Delicious pasta cooked in a tomato mushroom cream sauce with zucchinis and onions! This quick and easy creamy tomato zucchini penne is ready in 20 minutes with minimal ingredients! A great pasta dish for those busy weeknights.
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This creamy tomato zucchini pasta is made with penne pasta, marinara sauce, zucchini, mushroom cream soup, and onion with parsley. It's super delicious and made with simple ingredients!
If you love creamy tomato pasta dishes, you need to try this because it's so easy! Instead of using heavy cream, we're using canned cream of mushroom soup, which adds more depth of flavor to marinara sauce.
This Italian-inspired pasta recipe serves well as a vegetarian main or side dish. If you're not vegetarian, you can easily add cooked chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu to the pasta to make it a complete meal.
I love cooking this dish for my husband, who isn't keen on eating a lot of meat these days. It's so easy to whip up and a great way to add some vegetables to your diet.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Penne Pasta: or substitute with rotini or fusilli pasta and cook according to package directions. I recommend using shorter pasta, instead of the long noodle kind for best texture.
- Marinara Sauce: this is simply tomato basil sauce. Make sure to use a good quality one that you enjoy.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: these usually come in canned form. You want one that is thick and creamy to thicken the pasta sauce.
- Zucchini: feel free to use green or yellow squash. Or substitute with button mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, or boiled carrots.
- Onion
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: or substitute with a neutral tasting oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
- Italian Parsley: if you don't like parsley, feel free to omit.
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Expert Tips
- Use good quality marinara sauce! Since this is a key ingredient, you want to make sure it tastes delicious. I've found that you can taste a difference in cheap marinara sauce.
- Thinly slice the zucchini into ¼-inch thick pieces so they cook faster.
- Don't skip salting the pasta cooking water. This seasons the pasta.
- Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the instructed time, for that perfect al dente texture.
- Reserve the pasta water near the end of the pasta boiling process when it's the most starchiest. This starchy water thickens the pasta sauce.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make creamy tomato zucchini pasta:
- In a large pot filled with enough water, add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Strain pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Sauté onions until softened. Then add in sliced zucchinis and cook until tender and slightly browned on the edges.
- Add marinara sauce, mushroom soup and reserved pasta water to the pan and mix well. Bring sauce to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer on low heat.
- Toss in the chopped parsley.
- Shut off the heat. Toss in strained pasta with the sauce. Remove off heat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this creamy tomato zucchini pasta because the vegetables will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Creamy tomato zucchini penne pasta serves well with:
- Starters like fresh salad with Italian dressing, Caesar salad, or antipasto salad, calamari, garlic bread, bruschetta, or Italian wedding soup
- Pizza or risotto
- Pasta dishes like Chicken Tomato Zucchini Basil Pasta or Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Italian meatballs or chicken parmesan
- Grilled fish, steak, pork or chicken
- Seafood dishes like Lemon Garlic Scallops with Asparagus
- Sautéed or grilled vegetables
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Baked Italian eggplant
FAQ
Creamy tomato zucchini pasta can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot through out.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Creamy Tomato Zucchini Penne
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta penne, fusilli, or rotini
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1.5 cups cream of mushroom soup canned
- 2 small zucchinis thinly sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces
- 1 small onion diced
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt to season pasta water
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot filled with enough water, add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Strain pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Sauté onions until softened. Then add in sliced zucchinis and cook until tender and slightly browned on the edges.
- Add marinara sauce, mushroom soup and reserved pasta water to the pan and mix well. Bring sauce to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer on low heat.
- Toss in the chopped parsley.
- Shut off the heat. Toss in strained pasta with the sauce. Remove off heat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with more parsley and enjoy!
Mark
This was so good and easy to make. It has now become a staple in my household.