This simple and silky braised zucchini pasta relies on braising in your steam oven to transform humble vegetables into a velvety, garlic-infused sauce. It’s a brilliant way to use up an abundance of zucchini and turns just a few pantry ingredients into something truly special.
Why you’ll love braised zucchini pasta
Braised zucchini pasta is the kind of meal that sneaks up on you with how good it is. There’s no cream, no meat, no long list of ingredients. Just soft, sweet zucchini, olive oil, garlic and parmesan, slowly cooked down to a sauce that perfectly coats every bit of pasta in your bowl. A generous handful of fresh basil at the end makes it feel fresh and summery.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make zucchini pasta that doesn’t end up watery or bland, this is it. It’s based on the Italian method of pan frying and then braising zucchini for pasta sauce, but I use my steam oven to cut the prep effort and time down significantly.
‘Quick-braising’ the zucchini in your steam oven gives it time to soften and brown, while holding onto enough moisture to become luscious and silky. And yes, I know quick braising isn’t really a thing, but it’s the best way I can describe this technique. The resulting dish is savoury and comforting, but not heavy.
It’s a dinner you can make on autopilot, and if you have leftovers they’ll reheat well the next day.
Ingredients and substitutions
You only need a few ingredients to make this dish, and most of them are pantry staples:
- Zucchini: About 1.5 pounds/700g or 3 medium zucchini. I use green, but yellow works just as well. The recipe is forgiving—if you’re a little under or over, it’ll still turn out fine.
- Garlic: Use 3 cloves, smashed and peeled. If you love garlic, feel free to add more. If you’re sensitive to it, you can roast it whole and mash it in more gently after cooking.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil gives great depth here. Don’t skimp—you want a good ½ cup to help emulsify the sauce.
- Salt and pepper: I use flaky salt and freshly ground pepper, but adjust to taste. This dish is all about seasoning!
- Pasta: Any larger short shape like rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette works really well, as do long noodles like spaghetti or fettuccine. I don’t recommend very small shapes or thin ones like angel hair—they can disappear under the weight of the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Adds salt and richness. You’ll need about ¾ cup finely grated, plus more for serving.
- Fresh basil: Optional, but highly recommended for finishing. You can also use flat-leaf parsley if basil isn’t available.
Variations
This is a flexible recipe, perfect for adapting to what’s in your fridge:
- Add extra herbs like chopped parsley or even a little mint for a different note.
- For a bit of heat, throw crushed red pepper flakes in with the zucchini before cooking.
- Stir in some lemon zest or juice at the end to lift the flavours. I love it with lemon, though no one else in my family agrees with how great it is!
Step-by-step: how to make braised zucchini pasta
- Prep your vegetables
Quarter the zucchini lengthwise, then slice into chunky ¾-inch (2cm) pieces. Smash and peel the garlic cloves. - Braise the zucchini
Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 350°F/180°C, 70% humidity. Put the zucchini and garlic into a large oven-safe skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle over salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and pour in ½ cup of water. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the zucchini is browned on top and soft enough to squash with a fork. - Cook the pasta
While the zucchini cooks, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it generously, then cook your pasta according to package directions. Reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain and cover the pasta to keep warm. - Mash the zucchini
When the zucchini is done, use the back of a fork or a potato masher to break it all down into a chunky, pulpy sauce. Mash the garlic well so you don’t end up with large pieces. - Combine pasta and sauce
Add the zucchini mixture to your hot pasta along with most of the parmesan and about half the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together to coat the pasta. If it seems too thick or sticky, add more pasta water until you get a loose, silky texture. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, and stir in more cheese if you like. - Serve
Serve the braised zucchini pasta immediately, topped with extra parmesan and torn fresh basil.
Tips for success
- Don’t rush the braising step. The zucchini should be fully soft and starting to caramelize—that’s where the deep flavour comes from. If you think the zucchini is soft but it hasn’t browned much, you can do a quick broil for a few minutes at the end of cooking to boost the browning.
