The Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta recipe is amazingly easy to prepare and makes a flavorful meal in less than 30 minutes. This pasta dish is rich and creamy without being too heavy!
Making the Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta is perfect for a weeknight meal or a lazy weekend lunch! It consists of farfalle pasta and grated zucchini in a creamy sauce made with cream, cheese, herbs, and spices.
Jump to:
- Delicious and Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- Why You Will Love This Pasta
- Ingredients and Notes
- How To Make Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- Serving Suggestions
- How To Store Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- Substitutions
- Variations and Additions
- Recipe Tips For Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- More Italian Recipes
- Recipe Card
Delicious and Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
This recipe is simple and easy to make with only a few ingredients! You do not need pasta sauce, and everything comes together with minimum effort.
I have added grated zucchini to this bow-tie pasta recipe. Grated zucchini blends amazingly well with pasta, and a fussy eater will not even figure out the vegetables in this creamy pasta.
However, you can easily customize this recipe and add more summer vegetables of choice. You can also add more or less dried or fresh herbs to this Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta.
This dish can also be served as a side dish with your mains or packed in kids’ lunch boxes. The pasta is highly flavorful, creamy, and rich, but the dish is not heavy at all.
I have included the variations for herbs, spices, and vegetables in this post. Please continue reading to see how you can bring variations to this pasta dish.
Why You Will Love This Pasta
- Making the Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta is easy and quick.
- This recipe comes together within 30 minutes.
- Pasta is creamy, rich, delectable, flavorful, and loaded with grated zucchini.
- It requires only a few ingredients and is easy to customize the recipe.
- Everyone in the house will love this pasta dish.
- Grated zucchini blends well with pasta so you can make it for a fussy eater as well.
Ingredients and Notes
- Bow-Tie Pasta: Bow-tie pasta is also known as farfalle pasta. It is shaped like a bow tie or butterfly, which helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Oil: This pasta recipe calls for olive oil. However, if you do not have olive oil, you can use your choice of cooking oil.
- Zucchini: The recipe calls for two medium-sized zucchini. However, you can add more or less grated zucchini according to your preference.
- Herbs: I added dried oregano and basil to the pasta. You can skip the herbs or add a different choice of dried herbs. You can also use fresh oregano and basil.
- Red Pepper Flakes: I added red pepper flakes to give a hint of spiciness. But you can skip them or add other spices, such as fresh red chili finely chopped, red chili powder, or cayenne pepper.
- Cream: Using cream makes the pasta rich and creamier. You can add light or heavy cream to this recipe. If you prefer richer and creamier pasta, add heavy cream.
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheese makes the pasta cheesy and creamy. Traditionally, parmesan cheese is used to make creamy pasta. But parmesan cheese is not vegetarian, and hence, I like to use cheddar cheese for my pasta recipe. However, you can use your choice of vegetarian hard cheese for this recipe.
How To Make Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the package instructions.
- Then, reserve a cupful of starchy pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Remember to save the pasta water as it will be used in this dish.
- Do not rinse the pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a large nonstick frying pan and heat until slightly warm.
- Add grated zucchini, mix well, and cook on low-medium heat.
- Cook the zucchini for about 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.
- Mix well.
- Turn the heat low and add the cream.
- Cook for a minute or until the cream starts simmering.
- When the cream is hot and starts bubbling, add cheese, drained pasta, and ½ cup of pasta water.
- Quickly mix until everything is well combined and the cheese is melted.
- Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated, adding more pasta water if needed.
- Adjust the seasonings if required, turn off the heat, and enjoy a delicious pasta dish.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the pasta with your choice of toppings or garnishes. For example, you can top the pasta with fresh basil or more cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle more red pepper flakes (if you like spicy pasta) or sumac before serving.
How To Store Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. While reheating, add a little milk or cream to loosen up the pasta.
Substitutions
If you want to make this pasta dish but lack one or more recipe ingredients, see the substitutions below.
Bow-Tie Pasta: This recipe can be made with other types of pasta as well. If you do not have farfalle pasta, use penne, rotini, or Rrigatoni pasta.
Olive Oil: Instead of olive oil, add butter for more flavor.
Herbs: Instead of oregano and basil, you can add other dried herbs, such as parsley, thyme, or your choices of dried herbs.
Red Pepper Flakes: Skip red pepper flakes if you do not want your pasta spicy. Or, instead of red pepper flakes, add finely chopped fresh red chili.
Cream: Cream makes the pasta rich and creamy. But if you do not have cream, use whole milk and add 2 cups of cheese to make the dish richer and creamier.
Variations and Additions
Vegetables: You can add more vegetables to this creamy zucchini bow-tie pasta. Add chopped bell peppers, carrots, or celery. To accompany zucchini, add spinach and green peas.
Seasonings: If you have Italian seasoning, you can add it to taste and skip the oregano and basil.
Spices: Instead of red pepper flakes, you can add another type of spice. Such as red chili sauce, red chili powder, hot paprika, finely chopped chili, or cayenne pepper.
Protein: To make the pasta more filling and satisfying, add chickpeas, green peas, or your choice of beans.
Recipe Tips For Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
- Boiling The Pasta: Salt the pasta water generously and do not rinse the pasta after draining.
- Reserving Pasta Water: Adding plain water to pasta dilutes the flavor of the dish. However, adding starchy cooking water enhances the flavors and helps the sauce and other ingredients stick to the pasta. So, do not forget to reserve the pasta water.
- Vegetables: If you add more vegetables, cook them with zucchini until soft. For green peas, boil them before adding to the pasta.
- Cream: For this recipe, you can use light cream, half-and-half, table cream, or heavy cream. You can also add more cream if you like it creamier.
More Italian Recipes
Recipe Card
Creamy Zucchini Bow-Tie Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 g dried farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini grated
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- ½ cup heavy or light cream
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Then, reserve a cupful of starchy pasta water and drain the pasta. Do not rinse the pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a large nonstick frying pan and heat until slightly warm. Add grated zucchini, mix well, and cook on low-medium heat.
- Cook the zucchini for about 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
- Turn the heat on low, add the cream, and cook for a minute or until it starts simmering.
- Once the cream is hot and bubbling, add cheese, drained pasta, and ½ cup of pasta water. Quickly mix until everything is well combined and the cheese is melted.
- Season the pasta with salt and pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated, adding more pasta water if needed.
- Adjust the seasonings if required, turn off the heat, and enjoy a delicious pasta dish.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the pasta with your choice of toppings or garnishes. For example, you can top the pasta with fresh basil or more cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle more red pepper flakes (if you like spicy pasta) or sumac before serving.
Storing Suggestions
- Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. While reheating, add a little milk or cream to loosen up the pasta.
Notes
- Boiling The Pasta: Salt the pasta water generously, and do not rinse the pasta after draining.
- Reserving Pasta Water: Adding plain water to pasta dilutes the flavor of the dish. However, adding starchy cooking water enhances the flavors and helps the sauce and other ingredients stick to the pasta. So, remember to reserve the pasta water.
- Vegetables: If you add more vegetables, cook them with zucchini until soft. For green peas, boil them before adding to the pasta.
- Cream: For this recipe, you can use light cream, half-and-half, table cream, or heavy cream. You can also add more cream to make the pasta creamier.
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