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Zucchini Pasta Sauce (Creamy Tomato Style with Hidden Zucchini!)

This zucchini pasta sauce is a great way to add this bountiful vegetable to your dinner table! In addition to tomatoes and a touch of cream, it creates a beautiful pink sauce, and tastes even better! Even the kids will love it!

zucchini pasta with parsley on top

If you’ve got a garden this summer, you’ve probably got a glut of zucchini. Am I right?

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I know the feeling, because my mother grew zucchini/squash/courgettes when I was growing up. Goodness, they yield a lot of fruit and zucchini flowers! When my friend, Marie, gave me a few of her zucchini recently, I set about thinking of a unique and different way to use them. Edit: I’ve since added another zucchini pasta recipe that’s also quite delicious!

zucchini and pasta

I usually make Italian style zucchini and mushrooms, and I truly do love them cooked this way, but I yearned for something new.

Italian style zucchini and mushrooms

How to Hide Zucchini in Pasta Sauce?

I thought about a creamy sauce, not one with pieces of zucchini throughout it, so what better way to hide a vegetable, or fruit, like figs, than the sneaky blender trick?

creamy zucchini and tomato sauce

I made a super quick sauce, blended the concoction and added a splash (or two) of heavy cream and it was truly delicious! Let me know if you give this a try.

creamy zucchini and tomato sauce on mezzi rigatoni

As always, use the best quality tomatoes you can get your hands on. It makes all the difference in the world. Trust me. You can read more about quality canned tomatoes and a recipe for pumpkin pasta.

mutti tomato can with zucchini

Enjoy this recipe which you can make while the pasta is cooking!

zucchini pasta in a bowl

Zucchini Pasta Sauce
(Creamy Tomato Style with Hidden Zucchini)

Original Recipe by Christina Conte                        serves 5

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW

Ingredients

(pasta to serve, I used mezzi rigatoni)

Cook the Pasta

Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. As soon as you put the water on to boil, begin making the sauce.

Make the Zucchini Sauce

In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and garlic and cook the garlic for a minute or so, then add the sliced zucchini. Cook until the zucchini are beginning to brown, then immediately add the tomato sauce.

Adding sauce to the zucchini

Keep the heat rather high so that the sauce simmers nicely. Add salt and pepper. 

simmering tomatoes with zucchini

Add some pasta water as needed, as you don’t want the sauce to dry up too much.

adding pasta water to sauce

After 10 minutes or so, the sauce should be ready. Put it in a blender and process until smooth, then pour back into the same pan over very low heat.

pouring sauce into pan

Add the cream and stir until completely blended. Taste for seasoning, and add some more pasta water if the sauce is too thick. 

smooth zucchini and tomato pasta sauce

Combine the Zucchini Sauce and Pasta and Serve!

When the pasta is al dente, add directly to the sauce in the pan and mix well. Turn off the heat.

mixing the sauce and pasta together

Serve hot!

serving zucchini and tomato pasta sauce on mezzi rigatoni

It’s so delicious and quick to make; will you give it a try?

hidden zucchini pasta

Don’t forget to add a spoonful or two of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese! Lots of people ask me about the little Parmesan bowl, you can find it here.

adding Parmesan cheese to pasta

Ta dah! Great for a quick weeknight meal, but good enough for guests!

mezzi rigatoni with zucchini pasta sauce

Buon appetito!

rigatoni on a fork

 

zucchini pasta in a bowl

Zucchini Pasta Sauce (Creamy Tomato Style with Hidden Zucchini!)

Servings: 5 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
A super delicious and creamy zucchini and tomato sauce for pasta. Kids won't even know they're eating zucchini!
4.8 from 55 votes

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 medium zucchini sliced, mine weighed 12 oz/ 340 g
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes (I used Mutti)
  • 1 tsp salt to taste
  • tsp black pepper freshly ground, to taste
  • ¼ cup whipping cream
  • 1 lb pasta (I used mezzi rigatoni)

Instructions

  • Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. As soon as you put the water on to boil, begin making the sauce.
  • In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and garlic and cook the garlic for a minute or so, then add the sliced zucchini. Cook until the zucchini are beginning to brown, then immediately add the tomato sauce.
  • Keep the heat rather high so that the sauce simmers nicely. Add salt and pepper. 
  • Add some pasta water as needed, as you don't want the sauce to dry up too much.
  • After 10 minutes or so, the sauce should be ready. Put it in a blender and process until smooth, then pour back into the same pan over very low heat.
  • Add the cream and stir until completely blended. Taste for seasoning, and add some more pasta water if the sauce is too thick. 
  • Combine the Zucchini Sauce and Pasta and Serve!
  • When the pasta is al dente, add directly to the sauce in the pan and mix well. Turn off the heat and serve hot!

Notes

  • The cream may be omitted for a lactose free meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 582mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

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4.82 from 55 votes (55 ratings without comment)

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23 Comments

  1. This is delicious!! I had zucchini in my refrigerator and was trying to find something new to make with them. This was perfect!! Definitely will make this again.

  2. We love this recipe and have had it multiple times. My daughters eat it up and that’s saying something! Any recommendations to make this in a slow cooker? Thank you!

    1. Glad to hear it, Jessie! Due to the prep of the recipe, there’s really no way to make use of the slow cooker that would save you time/work. I also think it would change the flavor and not in a good way. What you can do is make a double batch and freeze it, so I hope that helps!

  3. I have made this 3 times this month… I have been doubling it and only blending half of it in the blender. I use the other half of it either on top of plain pasta or over the pasta in the creamy sauce. This is a great Lenten meal! During lent we don’t eat any meat or dairy products so I leave out the cream and it is still delicious! Even my son, who does not eat zucchini, eats this even though he knows there is zucchini in it & he still enjoys it. I have used both ziti rigati and rotini pasta, both with good results however the ziti was much better. I feel like the rotini took in too much of the sauce in all the spirals of the pasta so the sauce didn’t go as far and made it a bit drier. The last time I made it I also added nutritional yeast to it to add a bit more flavor and nutrition. I did not notice a difference in the taste and may consider adding a bit more and maybe some other spices to make it have a little bit more flavor.

    1. Fantastic to hear, Laura! You made my evening, thank you! Try adding a little pasta water if it gets too dry with the rotini (if you ever use it again). Hope you find more of my recipes to try! Thanks again!

  4. Hi, do you know if this would freeze well, if I omit the cream I imagine and then add that when reheating? Also to make even healthier could I swap whipping cream for creme fraiche? I have 10.3kg of courgettes and more coming….! Trying to find new recipes for using them and yours looks amazing.

    1. Hi Janice, good idea, although I haven’t tried it (but I will as I have one to pick this morning, myself). I would definitely leave the cream out to add later, and yes, creme fraiche would work as well. Hope you enjoy my recipes, will have to do a post for just zucchini recipes as mine are quite different than most. :) Enjoy!