- Reserve your pasta water! The starchy liquid helps loosen the sauce and makes it cling to the pasta beautifully.
- Mash thoroughly. A potato masher is quicker than a fork and gives the best texture—chunky but cohesive.
- Taste before serving. The cheese adds saltiness and a good hit of umami, so check your seasoning just before serving.
Serving and storage suggestions
This recipe makes enough for 4 to 6 serves, depending on appetite. In my house, it feeds two adults and three kids, with just enough left over for one lucky person’s lunch the next day.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 2–3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or use your steam oven’s reheat setting. You may need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce again as it reheats.
Braised zucchini pasta is a true example of what the steam oven does best—coaxing the best flavour and texture from simple ingredients. It’s low effort, adaptable, and satisfying, and it just happens to be the perfect way to use up that zucchini glut from the garden or market. Give it a go, and let your combi steam oven transform your weeknight pasta game.
Braised Zucchini Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lb zucchini approx 3 medium zucchini; I use green but yellow ones will work just as well
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tsp flaky salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb dried pasta see notes
- 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese plus extra for serving
- 3 sprigs fresh basil for serving
Instructions
Make the sauce
- Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 350°F/180°C, 70% (high) humidity. Have a large oven-safe skillet or baking dish ready to make the pasta sauce.
- Quarter each zucchini lengthwise, then slice into roughly 3/4 inch (2cm) chunks. Squash the garlic cloves to bruise, and peel off the skin (no need to chop them). Put the zucchini and garlic into your baking dish.1.5 lb zucchini, 3 cloves garlic
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the vegetables in the dish, then drizzle with the olive oil. Add half a cup of water to the pan, and put it into the oven. Cook until the zucchini is browning on top and soft enough to easily squash with a fork, about 25 minutes.1.5 tsp flaky salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- While the zucchini is cooking, heat a large pot of water, salt well when it comes to the boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, saving about a cup of the starchy pasta water, then cover and set aside if it's ready before the sauce is finished.1 lb dried pasta
- When the zucchini is done, remove it from the oven and use the back of a fork or a potato masher (much quicker and easier than a fork!) to break it up and make a chunky sauce. Make sure you mash the garlic cloves well so there aren't big pieces of garlic through the sauce. Give it a good stir to bring together the vegetables and any liquid or olive oil that haven't been incorporated.
- Add the zucchini to the hot cooked pasta, with most of the parmesan cheese and about half of the pasta cooking water. I like to hold a little cheese back just to make sure my seasoning is right. Toss the pasta and sauce together to combine well, and check seasoning and viscosity of the sauce. If needed, add the remaining cheese or some additional pasta water to loosen things up. When you're happy with it, serve immediately with extra cheese and torn basil leaves.3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, 3 sprigs fresh basil
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Notes
- This recipe makes 4-6 serves (in our house it serves 2 adults and 3 kids, with one decent leftovers serve for an adult lunch the next day). It can easily be done in a half quantity (I use two smaller garlic cloves for a half batch, to save any mucking around with halved bits of garlic!).
- The ingredient quantities are very flexible in this dish. If you have a little less, or a little more zucchini, throw it in. Love garlic? Add more. Same goes for parmesan. And you can season with more or less salt and pepper too. As far as the herbs go, you can add a mountain of chopped basil or parsley when stirring the pasta through at the end, for a more herbaceous sauce.
- Pasta shapes: for the photographed dish, I used a flat, ruffle-edged shape called biricci, which I bought at my local Italian grocery store. Any larger short pasta varieties work well, as does spaghetti and fettucine. I would stay away from tiny short pasta varieties and angel hair pasta, as they can get a bit lost under the thick zucchini sauce.
- Leftovers of this dish can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 days, and gently reheated in a microwave or using your steam oven’s reheat settings. You might need some additional water to loosen if you’re reheating.
