This zucchini pasta is the weeknight dinner you've been looking for! Made with roasted garlic, fresh basil and a burst of lemon, it's both delicious and easy to make. It's vegan and optionally gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy it!
- 1 pound zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini), diced (½ inch)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium garlic bulb, peeled and broken into cloves
- 10 ounces dried orecchiette pasta (or dried pasta of choice)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, (optional) or to taste
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (about 1 medium bunch)
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Place the zucchini and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into an oven safe skillet or roasting pan. Toss to coat the zucchini with the oil and place the pan into the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
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While the zucchini roasts, place the garlic cloves and remaining olive oil into an oven safe baking dish. Toss to coat the garlic with the oil. Place the baking dish into the oven when the timer goes off (10 minutes after placing the zucchini in there).
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Roast the zucchini and garlic together for about 20 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and browned in spots, and the garlic is golden brown. (Note 1)
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While the garlic and zucchini roast, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta into a colander when done.
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Toss the cooked pasta with the roasted zucchini and garlic, making sure to include the oil that they cooked in (Note 2). Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and basil. Toss everything to combine.
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Taste-test the pasta and adjust any seasonings to suit your taste.
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Serve.
- The total roasting time will generally be about 20 minutes for the garlic and 30 minutes for the zucchini, but keep an eye on them, as this can vary. Small garlic cloves in particular might roast quicker. You can scoop individual cloves out of the dish if they're different sizes and the small ones start to burn.
- Usually the easiest way to do this is by transferring the pasta and garlic to the pan with the zucchini. Alternatively you can place everything in the pot that you cooked the pasta in.