A zingy fresh pasta made from fettuccine, grated courgette, crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest, cream, parmesan, peas and basil. This tasty pasta is a wonderful way to use seasonal courgette.
This is another recipe that came at the request of readers - more courgette meals please! If you've ever grown your own courgette, or zucchini as it is also called, you will know how quickly you have to pick them before they turn into marrows! That's why I love having a large selection of courgette recipes up my sleeve.
This Courgette, Lemon and Garlic Pasta is extremely tasty and super easy to make. For some other flavoursome courgette recipes be sure to check out my Courgette and Chicken Dippers as well as my Courgette and Feta Fritters.
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Ingredient notes:
- Courgette: Also known as zucchini depending on where you live! During the summer, this vegetable is plentiful and cheap making this pasta meal super affordable.
- Lemon and Garlic: The other two namesakes of this recipe, lemon and garlic give this pasta a wonderfully zingy and fresh flavour.
- Cream: The creaminess of the cream and parmesan compliments the punchier flavours of the lemon and garlic.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to the boil. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions, as it will continue to cook in the pan later. When pasta is ready, drain and reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to make the sauce.
Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the grated zucchini and fry for 7 minutes. Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest. Fry for another 2 minutes then add the fresh cream and stir to combine.
Add the grated parmesan, cooked pasta and cooked peas to the pan. Stir to combine. Depending on how saucy you want your pasta, add 1-2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Cook for a few minutes until well combined and heated through.
Season well with salt and pepper then stir in the chopped basil. Serve topped with extra grated parmesan, fresh basil and a drizzle of chilli oil if you like some spice.
Recipe FAQs:
The pasta will continue to cook once you add it back to the pan with the other ingredients. Undercooking it gives it room to keep cooking without going too soggy/soft.
To undercook your pasta make sure it still has a bit of a firm bite to it (about 2 minutes less than the instructions say on the packet) If you are worried your pasta is a bit over cooked you can run it under cold water to stop the cooking process before adding it to the frying pan.
If you don't have an extra large frying pan you can finish the sauce then pour the sauce into the pasta pot to mix it all together. There is quite a lot of pasta.
Storage:
Store your leftover courgette pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 or 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or a frying pan with a dash of milk or water to create a sauce again as it will dry out in the fridge.
Top tips:
To save time and dishes, throw the peas in with the cooking pasta when it has about 5 minutes to go to save time.
Related Recipes:
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Courgette, Lemon & Garlic Fettuccine
A zingy fresh pasta made from fettuccine, grated courgette, crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest, cream, parmesan, peas and basil.
Ingredients
- 500g fettuccine pasta
- 800g courgette, grated (about 4)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
- ¾ cup cream
- 1-2 cups reserved pasta water
- 70g parmesan, grated
- ⅔ cup frozen peas, cooked
- Handful of fresh basil, chopped
To serve:
- Chilli oil, optional
- Extra Grated Parmesan
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to the boil. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions, as it will continue to cook in the pan later.
- When pasta is ready, drain and reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to make the sauce.
- Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the grated zucchini and fry for 7 minutes.
- Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice and zest. Fry for another 2 minutes then add the fresh cream and stir to combine.
- Add the grated parmesan, cooked pasta and cooked peas to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Depending on how saucy you want your pasta, add 1-2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Cook for a few minutes until well combined and heated through.
- Season well with salt and pepper then stir in the chopped basil.
- Serve topped with extra grated parmesan, fresh basil and a drizzle of chilli oil if you like some spice.
Notes
- If you don’t have an extra large frying pan you can finish the sauce then pour the sauce into the pasta pot to mix it all together. It’s quite a lot of pasta.
- To save time and dishes, throw the peas in with the cooking pasta when it has about 5 minutes to go to save time.
- To undercook your pasta make sure it still has a bit of a firm bite to it (about 2 minutes less than the instructions say on the packet) If you are worried your pasta is a bit over cooked you can run it under cold water to stop the cooking process before adding it to the frying pan.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 613Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 611mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 5gSugar: 11gProtein: 21g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Zara says
This was so tasty! Great way to use up courgettes
VJ cooks says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Zara 🙂