Zucchini Pasta Sauce
Zucchini pasta sauce is a creamy, yummy pasta sauce that is plant-based and vegan. This sauce is loaded with flavors yet light to tummy. A must try pasta sauce.
Servings: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked pasta reserve pasta water while cooking
For Sauce
- 1 lb zucchini 2 medium size zucchini
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 6 - 8 garlic colves minced
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp basil leaves finely chopped (+ 6 to 8 more leaves)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning optional
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes or as taste
- 1 + ½ tsp salt or as taste (for boiling pasta + for sauce)
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup broth or pasta cooking water
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
For Serving/ Garnish
- fresh basil leaves
- chili flakes
- extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
- parmesan for non-vegans
Instructions
Cook Pasta
- Boil water in a large pot, adding salt to it.
- Add pasta to boiling water and simmer till it's cooked al dente.
- Reserve some pasta water to add in the sauce further process.
- Remove pasta from rest of the water.
Prepare the sauce
- Heat oil in a pot/ pan.
- Add minced garlic and onion. Saute for 1 - 2 minutes or till translucent.
- Then add diced zucchini and saute on high heat for 2 minutes.
- Next add the fresh herbs, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste to the pan.
- Toss to mix everything well. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes on medium heat.
- Then add coconut milk to the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
- Now blend them all into a puree, adding ¼ cup pasta water, nutritional yeast, and some more fresh basil leaves into it.
- Simmer for another 1 - 2 minutes. Sauce is ready.
- Turn off heat to store or add the pasta to the sauce to serve immediately
Add Pasta and Serve
- Add pasta to the sauce and simmer for another 1 minutes till all pasta is coated well.
- Serve in a plate. Drizzle some more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some red pepper flakes and some parmesan cheese (for non vegans).
Alternate Method - Air Fryer/ oven roasted zucchini
- Dice the zucchini and onion into bite-sized pieces.
- Drizzle some olive oil and add the seasoning to them. Add minced garlic or substitute with garlic powder. Toss to mix everything.
- Preheat the air fryer at 400 F for 3 minutes.
- Transfer the seasoned zucchini and onion to the air fryer and roast for 10 minutes at 400 F. You can also roast them in the oven at 400 F for 20 -25 minutes.
- In the meantime heat oil in a pan/ pot. add coconut milk, and tomato paste and stir to mix them. Add fresh herbs finely chopped.
- Now transfer the roasted zucchini to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Now blend them to a puree adding some nutritional yeast.
- The creamy zucchini pasta sauce is ready now.