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Simplest Zucchini Parmesan Pasta. Two of summer’s star produce, zucchini and yellow summer squash are caramelized and mashed to create a creamy, buttery pasta sauce without using any cream. This pasta takes just minutes to make and uses the simplest of summertime ingredients, most of which you may have in your pantry right now! If you’re looking for a new pasta dinner, this is it. Bonus? This pasta is full of veggies, making it healthy…ish.

Hey, hi and welcome to another addition of super simple Thursday here on HBH. I am loving getting creative with these easy recipes, making them delicious, pretty, and fun!

This fresh zucchini pasta… It. Is. GOOD! I mean, it’s so simple, yet, so delicious and also very different. Why? Because I made the pasta sauce out of zucchini. No cream, no eggs, just a lots of zucchini, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. OK. And maybe a little butter too, because I mean, pasta needs butter, if you ask me.

Before I dive into the details, let me tell you where my inspiration for this recipe came from, Meghan Markle. Yes, Meghan Markle, as in the new Duchess of Sussex. If I’m being honest, I really did not follow any of the royal wedding, but it was hard not to miss some of the headlines as they were everywhere. A few things did catch my eye.

One, her dress/dresses were all stunning. I loved them. What did you guys think?

Two, I also loved her simple makeup look, proving to girls everywhere, that you don’t need to cover up your face. And also? Simple is best.

Three, among all the headlines about the royal wedding, I came across an article that mentioned Meghan really loved cooking and that she makes a zucchini pasta sauce that she loves. Obviously this very much interested me, so I read on. The article didn’t mention how exactly she made the pasta, but it’s cool, because I was happy to do my own thing…

So I did do my thing, and it turned out SO GOOD. Very excited about it. Thank you to the new Duchess of Sussex for inspiring today’s recipe.

Let me explain how exactly you turn zucchini into a pasta sauce.

For starters, you’ll need to boil some pasta, reserving the pasta cooking water to use for thinning out the zucchini sauce, this is key. I have mentioned this before, but the pasta cooking water is an essential ingredient to creating some of the best pasta sauces. Always reserve a little water before draining. Always. You can really use any cut of pasta you love, but I’m loving the large tubular shape that I used. The ridges really catch all the sauce so that each bite is perfectly saucy.

While the pasta is cooking, start the zucchini. The secret is to cook the zucchini until it is deep golden and caramelized. Once it hits this stage, it can be easily broken down and mashed. Cooking the zucchini this way allows for the flavors to really come out, it becomes sweet and buttery. It’s honestly just magical. That sounds so cheesy, but I don’t know of a better way to say it.

I decided to leave the zucchini on the chunkier side, but if you prefer a smooth pasta sauce, you can puree the zucchini in the food processor. Personally, that’s just another step that I didn’t want to do, but do what you like! Whether chunky or smooth, it’s going to be good.

All that’s left to do is add the cheese, I like parmesan a lot, but manchego is really good too, if you happen to have that available. Stir in lots of fresh basil and that’s it.

Pretty simple, right? Under ten ingredients, under thirty minutes, no fancy ingredients, but still really, really good. Love it!

And when I say I love it, I really mean it. This is one of those recipes that can easily become a staple, because it truly is so easy, simple, and delicious. I like to think of it as a fancier version of buttered noodles with the addition of lots of zucchini, basil and parmesan.

It’s truly perfection, and if you happen to be growing zucchini this summer, I foresee this becoming a staple in your kitchen too!

If you make this zucchini pasta, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this easy, summery pasta, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Watch the How To Video:

All the pasta, all summer long…