Description
Sumptuous Creamy Courgette Pasta delivers Mediterranean charm with zucchini’s silky elegance and parmesan’s rich undertones. Garden-fresh ingredients combine effortlessly, promising a delightful meal that transports diners straight to Italian countryside kitchens.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 kg courgettes, chopped into small cubes
- 300 grams (10.5 ounces) spaghetti or linguine
- 200 grams (7 ounces) garlic and herb cream cheese
- 100 grams (3.5 ounces) Parmesan cheese, grated (or vegetarian alternative)
Seasoning and Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Ingredient:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Slice courgettes into thin, uniform rounds to ensure even cooking and quick softening.
- Warm olive oil in a spacious skillet over medium-high temperature, creating a perfect sautéing environment.
- Gently introduce courgettes to the heated pan, allowing them to transform into tender, lightly caramelized discs over 10-15 minutes.
- Simultaneously, prepare a large pot of generously salted water for pasta cooking.
- Submerge spaghetti into boiling water, following package guidance for precise al dente texture.
- Before draining, carefully extract one cup of starchy pasta water, which will become crucial for sauce consistency.
- Transfer drained pasta back to the original cooking vessel, creating a blank canvas for flavor melding.
- Introduce sautéed courgettes, velvety cream cheese, bright lemon zest, and tangy citrus juice into the pasta.
- Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan, adding depth and saltiness to the developing sauce.
- Incorporate reserved pasta water, whisking vigorously to create a silky, cohesive coating.
- Taste the mixture, adjusting with additional lemon juice for a zesty punch.
- Season with pinches of salt and freshly cracked black pepper to elevate the overall flavor profile.
- Serve immediately, ensuring the pasta remains hot and sauce remains luxuriously creamy.
Notes
- Opt for young, small courgettes as they have a more delicate flavor and fewer seeds, ensuring a smoother sauce texture.
- Slice courgettes uniformly to guarantee even cooking and prevent some pieces from becoming mushy while others remain undercooked.
- Pat courgettes dry before cooking to achieve better caramelization and prevent excess moisture diluting the creamy sauce.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular pasta with zuc
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 500 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 63 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg