Quick info

  • Servings: 2
  • Total time: about 20 minutes
  • Equipment: wide-hole julienne peeler, 26–28 cm (10–11 in) frying pan, hand blender with a tall beaker

Ingredients

  • Short pasta: 180g (6.3 oz) (any shape you like, or however much you can eat)
  • Zucchini: 350g (12.3 oz)
  • Cream cheese: 1 tablespoon, about 20g (0.7 oz) (I used Valsoia; Philadelphia, Goldessa, Coop or any other plant-based cream cheese works too)
  • Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tablespoons
  • Garlic: 1 clove
  • Fine salt: ½ level teaspoon, about 2.5g (0.1 oz) (for the zucchini)
  • Basil: 10 medium leaves (about 3 cm/1.2 in long)
  • (Optional) Lemon zest: 2 passes on a fine grater
  • Walnuts: 2
  • Water for the pasta: 2L (about 2 quarts) (set aside 4 tablespoons for the sauce before adding the pasta)
  • Salt for the pasta water: 10g (0.4 oz, about 1½ teaspoons)
Short pasta with a creamy zucchini and basil sauce and chopped walnuts, in an orange bowl

Method

  1. Put the water on to boil. Pour 2L (about 2 quarts) of water into a pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.

  2. Flavor the oil. Peel 1 garlic clove, cut it in half and remove the green shoot from the center. Put it in a 26–28 cm (10–11 in) frying pan with 3 tablespoons of oil and heat over low heat: it should sizzle gently without browning.

  3. Prep the zucchini while the garlic flavors the oil. Wash 350g (12.3 oz) of zucchini, trim the ends and cut into matchsticks with a wide-hole julienne peeler. Keep an eye on the garlic: if it starts browning before you’re done, turn off the heat and turn it back on when you add the zucchini.

  4. Cook the zucchini. Add all the zucchini to the pan and stir to coat it in the oil. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook uncovered for about 5–7 minutes, stirring often. It should soften and lose most of the water it releases, without drying out or burning. If it starts browning right away, lower the heat slightly.

  5. Season the zucchini. Once it’s soft, turn off the heat, remove both garlic halves and add ½ level teaspoon of fine salt. Stir well.

  6. Cook the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add 10g (0.4 oz, about 1½ teaspoons) of salt and stir. Set aside 4 tablespoons of water for the sauce, then add 180g (6.3 oz) of short pasta and stir. Check the cooking time on the packet and set a timer as soon as you add the pasta. While it cooks, prepare the walnuts and the sauce as described in the next steps.

  7. Prepare the walnuts and basil. Finely chop 2 walnuts with a knife until coarsely ground and set aside for plating. Wash 10 medium basil leaves.

  8. Make the sauce. Transfer about ¾ of the zucchini to the hand blender’s beaker, leaving the rest in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese, the 10 basil leaves, the 4 tablespoons of reserved water and, if you like, 2 passes of grated lemon zest. Grate only the yellow part, avoiding the white pith, which is bitter. Blend until smooth.

  9. Drain and transfer the pasta. Shortly before it’s ready, put the pan with the remaining zucchini over the smallest burner on low heat to warm it back up. Before draining the pasta, save a cup of its cooking water. Taste the pasta and, once it has the texture you like, drain it and transfer it to the pan.

  10. Stir in the sauce. Toss the pasta with the zucchini, pour in all the sauce and mix over very low heat, just enough to keep everything warm. If the sauce is too thick and the pasta struggles to coat evenly, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking water at a time: stop once the sauce clings to the pasta without leaving a watery puddle at the bottom.

  11. Plate up and add the walnuts. Divide the pasta between the 2 plates and sprinkle the reserved chopped walnuts on top.