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A nest of spaghetti tossed in a lemon cream sauce with thinly sliced zucchini rounds throughout. Served with homemade habanero breadcrumbs and lemon wedges.
Sacha Hirschfeld

Zucchini Pasta Al Limone

A deliciously indulgent and silky sauce, with just the right amount of acidity from the lemon to balance it all out. This satisfying lemony-cream sauce clings and hugs every single al dente noodle.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Pastas
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 722
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz bucatini or spaghetti
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • 225 g zucchini thinly sliced into rounds
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter divided into 1 tbsp cubes
  • 3 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano finely grated; about ¾ cup
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Equipment

  • 1 large pot
  • 1 Dutch-oven
  • 1 medium non-stick skillet
  • 1 strainer
  • 1 grater
  • 1 zester
  • 1 vegetable peeler
  • 1 pair of tongs

Method
 

  1. Using a veggie peeler, remove two 2" long strips (top to bottom) of lemon zest. Slice zest lengthwise into very thin strips; set aside for serving. Finely grate the remaining zest directly into a large pot or Dutch oven. Cut lemon in half and set aside for later.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water reaches a rolling boil, add 2 rounded tablespoons of salt, and stir; return to a roaring boil before adding pasta. Cook pasta as per package instructions until 1 minute shy of al dente; the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, being careful not to brown the garlic, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini rounds and cook for 2 minutes total, flipping once halfway through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Add cream to the Dutch oven with lemon zest and cook on med-heat, whisking steadily, until liquid is just beginning to simmer, about 2 min. Reduce heat to med-low, then whisk in butter 1 tbsp at a time, until sauce is emulsified. Remove from heat.
  5. Just before the pasta is done, reserve 1 1/4 cups pasta water. Add 3/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce and return to med-heat. Transfer pasta and zucchini to sauce, and toss (using tongs) until noodles are coated. Add parmigiano reggiano a bit at a time while tossing, until cheese melts into the sauce. Cream sauces are NOTORIOUS for getting tight, so don't be shy on adding pasta water 2 tbsp at a time to thin it out. Err on the saucier side of things with this one. TRUST.
  6. Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a ripe lemon; season with more salt, if needed.
  7. Serve with Freshly-ground black pepper and lemon zest strips. Add spicy homemade breadcrumbs to take it up a few notches!