An easy, lemony, vegetable-packed pasta recipe, perfect for warm-weather nights. Made with gluten-free pasta, zucchini, leeks, garlic, and red pepper flakes for spice. Garnish with optional feta or Parmesan cheese. Gluten-free and vegetarian.
Pasta for dinner is always a good idea in my opinion. Especially one that checks all the summer dinner boxes; easy, flavorful, and packed with fiber, this lemony zucchini pasta comes together in 20-ish minutes. This recipe is super adaptable too – you can replace the zucchini with another summer vegetable (summer squash works really well) or simply add more vegetables of your choosing in addition to the zucchini and leeks.
I like to cut the zucchini into sticks, but you can totally experiment with cubing the zucchini or even spiralizing it before sautéing in the olive oil.
For added plant-based protein, I usually opt for chickpea or lentil pasta, but any pasta works well in this dish. If you go the spiralizing route for the zucchini, try using spaghetti so that the vegetables blend in seamlessly with the pasta. Otherwise, I like fusilli or rotini (the spiral shape) so that you get all the spicy, lemony, and garlicky flavor in each bite.
The cheese is optional, but always recommended! For this recipe, I love grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese. My all-time favorite feta cheese is Mt. Vikos, which is grass-fed, organic, and traditionally made so that it’s not overly salty. If you’re dairy-free, the Esti dairy-free feta is SO good. The Violife dairy-free feta and dairy-free Parmesan are two of my other favorites.
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This recipe is from the 3-Day Summer Reset! A simple 3-day meal plan designed to be your reset button whenever you need one this summer. The plan includes three days of easy recipes, a coordinated grocery list, step-by-step prep instructions, real food “rules,” and simple lifestyle recommendations. Download the 3-Day Summer Reset.
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Lemony Zucchini Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy, lemony, vegetable-packed pasta recipe, perfect for warm-weather nights. Made with gluten-free pasta, zucchini, leeks, garlic, and red pepper flakes for spice. Garnish with optional feta or Parmesan cheese. Gluten-free and vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten-free fusilli or rotini pasta (I like chickpea or lentil for plant-based protein)
- 2 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch sticks (see notes)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- 2 small leeks, washed and white and pale-green parts thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- juice of 1 lemon
- grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese, for serving (dairy-free if desired and optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the zucchini. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the zucchini and season with salt. Give a quick stir and then cook undisturbed for a few minutes. Stir again and cook until the zucchini is browned and just tender on all sides. Remove the zucchini from the skillet. Lower the heat to medium.
- To the same skillet, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add the leeks, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft about 5 minutes. Add in the cooked zucchini and give everything a good stir.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the leeks. Stir to combine. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the mixture, stir again, and add more salt to taste.
- Save half of the pasta mixture for lunch tomorrow. Divide the remaining half between two bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta, if using.
Notes
Zucchini. Feel free to use summer squash instead of zucchini in this recipe. You can also experiment with cutting the zucchini in cubes (or even spiralizing it) instead of cutting it into sticks!
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
Keywords: lemon zucchini pasta, easy zucchini pasta, lemony zucchini pasta, zucchini leek pasta
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