Courgette Pasta Recipe with Chilli, Lemon and Herbs
Last updated on October 16th, 2026
This courgette pasta started on a night when my fiancée and I got home hungry, with nothing ready in the fridge and a takeaway pizza that was too long a wait. I raided the cupboards, found a few simple ingredients and threw them together into a plate of pasta that takes less than 15 minutes. It’s easy, tasty and healthy, and we eat it at least every two weeks.
The key to this courgette pasta is simplicity: diced courgette cooked hot until golden, a few cupboard ingredients, and pasta finished in the pan so the sauce comes from pasta water, olive oil and parmesan. Sautéing the courgettes brings out their natural sweetness, infusing the pasta with a delightful and refreshing aroma. For a raw take on the same flavours, my lemon-cured courgette salad is lovely in summer.
This recipe has become a reliable option when we find ourselves in a time crunch or with limited ingredients. The ease and speed with which this pasta comes together make it a go-to recipe for busy evenings or unexpected guests. Another store-cupboard favourite is my tuna and lemon pasta salad, which is just as quick.
How to Cook Courgette Pasta So the Courgette Doesn’t Go Mushy
The trick with courgette is heat, not time: get it hot and fast so it colours instead of steaming into a soggy mess, and everything else falls into place from there. Get a pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta, and set a timer for 80-90% of the time stated on the packet. While that’s going, top and tail the courgettes, slice them lengthways into quarters, and remove the seedy inner part before cutting them down to roughly the same size and shape as your pasta. If you want more ideas for those seedy centres and the rest of the glut, my three courgette recipes are a good place to start. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the courgette with a pinch of salt, and let it cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it’s picking up some colour here and there. Dice the garlic, and the chilli too if you’re using fresh, then stir them in once the courgette has coloured and cook for another minute before turning off the heat and leaving it to sit until the pasta’s ready. If you don’t have fresh chilli, a spoonful of garlicky chilli oil does the job.
Finishing the Pasta With Lemon, Parmesan and Herbs
While the courgette rests, prep whatever fresh herbs you’re using and pre-grate the parmesan if you want to stay organised. Once the pasta is 90% cooked, spoon it straight into the frying pan with the courgette along with a splash of the pasta water, then toss everything together and let it cook for a minute or so, this is what gives you a sauce that clings to the pasta rather than sitting separately. It’s the same emulsion trick behind my Southern Italian scarpariello pasta. Turn off the heat, add the herbs, lemon juice and parmesan, toss again, and taste for seasoning before serving. A spoonful of fresh ricotta made at home on top is lovely too.
Tips for Getting Courgette Pasta Right Every Time
- Cook the pasta 90% of the way in the water then finish cooking the last 10% in the pan, this is what gives you that sauce that clings to the pasta and a more well-rounded flavour.
- Always add the cheese with the heat off and just let it melt in with the residual heat in the pan.
- It’s worth using high-quality ingredients like the extra virgin olive oil and parmesan, you use less overall than their cost-effective counterparts and get a much more authentic flavour, which simple recipes like this need.
- Use any shape of pasta you like. Fusilli, penne, strozzapreti, casarecce or even spaghetti will all work well.
- Cut the courgette (zucchini) to be roughly the same size and shape as your pasta. If you’re using something like spaghetti or linguini then cut the courgette into longer slightly thinner strips and cook it for less time, this way it’ll get tangled up amongst the pasta.
- Don’t skip removing the seedy centre of the courgette. It turns mushy when cooked and can burn in the pan. The smaller the courgette, the less you need to take out.
- Grate the parmesan over a board or plate rather than straight over the pan. Over the pan it can clump together before you can stir it in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pasta shapes work best for this dish?
Fusilli, penne, strozzapreti, casarecce or even spaghetti all work well, just cut the courgette into longer, thinner strips if you’re using a long pasta shape like spaghetti so it tangles amongst the strands.
Why cook the pasta only 90% of the way before adding it to the pan?
Finishing the last 10% of cooking in the frying pan with the courgette and a splash of pasta water is what gives you a sauce that actually clings to the pasta, rather than a dry, separate result.
Why add the cheese with the heat off?
Adding parmesan off the heat and letting it melt in with residual warmth stops it from splitting or turning stringy and clumpy, which can happen if it hits a pan that’s still too hot.
Which herbs work best in this pasta?
Basil is the classic choice, but chives, tarragon, parsley or oregano all work well too, so use whichever you have fresh at home.
Does it matter if I use cheaper olive oil and parmesan?
It’s worth using good-quality extra virgin olive oil and parmesan here. You use less of each than their cheaper counterparts and get a noticeably more authentic flavour, which matters in a simple recipe like this.
How do you stop courgette pasta going watery?
Get the pan hot and keep the courgette moving so it colours instead of steaming, and cut out the seedy centre, which turns mushy when cooked. Then finish the pasta in the pan, so the pasta water cooks down and emulsifies with the olive oil and parmesan into a light sauce.
Courgette Pasta Recipe with Chilli, Lemon and Herbs
Equipment
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Microplane / Fine grater
- Digital scales
- Measuring spoons
- Timer
- Frying pan
- Large pot / Stockpot
- Sauté pan
- Plate / Tray
- Spoon (table, dessert, tea)
Ingredients
- – 200g Pasta – strozzapreti casarecce, fusilli, penne would all work well.
- – 2 x courgettes weight
- – 2/3 x cloves of garlic
- – 1 x lemon
- – A teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
- – Some fresh herbs could be basil chives, tarragon, parsley, or oregano.
- – Parmesan
- – Olive oil
- – Salt
Instructions
- Place a pan of water on to boil, once boiling season well with salt and add your pasta. Set a timer for 80-90% of the stated time on the packet.
- Take the top and tail from your courgettes (zucchini) slice them lengthways into quarters and remove the inner seedy part.
- Place a frying pan onto a medium-high heat add some extra virgin olive oil, give it 1-2 minutes to get hot and add your sliced courgette with a little pinch of salt.
- Whilst they’re cooking dice the garlic, it doesn’t have to be too fine and if you’re using fresh chilli dice this now as well, around the same size.
- Once the courgette has had 4 to 5 minutes of cooking and is starting to take on some colour here and there, add the garlic and chilli. Cook for another minute then turn off the heat and leave it to sit until the pasta is ready.
- In this time you can prepare whatever herbs you are choosing to use and pre-grate the parmesan if you want to be super organised!
- Once the pasta is 90% cooked, spoon it into the frying pan with the courgette. Pour a little of the pasta water in as well and give the pan a stir or toss to get everything mixed well. Cook the water out for a minute or so.
- Now turn off the heat, add the herbs, lemon juice and parmesan. Toss that together and taste for seasoning.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 13.6g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.2g |
| Cholesterol | 6.6mg |
| Sodium | 143.2mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 84.5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.6g |
| Sugars | 8.4g |
| Protein | 18.7g |
| Potassium | 803.4mg |
