From the roundup: 20 Zucchini Pasta Dinner Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes
By 5:30, the pasta water is already boiling and the zucchini and sweet corn pasta with smoked paprika cream is about 10 minutes from being on the table. The smoked paprika cream builds in the same skillet you use for the vegetables, so the whole thing comes together without a pile of extra pots. I learned the hard way to keep the heat at medium when the cream goes in because high heat will break the sauce before the pasta even has a chance to drain. Nobody at my table has noticed it is meatless, and the parmesan stirred in at the end is the reason why.
Why you will love this
- One skillet for the sauce and vegetables means cleanup is fast on a weeknight when nobody wants to scrub three pans.
- The smoked paprika does a lot of flavor work with very little effort, no long simmer required.
- Fresh or frozen corn both work, so this is not locked to peak summer.
- The pasta water trick in step five actually makes a difference: the sauce clings to every piece of rigatoni instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
- Leftovers reheat well in a skillet with a splash of broth, which means lunch the next day is already handled.
Tips for success
- Do not crowd the zucchini in step two. If your skillet is on the smaller side, cook the zucchini in two batches so it gets color instead of steaming into mush.
- Pull the pasta out of the water when it is just barely al dente. It will finish cooking when you toss it in the warm cream sauce, and overcooked rigatoni turns slippery in a cream sauce.
- Keep the garlic moving for the full 30 seconds and have the cream ready to pour in immediately after. Garlic goes from fragrant to bitter fast, and there is no fixing it once it browns.
- Save more pasta water than you think you need. I always scoop out a full cup but usually only use about a third of it. Having extra on hand means you can loosen the sauce at the end without watering it down too much at once.
If the sauce turns out too thin or thick
- Too thin: let the sauce simmer an extra minute or two before adding the pasta. It thickens quickly once the parmesan goes in.
- Too thick: add reserved pasta water a small splash at a time and toss over medium-low heat until the sauce moves loosely around the pasta.
- Watery from the zucchini: make sure you let the zucchini cook undisturbed long enough to get color before stirring. Stirring too early traps steam and releases more liquid.
Substitutions
Frozen corn works fine here. Thaw it and pat it dry before it goes into the skillet so it does not steam instead of color. For a lighter sauce, half-and-half can replace the heavy cream, but expect it to be noticeably thinner. Penne or rotini both hold the sauce well if rigatoni is not in the pantry. Yellow squash can stand in for some or all of the zucchini if that is what you have.
For a dairy-free version, full-fat coconut cream works in place of the heavy cream and the sauce still comes together. Skip the parmesan or use a dairy-free alternative, and add a small squeeze of lemon at the end to replace some of the sharpness the cheese usually brings. For kids who object to visible green, you can dice the zucchini very small so it blends into the sauce more easily.
Make-ahead and storage
The zucchini can be sliced and the corn cut from the cob up to a day ahead. Store them separately in covered containers in the refrigerator. The cream sauce is best made fresh, but the whole dish comes together fast enough that this is not a hardship. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, put the pasta in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or vegetable broth and stir gently until warmed through. The microwave works in a pinch but the sauce can separate a little. This dish does not freeze well: the cream sauce breaks and the zucchini turns soft after thawing.
Zucchini and Sweet Corn Pasta with Smoked Paprika Cream
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until just al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes for rigatoni. Before you drain it, scoop out about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside in a liquid measuring cup. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the zucchini in a single layer. Let it cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes so it picks up a little color on the bottom, then stir and cook another 2 minutes. The zucchini should be tender with some golden edges, not mushy. Transfer it to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the corn kernels to the same skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the corn is heated through and just starting to get a bit of color. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper. Stir constantly for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown or it will taste bitter.
- Pour in the heavy cream and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Add the drained pasta and the reserved zucchini back into the skillet. Toss everything together over medium low heat. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss again. The starchy water helps the cream sauce coat every piece of pasta evenly. If the sauce looks too thick, add another splash of pasta water and toss once more.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan. The cheese will melt right into the sauce and add a little salty depth. Taste one more time and adjust seasoning as you like. Divide into bowls, scatter fresh basil or parsley on top, and add extra parmesan at the table.
Notes
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