This 5-Ingredient Zucchini Pasta Is So Good, You’ll Want It Every Night

I was drawn to Martha Stewart’s recipe, One-Pot Penne With Zucchini and Parmesan, because, as it says in the description, it’s “an ideal way to dispatch that bumper crop of summer squash.” I had a bunch of zucchini leftover after making veggie skewers, so I tried her recipe for dinner one night.

While I assumed the pasta would be good—it is a Martha recipe after all—I was shocked at just how good it was. After trying it once, I made it again for lunch and dinner the next day, and I gobbled it up every time like it was the first. I could not get enough. Now I have the recipe practically memorized and it’s on my list of easy, weeknight go-to dinners.

The Easiest Way To Use up a Bunch of Zucchini

I write a lot about easy recipes so I can confirm that this is as easy as it gets. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and calls for five ingredients. I’m considering salt, pepper, and oil freebies.

All you need to do is grate zucchini—you can use a mix of zucchini and summer squash, and use the largest hole of a box grater. Let the grated zucchini sit in a colander set in the sink with a sprinkle of salt while the pasta boils. This helps to draw out the water, preventing the zucchini from getting mushy, and also seasons it.

Strain the cooked pasta along with the hot water over the zucchini and allow the water to drain. This is all the zucchini really needs to “cook”—the hot water will soften it slightly.

Return the drained pasta and zucchini to the pot and stir in Parmesan cheese, olive oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. That’s it! 

How I Add Meat to Martha Stewart’s One-Pot Penne

The only thing missing from this delicious and easy recipe is some protein. Here’s what I did:

• Serve with pork: I had recently made pork chops, so I sliced up those leftovers and stirred them into the pot along with the Parmesan cheese. You don’t have to reheat the pork before adding—the residual heat was enough to warm it through.
• Serve with chicken: I stirred in leftover cubed, cooked chicken breast and the next day, I tried the recipe with shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken. I eye-balled an amount that’s about the size of the palm of my hand—that’s usually a good portion for me.

Next time I might toss in frozen peas or spinach for a bit more green. This recipe is deliciously adaptable, and every way I made it was amazing—I can’t (and refuse to) pick a favorite version!