pieces
- 1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes cut in halves
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup parsley or 1/2 cup basil finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta as per package instructions undercooking by 2-3 minutes or until pasta is al dente, cooked but firm.
- While pasta is cooking, preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and swirl 1 tbsp of oil to coat. Add zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Return skillet to the stove and swirl 1 tbsp of oil to coat, add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times.
- Turn off heat and add cooked pasta and zucchini, remaining 1 tbsp of oil, salt, pepper, cheese and parsley or basil; stir and serve. Adjust any seasonings to taste and enjoy this 20 minute amazingness!
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Nutrition
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Having zucchini in the fridge and I am going to try this tonight! Looks great! <3
Hi Sunethra! Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and star review once you have made this recipe 🙂
I was surprised, but my husband loved this!
I changed this recipe a bit by adding a red chilli, garlic and substituting parmesan cheese with feta cheese. I served it with seasoned chicken.
We made this and it was simple, tasty and we had all the ingredients on hand to make it. There weren’t proportions listed, so we used our best judgment. We used about a half pound of rigatoni, 2 cups of sliced zucchini and maybe 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes. It needed salt, pepper and a generous amount of grated cheese on the top, but it was good. We used a combination of fresh parsley and basil.
Hi Polly! Each recipe contains a write-up where I briefly describe the recipe and at the bottom there is a complete recipe card that lists all the ingredients, amounts and detailed instructions.
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. My husband even thought it was really good too and he doesn’t usually vegetarian dishes!
I am so happy to hear this Irene!
Delicious! We two ate recipe for four in one sitting.
Seasonings etc. all right on.
Oh! We did double up on tomatoes.
Happy this is a hit with your family!
Incredible & easy to make! Tastes super good cold too!
My whole family loved it used small on the vine tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and fresh basil out if my garden can’t wait until tomato season ….good and fast dish!
Fresh basil and tomatoes sound wonderful. Glad you like the recipe.
Very good! I can’t wait to try it with tomatoes and zucchini from our garden!
I bet it will taste even better with such fresh produce Brenda!
Light and delicious and easy to make.
I changed this recipe a bit by adding a red chilli, garlic and substituting parmesan cheese with feta cheese. I served it with seasoned chicken.
Yummy…
Fabulous. I used spiral zucchini which is very thin so I didn’t need to cook it at all. I just put the zucchini in the pan with the hot pasta and it heated through while I tossed the pasta and vegetables together. Everyone loved it.
Awesome!!! Happy to hear.
delicious
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Hemant!
I’m made this for my family and it was delicious! The flavors are so good! This will be a repeat! I am always looking for flavorful but simple and healthy meals for the family. Thank you!
Yay, you are very welcome!!!
Yum! I’m not a great cook, however, this makes me seem much better 🙂 Thanks for the tips and the recipe…I saved my gf pasta 2 minutes shy of the box and it is a great texture. The squash and zucc were so good I’m going to add more next time. I also added corn (because my kids love corn).
Yay! I am sure you can become a very good cook in no time. It is easier than they make you think.:)
Excellent. Very flavorful.
Love it
I used Fafalle pasta, grape and sun dried tomatoes, and spinach. This is AMAZING!!!
We had this dish for dinner tonight and it was tasteful. I loved the taste of the tomatoes and garlic.
I made this today for lunches for the next three days. I didn’t follow exactly because of what I had on hand and added spice to please my husband’s palate. I added a bit of chopped broccoli, bell pepper and onion and red pepper flakes. Never thought to Cook zucchini and then set aside. That made all the difference because it didn’t get soggy. I would make again.
Glad you made it your own and that’s how cooking should be, especially with dinners. You can eat zucchini raw, so they need only a few minutes of cooking on stovetop ever.
This is SOOOOO Good! I made about half of the recipe to go as a side with marinated grilled chicken thighs, but could have easily eaten it as a meal in itself. I followed the recipe exactly (using basil) except for seasoning with salt and pepper during each step. So easy,quick and extremely delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Easy, delicious, and quick!
Added some chicken. Great flavours. Thank you!
Wow! I rarely review recipes, but this was really greater than the sum of its parts. I only had Roma tomatoes on hand, but everything was fresh from the farmers’ market and the flavors really came together. I think cooking the zucchini separately made a big difference. Thank you!
You are welcome. Not eating soggy zucchini is always “a plus”.:)
Made this last night with produce bought at my local farmer’s market. It is delicious, fast and so easy to make. A perfect summer recipe when so much fresh zucchini abounds.
Good! It’s hard to pass by all that produce in season. I lose it too haha. Glad you liked it!!!