Chewy spaghetti noodles tossed in a light tomato basil sauce with zucchini and cherry tomatoes. This quick and easy tomato basil zucchini pasta is ready in 30 minutes with minimal ingredients! This recipe is vegan.
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This easy tomato basil zucchini pasta features spaghettini tossed in a light tomato sauce and packed with cherry tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil! It's very simple to make in little time.
Making it a great main dish or meal for busy weeknights when time is of the essence! This dish is meatless but you could also add some protein of your choice to it to make it complete.
I've always been a big fan of Italian pasta dishes that are simple and not too heavy in sauce. In fact, I learned in Italian cuisine, many pasta dishes from Italy aren't too heavy in sauce and are quite light.
I love this one because it's packed with vegetables and works well as a side dish. It's a recipe I often make for my husband when we have fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Spaghettini: or substitute with Spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine. I recommend spaghettini because the thin noodles pair best with that light sauce making the dish taste less heavy.
- Cherry tomatoes: it's recommended to use cherry tomatoes as they're sweeter. Or substitute with grape tomatoes or diced sweet Roma tomatoes.
- Zucchini: the green or yellow varieties both work. Or substitute with thinly sliced carrots.
- Fresh basil leaves: avoid using dried basil leaves here.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Hot pasta water: this is the reserved noodle water to help create our sauce
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil: or substitute with a neutral tasting oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil.
Expert Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta and follow the package directions for the best texture. I always like to perform a taste test 1 minute before the instructed cooking time.
- Make sure to salt the pasta water for extra flavor! This is very important in most Italian pasta cooking as the salt seasons the pasta and the seasoned noodle water is used to create a light sauce.
- Don't skimp on the olive oil! This helps creates that light sauce so you need enough in combination with the tomato juices and noodle water to cover the noodles.
- Allow the vegetables to sauté so the juices from the tomatoes can release. Be patient here especially with the zucchinis.
- Be sure to reserve some of the hot noodle water as this is a key ingredient for the sauce!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Tomato Basil Zucchini Pasta:
- In a large pot filled with enough water, bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of hot pasta water and set aside. Strain pasta.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan on medium heat, sauté sliced zucchini on both sides until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, cherry tomatoes and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté tomatoes until they release their juices creating a sauce, about 3-5 minutes.
- Mix in hot pasta water and add fresh basil.
- Toss in pasta to coat the noodles in the pasta sauce. Serve immediately 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 tomato basil zucchini pasta as the vegetables will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
This tomato basil zucchini 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
- Risotto
- Italian meatballs
- Chicken parmesan
- Cooked protein like sautéed buttered shrimp, chicken, or beef or grilled steak
- Sautéed or grilled vegetables like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, squash, Brussels sprouts, corn on the cob, and mushrooms.
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Baked Italian eggplant
FAQ
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat and add a splash of water to help loosen the noodles.
For this recipe, I don't recommend that because the juices from the tomatoes helps to create the base of the sauce for the pasta.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Tomato Basil Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
- 22 oz cherry tomato sliced in half
- 16 oz spaghettini or spaghetti
- 1 zucchini sliced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tablespoon salt to season pasta water
- 1 tsp salt to season vegetables
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a large pot filled with enough water, bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of hot pasta water and set aside. Strain pasta.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan on medium heat, sauté sliced zucchini on both sides until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, cherry tomatoes and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté tomatoes until they release their juices creating a sauce, about 3-5 minutes.
- Mix in hot pasta water and add fresh basil.
- Toss in pasta to coat the noodles in the pasta sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Michelle
I sauted my zucchini, with other ingredients per your recipe and added banana pepper, red bell, red onion... All from my garden. Topped with crushed red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. It's now a family favorite, thank you!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Michelle! Really happy that you liked it 🙂 Those additions from your garden sound awesome!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
A dinner that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and helps me use fresh zucchini in season right now... I think I am in love!
Jason
Light, refreshing and so good. This has become a staple in my home.