Zucchini Flower Pasta Recipe

Zucchini flowers are only fresh for about a day after being picked, so it's always a special treat for us when we can pick some up at the Farmer's market. The little old woman who sold me them taught me this insanely delicious Zucchini Flower Pasta that we make every year now!

Looking for more zucchini recipes? Try Zucchini Risotto or Zucchini alla Scapece!

What Are Zucchini Flowers

For our family, it's about the chase of finding zucchini flowers. You hear someone has zucchini in their garden and start asking if they can harvest some flowers for you. We're always searching farmer's markets and specialty grocery stores for this delicacy in the summer.

Zucchini flowers or blossoms are the edible flowers that grow on zucchini plants. If you're eating them, they're usually male flowers because male flowers don't produce zucchini. While only providing a subtle sweet nutty flavor, zucchini flowers are highly sought after by Italian home-chefs because of their unusually short shelf life and unique flavor.

Zucchini flowers only last about 1 day after being picked so they're rarely found in supermarkets. I have the best luck going to farmer's markets and asking around. While stuffing zucchini flowers and frying them is the most common way to cook them, I find this simple pasta really puts their flavor front and center. Stuffing them can overpower the delicate flavors.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Zucchini Blossoms (Flowers): Zucchini flowers add a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to the pasta making it a really unique pasta you can make if you find some zucchini flowers. While they're often stuffed with Ricotta Filling and fried, blending them into a sauce allows their unique flavor to become the star of the dish.
• Cashews: Cashews add a subtle sweet and buttery flavor and give the sauce its body. When ground with the olive oil, they create a similar texture to a pesto like Busiate with Pesto Trapanese. Be sure to use raw cashews.
• Parmigiano: The Parmigiano Reggiano adds to the nutty flavor and creamy texture. It helps create a similar consistency to Spaghetti Carbonara.
• Olive Oil: Choosing a high quality olive oil is important but it matters even more when you're not cooking the sauce. The olive oil is front and center in the sauce so choose a smooth flavored olive oil.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.

How to Make Pasta with Zucchini Flowers

Before you follow the steps below to make the sauce, start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente. Before draining, save 1 cup of pasta water. Make the sauce while the pasta is boiling.

Step 1: Prepare the zucchini flowers by removing the stems and the yellow stamens from inside each flower.

Don't have a mortar and pestle: If using a food processor, add garlic, cashews, and salt to the processor. Add the zucchini flowers and lemon juice and process until broken down into a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil while processing until completely combined. Stop once combined. Overmixing can make the sauce too thick. The mixture should look like a thick pesto.

Step 2: Grind the garlic and salt into a paste. Then add the cashews and grind until finely crushed.

Step 5: Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano. Add ½ cup of pasta water to the sauce. Add the drained pasta and toss until evenly coated. Add more pasta water as needed to reach a creamy texture that coats the pasta, similar to an Alfredo or Carbonara sauce.

Serve immediately with extra Parmigiano Reggiano. This dish is great to serve as pasta dish before main Summer dishes like Grilled Beef Spiedini or Garlic Parm Chicken Skewers.

More Seasonal Pasta Recipes

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