My recipe for this Zucchini Pasta (you may call them courgettes or baby marrows depending where you live) is a liberal interpretation of Stanley Tucci’s recipe for Spaghetti Alle Zucchine that became such a hit after the broadcast of his series Searching for Italy. I shot the images quite a while back and having just returned from a lovely trip to Milan Design Week with some added adventures in Bergamo and Genoa, seeing and eating loads of zucchini flowers on the way it’s definitely time to post this recipe.
Each time I make the Zucchini Pasta I am amazed at how much flavour there can be in such a humble vegetable. In Stanley’s version the courgettes (baby marrows) are sliced then fried and left to sit overnight but I skip that part as I find it all too fussy. I chop the zucchini quite fine – you could coarsely grate them – then cook slowly in olive oil and garlic. Keep cooking, gently mashing and stirring along the way until meltingly soft with a few chunks of courgette still visible. Season very well with sea salt flakes and crushed black pepper and add a pinch or two of dried chili flakes if you like some heat. Get the pasta – I use spaghetti – on the boil, drain once al dente and stir it all together with loads of parmesan cheese.
This Zucchini Pasta is a bowl of simple yet downright delicious comfort food no matter what the season.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Zucchini Pasta. Remember to share your photos with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.

Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 800 g zucchini/courgette/baby marrow
- 3 cloves of garlic mashed
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt flakes
- crushed black pepper
- 250 g spaghetti uncooked
- grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Coarsely slice and chop the zucchini
- Over a medium heat, fry the garlic until soft in some olive oil
- Add a generous glug of olive oil and add the zucchini
- Cook the zucchini, stirring and gently mashing it while cooking until meltingly tender with just a few chunks of zucchini still visible
- Get the water on the boil for the pasta and cook the spaghetti until al dente
- Drain the pasta and add about 50ml of the starchy pasta water to the zucchini
- Cook the zucchini for a few minutes more to let the water evaporate and the sauce to thicken
- Season very well with sea salt flakes and crushed black pepper
- Add some dried chili flakes if preferred and add the pasta
- Give it all a gentle mix until the pasta is coated with the zucchini sauce
- Serve with loads of grated parmesan
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