Looking for a hearty pasta dish and easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love? You’ve gotta try this creamy Zucchini Mushroom Pasta recipe! With fresh zucchini, hearty mushrooms, and a white wine cream sauce, you can make this flavorful vegetarian recipe in 30 minutes.
Do you grow zucchini in your garden? We started growing our own zucchini this year, and I’ve been having so much fun creating new recipes like these vegan zucchini muffins.
And this pasta recipe might just be my new fave zucchini recipe!
This easy mushroom zucchini pasta recipe is a truly satisfying family dinner that you can have on the table in 30 minutes or less. The veggies and pasta are tossed with a light wine wine cream sauce that’s rich and velvety.
I hope you and your family love this pasta as much as I do!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
If you’re looking for a winning zucchini recipe to use up summer’s prolific garden star, this is it!
- The brightness of the fresh zucchini balances the rich umami flavors of the earthy mushrooms.
- The recipe is easy to make even for beginning cooks. I’ve even got a visual step-by-step guide below with photos to help you successfully make this recipe.
- You only need a few simple ingredients that are easy to find in any grocery store.
- It’s a truly satisfying dinner perfect for busy weeknights, but also special enough to serve when you have friends over.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Zucchini – Slice the ends off one fresh zucchini, then chop into small equal pieces. I don’t peel the zucchini
- Mushrooms – Cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms work well in this recipe.
- Pasta – Corkscrew-shaped pasta such as cellantani, rotini, and fusilli work well with this recipe. You can also use short pasta such as penne pasta or farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta).
- Olive oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Onions and garlic – Minced garlic and finely diced onion are the flavor base of the creamy sauce.
- Wine – Use any dry white wine, such as a Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Cream – Use heavy cream or half and half for a silky, luxurious cream sauce.
- Parmesan – Finely grated parmesan cheese bulks up the sauce and adds a subtle nutty flavor. Be sure to save some parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.
- Basil – Chiffonade (thinly slice) fresh basil leaves to garnish the pasta with.
- Salt and pepper – season with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Optional: sprinkle some dried or fresh thyme leaves and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
A full list of ingredients and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a photo step-by-step guide to help you make this dreamy creamy vegetarian pasta!
- Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot according to package instructions.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onions and sauté.
4. Add the garlic and sauté one more minute.
5. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and stir.
6. Pour in the white wine.
7. Pour in the cream.
8. Add a ladle full of hot starchy pasta water to the sauce and stir.
9. Drain the pasta and add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat the pasta.
10. Add the parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Garnish with sliced basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Make it vegan:
- Substitute coconut cream, coconut milk, or a dairy-free heavy cream for the heavy cream.
- Substitute your favorite dairy-free grated parmesan alternative for the parmesan cheese.
Other substitutions:
- Substitute dry sherry, chicken broth, or chicken stock for the dry white wine.
Allow the food to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes! Allow the pasta to cool completely, then store in an airtight freezer-safe safe container for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Place pasta in a microwave safe bowl along with a tablespoon of water. Reheat in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until heated through.
🍽 Serving ideas
This pasta is a satisfying dinner dish that goes with so many different side dishes. Try one of these side dish recipes:
- Homemade French Bread
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Filipino Pandesal Bread
- Instant Pot Broccoli
- Broccoli Crunch Salad
- Instant Pot Green Beans
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
The zucchini mushroom pasta sauce can pair with either a crisp white wine or a light-bodied red wine.
If you’re in the mood for white wine, enjoy it with a glass of Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.
The mushrooms in the pasta help it pair well with an earthy light-bodied red wine like an Oregon Pinot Noir.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Large pot to boil water and cook the pasta.
- Large saucepan to make the sauce.
- Wooden spoon to stir and sauté the sauce ingredients.
- Ladle to transfer the hot starchy pasta water to the saucepan.
- Kitchen tongs to transfer the cooked pasta to the saucepan. Or a strainer to strain the water out.
More vegetarian pasta recipes
We have loads of other pasta recipes to try! Here are a few vegetarian pasta recipes you might like:
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 Tablespoon thinly sliced basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the onions become soft and fragrant.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté with the onions for 1 minute, just softening the garlic.
- Lower the heat to medium heat, then add the zucchini and mushrooms to the pan. Sauté the vegetables until they are slightly softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Lower the heat to low-medium, then slowly pour in the white wine and cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and stir. Then add a ladle full of hot starchy pasta water from the pasta pot and stir together, cooking for about 3 more minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken up a bit.
- Drain the pasta and add the pasta to the pan, stirring to coat the pasta.
- Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and continue stirring until the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle sliced basil leaves, salt and pepper, and additional grated parmesan to serve.
Notes
- Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half in half again, then slice each quarter into small diced cubes (triangles).
- Use cremini (baby bella) mushrooms and quarter each mushroom. Feel free to further chop the mushrooms if they are large, so that the mushroom pieces are mostly the same size.
- Chiffonade the basil leaves, which just means to roll up the leaves into a cigar-like shape, then using a sharp knife, make very thin slices so that the basil leaves are in thin ribbons. You can also just do a rough chop of the leaves too.
- Substitute coconut cream, coconut milk, or a dairy-free heavy cream for the heavy cream.
- Substitute your favorite dairy-free grated parmesan alternative for the parmesan cheese.
- Substitute dry sherry or chicken stock for the dry white wine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
