Italian Summer Pasta with Zucchini

5 from 1 vote

A light summer pasta filled with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and capers with a lemon-garlic sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 291kcal

Cost: $8

Use a cheese grater to grate zucchini down. I try to use the smaller of the two holes offered.
Add olive oil to a pan and bring to medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Then add in the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and lemon juice. Season with salt. Stir occasionally until the cherry tomatoes break down and the zucchini softens. The zucchini will eventually begin to break down and become part of the sauce after 10 minutes of simmering.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to water for taste. Add bucatini and boil until al dente. Save 1 cup of pasta water.
Add ½ cup of pasta water to the sauce. Allow it to continue simmering for another 5 minutes. Add capers and basil and stir. Once the bucatini is al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce. Add another ½ cup of pasta water right before you add the pasta back to the sauce.
Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh pepper!

Save extra pasta water in case you cook the sauce too hot or fast; you can always add pasta water to help increase the volume of the sauce again.
Use fresh zucchini. The older the zucchini gets, the less water content. The sauce won't have as much liquid.
Do not squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini. The liquid is what makes this dish so naturally creamy.
Finish the pasta in the saucepan with the zucchini and tomatoes. Toss it vigorously to get that glossy texture.