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This summer zucchini pasta is bursting with both seasonal produce and savory flavors. You can make it with zoodles, regular pasta, or a combination. Don’t miss it.
Why we love this recipe
Eating in late summer and early fall is pure, unadulterated joy — and this easy recipe makes expert use of seasonal abundance. You can use spiralized zucchini pasta to keep things light or include a smaller amount of zucchini (either spiralized or sliced) and use regular pasta as the base. Either way it’s got:
- A light, luxurious sauce
- Fresh corn and earthy chickpeas studded throughout
- Layers of savory depth from the prosciutto, parmesan, and capers
- A gorgeous, invigorating sprinkle of torn fresh basil leaves
I first published this recipe here in 2019. I’ve since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You can use any zucchini or yellow summer squash that you have. I prefer to buy zucchini on the smaller side since they’re a bit sweeter and more tender before they get too big. Smaller, straighter zucchini are also a little bit easier to spiralize. The six medium zucchini called for in this recipe weigh about two pounds and yield about nine cups raw zoodles. If you’d prefer to use regular pasta, you’ve got a couple of options. Try a combination of spaghetti and half the amount of zoodles indicated, or include just two zucchini thinly sliced into half-moons and sautéed along with the shallot and garlic, plus any shape of regular pasta that you like.
- Fresh corn is my favorite choice for this summery recipe, but you can use good-quality frozen corn if that’s what you’ve got. The two ears called for in the recipe equal about six ounces frozen corn kernels.
- You can use any small variety of tomatoes. I love to use multicolored cherry or grape tomatoes to help make this dish rainbow-hued.
- Use capers in brine for this recipe. As compared to salt-packed capers, they’re less — though still plenty — salty and more vinegary. Drain before using.
- I’m always a fan of good-quality meat, but you do not need the absolute most perfect prosciutto for this recipe. Since it will , some of the nuances will disappear. A good domestic product is perfectly fine and will save you money.
- Choose a good-quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese. It adds a ton of savoriness and even a touch of sweetness. For a dairy-free version, you can omit it.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great batch of summer zucchini pasta. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll spiralize your zucchini, salt it, and press it between layers of paper or kitchen towels. Let it sit while you prepare the sauce. This process helps ensure it won’t be watery.
- To make the sauce, you’ll cook the shallot and garlic in the oil, then add the tomatoes and cook until they burst and become saucy. Add the corn and chickpeas and warm through.
- Add the zucchini and toss to coat with the sauce.
- Off the heat, stir in the prosciutto, basil, pepper, and grated cheese.
Expert tips and FAQs
Successful zucchini noodles are all about two key techniques: proper drying and aggressive seasoning. Here’s how to dry them.
About half an hour before you want to eat, spread the zoodles on a thick layer of paper towels, salt them lightly, and then cover with another thick layer of paper towels. Let them sit until you’re ready to toss the noodles into the pan. They’ll release a lot of moisture.
Right before adding to the pan, roll up the whole bundle and squeeze a bit to make sure all the moisture gets absorbed into the paper towels.
If you’re in the market for a spiralizer, I’ve used both this one and this one (for those of you with a KitchenAid mixer), and both work just fine. You can also make zucchini noodles using a vegetable peeler or the julienne blade of a mandoline slicer.
You can prepare the zoodles in advance through the drying stage and store the whole paper towel bundle in a zip-top bag in the fridge for up to a week. If you like, you can also start the sauce well ahead of time, through the cooking of the tomatoes, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I’d recommend finishing the recipe from there shortly before serving for maximum freshness.
That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
More great squash spaghetti recipes
- Spaghetti squash marinara
- Zoodles recipe with lemon caper butter
- Zoodle spaghetti with turkey meat sauce
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Summer Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 medium zucchini, about 2 pounds/(907 grams) total
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) capers
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium ears fresh corn, or 6 ounces/(170 grams) frozen kernels
- 1 15.5- ounce 439-gram can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces (113 grams) sliced prosciutto
- ½ cup (15 grams) fresh basil leaves, torn
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup (40 grams) grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Trim the ends off the zucchini and cut into noodles according to the instructions on your spiralizer.
- Line two rimmed sheet pans with thick layers of paper towels. Spread half of the zucchini noodles onto each pan and sprinkle with the salt. Cover with another thick layer of paper towels and press gently. Leave noodles to dry while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Warm olive oil over medium heat in a very large pan or wide, shallow pot. (A 5-quart Dutch oven, a 12-inch frying pan with high sides, or even a wok would all work well.)
- Add shallot, garlic, and capers, and cook, stirring frequently, for two minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of them have burst.
- While tomatoes cook, cut the kernels from the corn cobs. Add corn kernels and chickpeas to pan and cook for about two minutes, until warmed through.
- Pat zucchini noodles dry with the paper towels and stir noodles into the vegetable mixture in the pan. (Tongs work really well if you have them.) Cook until noodles are crisp-tender, just a couple of minutes. The tomatoes and zucchini will create a bit of delicious sauciness in the bottom of the pan. Stir this to coat the noodles.
- Remove pan from heat.
- Cut slices of prosciutto into long, thin strips, about four per slice. Sprinkle it over the vegetables, along with the basil, pepper, and grated cheese. The residual heat from the noodles will warm the prosciutto just enough to be beautifully tender and flavorful, without cooking it.
- Divide among wide, shallow serving bowls to serve.
Notes
- You can use any zucchini or yellow summer squash that you have. I prefer to buy zucchini on the smaller side since they're a bit sweeter and more tender before they get too big. Smaller, straighter zucchini are also a little bit easier to spiralize. The six medium zucchini called for in this recipe weigh about two pounds and yield about nine cups raw zoodles. If you'd prefer to use regular pasta, you've got a couple of options. Try a combination of spaghetti and half the amount of zoodles indicated, or include just two zucchini thinly sliced into half-moons and sautéed along with the shallot and garlic, plus any shape of regular pasta that you like.
- Fresh corn is my favorite choice for this summery recipe, but you can use good-quality frozen corn if that's what you've got. The two ears called for in the recipe equal about six ounces frozen corn kernels.
- You can use any small variety of tomatoes. I love to use multicolored cherry or grape tomatoes to help make this dish rainbow-hued.
- Use capers in brine for this recipe. As compared to salt-packed capers, they're less — though still plenty — salty and more vinegary. Drain before using.
- I'm always a fan of good-quality meat, but you do not need the absolute most perfect prosciutto for this recipe. Since it will , some of the nuances will disappear. A good domestic product is perfectly fine and will save you money.
- Choose a good-quality, freshly grated parmesan cheese. It adds a ton of savoriness and even a touch of sweetness. For a dairy-free version, you can omit it.
- You can prepare the zoodles in advance through the drying stage and store the whole paper towel bundle in a zip-top bag in the fridge for up to a week. If you like, you can also start the sauce well ahead of time, through the cooking of the tomatoes, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I'd recommend finishing the recipe from there shortly before serving for maximum freshness.
- That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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