Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta
Published on July 29, 2024
Quick Summary
Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta- this summery pasta dish takes less than 30 minutes to make! The pasta is made with zucchini, sweet corn, shallot, garlic, and a creamy Parmesan sauce. Top with fresh basil and you have the perfect summer meal.
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Pin ItDuring the summer, whenever I have a lot of zucchini to use up, I love making zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini brownies, and even zucchini cookies.
I also love making savory zucchini recipes and this Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta is one of my favorites. This pasta dish is super simple to make and is a great recipe for using up the garden zucchini.
The pasta is made with butter, garlic, shallot, tender zucchini, and sweet corn. It also has a rich cream sauce and plenty of Parmesan cheese. Finish with fresh basil and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes and you have the ULTIMATE summer pasta! The flavors are simple, but SO good!
Serve with garlic bread or a simple salad and dinner is done. You can also serve this pasta as a side dish to chicken, fish, pork, or steak!
Table of Contents
Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta– I like to use orecchiette pasta, but fusilli, penne, farfalle, or any pasta will work.
- Butter– you can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Shallot– look for shallot by the garlic in the produce section.
- Zucchini– you don’t need to peel the zucchini, just chop it up.
- Sweet corn– use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cobs.
- Garlic– minced.
- Heavy cream– to create a creamy sauce!
- Parmesan cheese– use a microplane to freshly grate a wedge of Parmesan cheese.
- Basil– chopped.
- Crushed red pepper flakes– for a little heat.
How to Make Zucchini Corn Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the pot.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the zucchini and corn mixture to the pasta in the pot. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the heavy cream and the reserved pasta water.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Variations
- Add in extra veggies like yellow squash, peppers, or mushrooms.
- Stir in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes.
- Add extra herbs. Parsley, chives, thyme, and dill are all good options.
- For a protein boost, stir in cooked chopped chicken.
- Top with garlic breadcrumbs.
Serving Suggestions
- Bruschetta
- Garlic Bread or Caprese Garlic Bread
- Caprese Salad
- Simple Arugula Salad
- Easy Skillet Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Milanese
- Lemon Butter Chicken
- Steak Kabobs
How to Store
- Let the pasta cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave. If the pasta dries out a little, add a splash of heavy cream and stir.
More Pasta Recipes
Check out MORE PASTA RECIPES!
Creamy Zucchini Corn Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz orecchiette pasta, or pasta of your choice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cups chopped zucchini
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped basil
- Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
- Extra parmesan cheese and basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the pot.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the zucchini and corn mixture to the pasta in the pot. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the heavy cream and the reserved pasta water. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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This was amazing!! I was a little more liberal with the garlic and cream. I also added rotisserie chicken and it slapped!!! The one thing I used that may have changed the composition of this was adding Trader Joe’s Lemon torchietti pasta. It gave it a lovely lemony brightness. I’ll make this again for sure!
The sauce is rich and smooth, perfectly complementing the fresh zucchini and sweet corn. The combination of flavors is both comforting and vibrant, making it a standout dish. I loved how easy it was to prepare, and the result was a creamy, satisfying pasta that didn’t feel heavy. It’s a fantastic way to incorporate veggies into a meal without sacrificing taste.
This was delicious! So yummy!! Can’t say enough. I’m gluten free so I used a chickpea pasta but otherwise followed it to a tee and it was so good. Make it now while while corn and zucchini are still in season, you won’t be dissappointed.
Oh good! I am glad you loved it!
This was INSANELY good!
I am so glad you loved it!