Zucchini Recipe Pasta And Ricotta

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Sharing is caring!

Pasta and ricotta is a great combination, creamy and light at the same time. Add some zucchini and you have a complete meal on a pasta plate.

Jump to:

• Cooking with ricotta
• Ricotta and zucchini
• Other vegetables you can use with ricotta
• How to make the zucchini and ricotta sauce
• In the meantime make the pasta
• Tips for making the best pasta and ricotta
• 20 rules to properly cook pasta
• Recipes you might also like
• 📋Zucchini Recipe Pasta And Ricotta

Cooking with ricotta

Ricotta is a cheese made by re-cooking (ri-cotta in Italian) the serum, called whey, is leftover after the milk has been curdled to make cheese. Therefore it is a cheese with a low-fat content. Usually made from cows milk, it can also be made from sheep or goats milk. Cow milk ricotta is better for making desserts as it has a milder flavour. In Sicily and in the South of Italy, it is often used in cooking, in particular, to make desserts in substitution of butter or cream. Delicious ricotta deserts are Cannoli Siciliani, Sfogliatella Napoletana, and the traditional Easter Pie Pastiera Napoletana. In savoury dishes, ricotta is used in quiche, pizza and lasagna.

Ricotta and zucchini

For this pasta I combine the ricotta with zucchini, specifically zucchini Trombetta which I am growing in my garden. Zucchini Trombetta are long and curved zucchini shaped like a trumpet and they are typical of the Italian Ligurian region.

They are crunchy and have a distinctive flavour and if you want to know more about it you can read my article: The Amazing Zucchini Trombetta Albenga In the article, you will find additional zucchini recipes and you can make them with any regular zucchini.

If I cannot find zucchini Trombetta, I always buy small zucchini as they have fewer seeds and they are not too watery.

If you want to know more about unusual Italian vegetables, you can find the video of my morning trip to Ventimiglia market here.

Other vegetables you can use with ricotta

In this pasta and Ricotta recipe you can substitute zucchini with many other vegetables. Ricotta combines well with many: spinach, tomatoes, artichokes, onion…

What also works well is a Soffritto (Italian) or Mirepoix (French) with onion, celery and carrot made stir-fried in butter. Sofritto or Mirepoix is the base for many Italian and French recipes and since I use it very often I always keep a bag of chopped onion, carrot and celery in my freezer.

So if I don’t have any other vegetables at home I can always grab a bag of Sofritto add some ricotta, boil some pasta and a meal is ready in a flash. If I have some, I will also add bacon to complete. If you want to know more about what I keep in my freezer, you can read the article:  Once a Month Freezer Meal Prep

How to make the zucchini and ricotta sauce

The ingredients to make the ricotta sauce are the following:

• 4 zucchini
• 1 garlic clove
• 9 oz – 250 g of ricotta
• 2 tbsp butter (I usually use butter when I use ricotta but you can use olive oil instead)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

First I cook the zucchini:

1. Cut the zucchini into round slices
2. Slice the garlic and stir-fry with butter and olive oil
3. Add the zucchini
4. Stir-fry until golden

In the meantime make the pasta

1. Bring to boil a pot of water with a tbsp of salt
2. Once it is boiling put in the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than what is written in the package
3. Once it is done drain the pasta but remember to keep 2 tbsp of the cooking water

In this recipe, I used Rotelle pasta De Cecco as the shape is the same size as the trombette zucchini, but you can use any other type of pasta that will trap the ricotta within. For example Tortiglioni, Zita, Rigatoni, Paccheri, Gnocchi o Fusilli.

6. Mix the zucchini with the ricotta
7. Add 2 tbsp of water from the boiling pasta to soften the ricotta
8. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the zucchini
9. Season with some parmesan and pepper and serve immediately

Tips for making the best pasta and ricotta

• Buy good quality ricotta
• Use a pasta shape that will trap the ricotta in between
• Keep the pasta al dente
• Combine with some stir-fried vegetables
• Stir fry with butter as it combines better with the ricotta
• For added flavour stir fry some bacon with the vegetables
• Add 2 tbsp of pasta cooking water to make the ricotta creamier
• Add plenty of parmesan and black pepper
• Serve immediately

20 rules to properly cook pasta

If you are a novice cook, here are some important points you need to know to properly cook pasta:

1. Pasta should be boiled in salted water, adding salt after doesn’t work
2. Add the salt as soon as you put the pan with water on the heat, so you don’t forget
3. If you don’t remember if you added salt to the water, taste the water
4. Use 1 tbsp of salt per 4 quarts – 4 liters of water which should be enough for 1lb – 500 gr of pasta
5. Make sure the pot is large enough so the water doesn’t overflow once you put in the pasta
6. If you put the lid on the pan, the water will get to the boiling point faster
7. Do not add oil to the water
8. The water should be boiling hot before you put the pasta in
9. Use a good pasta brand. My favorites are (in this order): Rummo, Garofalo, De Cecco. Barilla is my least favorite one but better than any other unknown brands
10. When you add the pasta, the water may stop boiling as the pasta lowers the water temperature. Put the lid on the pan until the water starts boiling again
11. Once the water boils remove the lid otherwise the foam will overflow from the pan
12. Stir the pasta from time to time
13. Keep the heat high so the water boils all the time
14. Always cook the pasta 1 minute less than what is written on the pasta box
15. Taste the pasta and drain immediately when “Al Dente” meaning still firm and chunky
16. Never leave the pasta floating in the water once it is cooked!!!!!
17. As soon as the pasta is drained, season immediately and stir.
18. If for whatever reason the seasoning is not ready, season the pasta with some extra virgin olive oil and stir
19. Once the pasta is ready and seasoned, it has to be served and eaten immediately
20. No parmesan in pasta with seafood, you can sprinkle toasted grated breadcrumbs or almonds

Recipes you might also like

If you are looking for more pasta with vegetable recipes, you can check the category: Pasta

Also check the recipes below:

• Red Pesto Pasta Sauce
• The Classic Pesto Recipe Pasta Trofie
• Pasta Caprese Salad
• Black Truffle Recipe Pasta
• Pasta a Frittata: Italian Fried Pasta

If you are making this Pasta and Ricotta Zucchini Recipe, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.