Zucchini Orecchiette

I think orecchiette might be the perfect pasta shape to serve with a cream or cheese-based sauce. Hear me out! The little hat-shaped noodles hold onto the sauce in a way that I love, where some of the sauce gets trapped on the inside of the noddle. This Zucchini Orecchiette pasta is basically an adult take on buttered noodles with cheese. A simple pan sauce is made using butter, pasta water, and parmesan cheese, which coats the noodles with a gorgeous gloss. Fried zucchini slices and fresh arugula are then folded in to elevate the dish to adult meal territory.

Table of Contents

• Zucchini Orecchiette Ingredients
• Equipment
• Step One—Fry the Zucchini
• Step Two—Prepare the Orecchiette
• Step Three—Make the Parmesan Pan Sauce
• Step Four—Fold in the Zucchini & Arugula
• Step Five—Garnish & Serve
• More Pasta Dishes
• Zucchini Orecchiette Recipe

Zucchini Orecchiette Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 300 grams (3½ cups) orecchiette pasta
• 57 grams (1/4 cup) salted butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup pasta water
• 60 grams finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2 large handfuls of arugula
• 20 grams (2 tablespoons) toasted pine nuts
• Sea salt & fresh black pepper

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Large skillet with high sides

Step One—Fry the Zucchini

Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of sliced zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Fry for about 3 minutes, then flip, season, and fry for a further 3 minutes. Transfer the fried zucchini to a plate. Repeat with another batch until all the zucchini has been cooked.

Step Two—Prepare the Orecchiette

While the zucchini is cooking, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest.

Step Three—Make the Parmesan Pan Sauce

Add the butter to the pan the zucchini was cooked in. There’s no need to rinse out the pan first. Once the butter is melted and starting to sizzle, add 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. Stir and bring to a simmer.

Transfer the cooked orecchiette to the butter and pasta water, stirring well to coat. Add 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese, stirring to incorporate. Alternate between additions of pasta water and Parmesan until all the cheese has been added and you’ve used 3/4 cup pasta water. The goal is to create a glossy, creamy sauce that coats the noodles. If you want to thin out the sauce, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water.

Step Four—Fold in the Zucchini & Arugula

Transfer the zucchini back to the pot and stir it into the pasta. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Add two large handfuls of arugula to the pasta and fold it in to wilt.

Step Five—Garnish & Serve

Serve the pasta immediately, topped with the toasted pine nuts.

More Pasta Dishes

If you loved this Zucchini Orecchiette recipe, be sure to check out these other delicious pasta dishes:

Spring Lasagna

Kale & Sausage Orecchiette

Honeynut Squash Rigatoni

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram so I can see! I love to see what you all are making.

Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews below. I love to hear from you!

Zucchini Orecchiette

I like to think of this pasta like the adult version of buttered noddles with cheese. The base of the pan sauce is, you guessed it, butter and cheese, but the inclusion of zucchini, arugula, and pine nuts makes this dish into more of a meal and more socially acceptable to eat for dinner, while still being as comforting as buttered noodles.

Author: Ashley

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

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Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Large skillet with high sides

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 300 grams orecchiette pasta (3½ cups)
• 57 grams salted butter (1/4 cup)
• 3/4 - 1 cup pasta cooking water
• 60 grams finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2 large handfuls arugula
• 20 grams toasted pine nuts (2 tablespoons)
• Sea salt
• Fresh black pepper

Instructions

• Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of sliced zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Fry for about 3 minutes, then flip, season, and fry for a further 3 minutes. Transfer the fried zucchini to a plate. Repeat with another batch until all the zucchini has been cooked.
• While the zucchini is cooking, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest.
• Add the butter to the pan the zucchini was cooked in. There's no need to rinse out the pan first. Once the butter is melted and starting to sizzle, add 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. Stir and bring to a simmer.
• Transfer the cooked orecchiette to the butter and pasta water, stirring well to coat. Add 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese, stirring to incorporate. Now, alternate between additions of pasta water and Parmesan until all the cheese has been added and you’ve used 3/4 cup pasta water. The goal is to create a glossy, creamy sauce that coats the noodles. If you want to thin out the sauce, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water.
• Transfer the zucchini back to the pot and stir it into the pasta. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Add two large handfuls of arugula to the pasta and fold it in to wilt.
• Serve the pasta immediately, topped with the toasted pine nuts.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: Alfredo, Easy Recipe, Summer, Summer Pasta, Summer Recipe