For those times when you crave a quick, creamy first course with a truly special flavor, I highly recommend this pasta with zucchini and pecorino cream! A seemingly simple, almost mundane recipe that will pleasantly surprise you with its unique flavor combination: the sweetness of the zucchini contrasted by the savory taste of pecorino cheese and enhanced by the freshness of mint leaves… amazing! Preparing pasta with zucchini and pecorino cream is quite easy, what requires a little more attention is making the pecorino cream: similar to the classic cacio e pepe, the pecorino cream is made with grated pecorino romano, a pinch of pepper, and some of the pasta’s cooking water, taken just before draining it to ensure it’s rich in starch. The cream should be added to the pasta with the heat off, otherwise, unpleasant lumps will form. Read the recipe and the tips I leave at the end carefully, to prepare perfect pasta with zucchini and pecorino cream!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Pasta with Zucchini and Pecorino
- 14 oz egg spaghetti alla chitarra (or 12.7 oz of dry spaghetti, for me gluten-free)
- 14 oz zucchini
- 2.8 oz pecorino romano (grated)
- 12 leaves mint
- to taste pepper
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Frying Pan non-stick pasta pan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Small Pot
How to Prepare Pasta with Zucchini and Pecorino Cream
To prepare pasta with zucchini and pecorino cream, start by trimming the zucchinis, washing them well, and cutting them into chunks (1). In a non-stick pan, heat the oil (2), and when it’s hot, add the zucchinis and lightly salt them (3). Don’t overdo it with the salt, remember that pecorino is already quite salty.
Sauté them for a couple of minutes on low heat, then add about 1/3 cup of hot water (4), and let them cook on low flame for 7-8 minutes, until they are soft (5). Turn off the heat. Wash the mint leaves and chop them with a knife, then add half of them to the zucchinis (6).
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water and, a minute before draining it, remove a small pot of its cooking water and use it to make the pecorino cream: put the grated pecorino and a pinch of pepper in a bowl. Add some of the cooking water (7) and stir well with a fork to avoid clumps.
In the end, you should have a smooth and fairly soft mixture (8). If you accidentally add too much water, you can adjust the sauce by adding more pecorino. Drain the pasta very al dente and transfer it to the pan. Sauté it for about a minute, also adding a little cooking water, so that it finishes cooking and a light sauce forms at the bottom (9).
Turn off the heat and let it rest for 15-20 seconds, then, when the pasta is no longer piping hot, add the pecorino cream (10) and mix immediately, to blend the sauce with the pasta without melting the cheese (11).
Serve the pasta with zucchini and pecorino cream immediately, garnished with more fresh mint chopped.
Tips and Variations
For the perfect outcome of the recipe, choose a pecorino that is not too aged: the more aged it is, the more likely it is to clump when in contact with heat. If you choose fresh pasta (egg tonnarelli, spaghetti alla chitarra, scialatielli…), the result will be better because compared to dry pasta, it contains more starch, which will make the pasta creamier.
