This Mushroom Zucchini Pasta has a creamy, lemony sauce with a subtle heat. Packed with veggies and fiber, this zucchini and mushroom pasta makes an excellent plant-based weeknight dinner!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a fantastic plant-based weeknight dinner - perfect if you do a weekly meatless meal!
- This mushroom zucchini pasta is light, creamy, and full of vibrant flavors of lemon, garlic, parmesan, and thyme, with a subtle kick from the crushed chili pepper flakes.
- It's quick! Twenty minutes and dinner's on the table!
- Especially if you use a chickpea pasta, each serving has over 20 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber!
Featured Ingredients
- Pasta: Use whatever shape and type of pasta you prefer. I love using chickpea and lentil pasta for extra fiber and protein. (Thrive Market has many pastas for any and all lifestyles, all conveniently delivered straight to your door. Save 40% on your first order with my affiliate link!)
- Mushrooms: Slice fresh mushrooms thinly. Not a mushroom fan? Substitute another fresh vegetable of your choice, like chopped red bell pepper or asparagus, or even frozen peas.
- Zucchini: Depending on the size of your zucchini, slice into half moons or quarters. And same with the zucchini - sub your favorite vegetable if you're not a fan (although this is SUCH a good recipe for zucchini!)
- Lemon: The sauce is insanely vibrant and full of lemon flavor, thanks to the juice and zest of one lemon.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan adds a creamy, umami, saltiness to the sauce.
- Crushed Red Chili Flakes: Omit if you're not a fan of heat, but sauteing the vegetables with crushed red chili flakes adds a kick that pairs well with the vibrant lemon flavors.
- Milk: Helps create the sauce - use whatever milk you like to drink! (Just avoid sweetened or flavored milks.)
- Broth: You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth if you want to keep this dish vegetarian.
- Cornstarch: Making a slurry with the milk and cornstarch is what helps thicken the sauce and gives it a light, creamy texture.
- Other ingredients include extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, thyme, broth, salt, pepper, and reserved pasta cooking water.
Tips to Make Mushroom Zucchini Pasta
- Start by preparing your ingredients. It's worth a few extra bowls/ dishes used by having all of your ingredients chopped and measured. It'll make for a smoother and more enjoyable cooking experience!
- Boil water. Once water is boiling, salt the water, then add your pasta and cook to package directions. Cook on the lower end of a time range and aim for "al dente" - where there's a slight bite to the pasta, and it's far from mushy.
- Sauté vegetables. Once the oil is fragrant in a large pan, add mushrooms, zucchini, onion, garlic, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté until tender.
- Create the sauce. Whisk the cornstarch with the cold milk to create a slurry, then add the slurry and broth to the vegetables. Stir immediately and continuously, as the cornstarch will thicken quickly as it heats. Then add lemon juice, lemon zest, and parmesan and stir until parmesan melts.
- Add the pasta. Before draining the pasta, be sure to reserve some of the cooking water to help create the perfect saucy texture. Once drained, add pasta and 2 tablespoons of cooking water to the vegetable sauce. Add additional cooking water until the sauce is at your preferred sauciness, then season with salt, pepper to taste.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and grated parmesan then serve and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container up to three days.
To reheat, you can microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Alternatively you could reheat in a skillet over medium-high heat.
With either option you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to keep the pasta saucy.
Is This Zucchini Mushroom Pasta Healthy?
"Healthy" is subjective, but this mushroom zucchini pasta can absolutely be a (or part of a) healthy balanced meal.
Using a chickpea pasta, it's got over 20 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber per serving, both which make the dish more filling and satisfying. It's lighter and has less cholesterol and saturated fat compared to cream-based sauces. Plus each serving has a couple servings of vegetables!
Note that the calories may be a little low for a full meal for many folks. You could eat a larger portion to satisfy your hunger, or pair it with a salad and/ or a protein.
More Pasta Weeknight Dinner Recipes
- Pesto Pasta with Balsamic Blistered Tomatoes
- Tomato Ricotta Pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- One Pot Lentil Pasta Primavera
Did you make this recipe? Give it a 5★ rating below! For more healthy recipes and tips to create your own balanced relationship with food and health, be sure to follow Nutrition to Fit on Instagram!
Did you make this recipe? Give it a 5★ rating below! For more healthy recipes and tips to create your own balanced relationship with food and health, be sure to follow Nutrition to Fit on Instagram!
Mushroom Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 medium zucchini sliced into quarter or half moons
- ½ white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes optional
- ½ cup milk any unflavored, unsweetened type
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup broth chicken or veggie
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta, stirring occasionally until pasta is al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil.
- When olive oil is fragrant, add onion, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper, and chili flakes (if using). Stir vegetables and sauté 4-6 minutes, until veggies are tender.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make a slurry by whisking the cornstarch into the milk.
- When veggies are tender, add the milk and cornstarch slurry and broth and stir. The slurry will thicken quickly as it heats.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan and stir.
- Before draining pasta, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain pasta and add pasta to skillet with the veggies and sauce. Stir to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce.
- If needed, add 2 tablespoons to the full ¼ cup of pasta water until you've got the saucy texture you want.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and grated parmesan, serve, and enjoy!
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