This vegan zucchini pasta is one of my favorite dinner recipes and I’m so excited to share it with you. What I love about it most is its utter simplicity: it needs just a handful of ingredients and the final result is as delicious as it is unexpected. This is a great pasta dinner to use up vegetables that are abundant in spring and summer, including zucchini, leeks and cherry tomatoes, and herbs like oregano and basil. I used oregano this time because this perennial is already thriving in my garden, while the annual basil plants are still in their infancy. But I can’t wait to make this vegan pasta with basil in coming months. While you might have eaten pasta with zucchini before what makes this sauce unique is the caramelization of the leeks and the zucchini. You cook zucchini and leeks long enough to create a magical sauce that’s pesto-like in consistency and that almost disappears into your pasta. Disappears, except for the amazing, mindblowing flavor. I hope you will try this easy vegan pasta and feel free to add more zucchini, if you have a bounty on your hands. You’ll never be tempted to give away your zucchini again (although I’m not sure that’s a good thing. ;))
Why you’ll love this vegan zucchini pasta
It’s so incredibly delicious. Make this pasta and tell me if it isn’t one of the most delicious pastas you’ve ever made or eaten. The caramelized leek and zucchini sauce is richly and complexly flavored with a creamy mouth feel, and the oregano adds amazing, savory flavor throughout. You get so much flavor for so little. It’s easy. You will need some time to caramelize the zucchini and leeks but other than that the process of making this pasta couldn’t be simpler. And it needs just seven ingredients, including the pasta. It’s healthy. The sauce is packed with veggies and healthy herbs. It’s everyone friendly. You can stir this soy free, nut free and gluten free sauce into any pasta of your choice—regular, whole wheat, gluten-free and low-carb.
How to make vegan zucchini pasta
Place oil and butter with crushed or minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic until it is lightly golden and fragrant. Add the thinly sliced leeks and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the grated zucchini. Add salt and ground black pepper and saute over medium heat. The zucchini and leeks will express all their juices. At this point stir in 2 tablespoons oregano. Continue to saute the vegetables until the liquid has evaporated. If the veggies stick to the bottom of the pan add a tablespoon of water and scrape up any brown bits. Continue doing this until the vegetables are greatly reduced and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes but don’t give them too long in the skillet because you don’t want them to break down completely–you want their sweetness and slight tartness to come through in the final dish.
While the zucchini and leeks are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Stir the cooked pasta into the cooked zucchini-leek-tomato sauce with a cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Add more salt as needed and plenty of ground black pepper. Tear some oregano leaves and stir in. Serve hot, warm or cold.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Refrigerate: Leftovers of this vegan zucchini pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. Freeze: Freeze pasta in an airtight container for up to four months. Reheat: Reheat the pasta in a skillet or in a microwave. If reheating in a skillet defrost the pasta first. To microwave, place frozen or defrosted pasta in a microwave safe container and microwave frozen pasta for 2-5 minutes, depending on quantity, stirring once or twice in between. Make ahead: You can make the pasta sauce ahead and refrigerate it for up to three days. The pasta sauce can also be frozen for up to four months.
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