One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
An incredibly creamy, hearty pasta dish that you can make in just 20 minutes. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot!
Ever since I made that one pot pasta several weeks back, I’ve been on the hunt for more recipes like this – easy, effortless and sure to be a hit with the entire family. And this zucchini mushroom pasta is exactly that.
There is absolute no pre-cooking or sauteeing of any kind here. Simply throw everything into the pot, including the uncooked pasta and that is it.
The water will be completely soaked by the pasta and once the noodles are cooked through, you can toss in a little bit of heavy cream (or milk, if you’re watching your calories) for a thin, creamy pasta sauce. Easy peasy.
And don’t be too shocked when everyone just raves about how amazing this pasta is. Jason said this was the best pasta he’s ever had! I obviously didn’t tell him how easy it was. Hey, he did the dishes so it’s an even trade, right?
One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered
- ⅔ cup peas
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, mushrooms, zucchini, peas, garlic, thyme and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and heavy cream.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this last night and my dad LOVED it. I’ve been wanting to try one of these one-pot-pasta dishes so I figured I’d give this a shot. We’ve been looking for new zucchini recipes because my uncle planted way too many zucchini plants in his garden and there is only so much zucchini bread one family can eat. Next time I make this I may halve the recipe because we were left with a TON of left-overs. I also only used one zucchini instead of two. Our zucchini were massive and after getting one chopped up I knew two would be too much.
Delicious recipe, Chungah! This might be a silly question but do you stir the pasta during cooking or you just leave it as it is? I just made it (yummm) but my zucchini got too mushy. I used whole grain pasta, so not sure if that could cause it or just me stirring the pot. Thanks!
Maja, the pasta should be stirred when adding the Parmesan and heavy cream.
Do you drain the water or do you add the cream to it so it gets thicker?
There’s no need to drain the water as the pasta should soak it all up. And yes, the addition of cream will create a very thin layer of sauce to coat the noodles.
Made this tonight and it is delicious! But even after halving the recipe I have a ton of leftovers – have you tried freezing it? Do you think it freeze well??
As the sauce dries up quite quickly, this may not be best suited for freezing.
I cooked the pasta by itself first, I didn’t realize we had to cook everything at the same time /: what should I do next?
Laura, the beauty of this recipe is that the pasta gets cooked right in the pot. But since you have already cooked the pasta, this recipe may not be used or salvaged at this point. I recommend trying this recipe again with uncooked pasta.
Laura, I would sauté the vegetables together, reduce heat and simmer just until coated in the cream. You could serve this mixture over your cooked pasta.
I love Pinterest -the food and drink portion – having said that, your site is by far the best one that i have ever looked at – every one of your recipes have been wonderful, simple to prepare and delicious to eat – thank you for sharing these delicious dishes –
I love this. I love pasta and vegetables and now my mind is going wild with other ingredients I can use so there is lots of varieties when making this recipe. Thank you.
I have this recipe on the stove right now! I can’t wait to see how it comes together. All the veggies are my favorites and who doesn’t love the idea of just one pot?! Thanks so much for posting…
Can’t wait to make this! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Hugs, Nan
I LOVE it when I Google the ingredients I have and a PERFECT recipe is right at the top! Making this tonight!
I don’t have an immersion blender… could I puree the red peppers with my food processor first, then add them in?
Lauren, which recipe are you referring to? This recipe does not have any red peppers in the ingredient list. Are you referring to the roasted red pepper alfredo? https://damndelicious.net/2013/12/02/roasted-red-pepper-alfredo/
Yes I am! Was looking through your recipes and commented on the wrong one! Sorry about the confusion!
Instead of the food processor, you can also try using a blender instead with everything else. It’s important to blend all ingredients, not just the peppers.
yum! i don’t have peas at the moment, but do have frozen asparagus pieces- can i use those instead?
Yes, absolutely!
Making this tomorrow, it looks so good! Do you think I could sub nonfat Greek yogurt for the heavy cream?
I do not think Greek yogurt is an appropriate substitute. I recommend substituting milk over the heavy cream if you are watching for calories.
Thanks!
I didn’t have heavy cream, but did have half and half. After I put that in it seemed too thin, and I added about 1/4 cup plain yogurt since that is what I had in the fridge. Happy to say it worked very well 🙂
I used low fat cream cheese. Delicious!
Did you scrub your mushrooms before you sliced them?
I gave them a good rinse, but feel free to scrub as necessary.
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Very yummy. Certainly a keeper, personally I would change the peas for a different green, not much of a pea fan but overall very nice easy dinner.
I made this the other night for my parents and aunt and it was a big hit, even though am the only veggie in the group! It is very filling. I am definitely making this again.
What about using cream of mushroom soup instead of cream?
I personally do not like to use cream of mushroom soup – it is very high in calories and fat content.
Currently just enjoying this dish BEFORE it’s even served up for dinner. Although I did find 1 pound of pasta slightly too much. I’d reduce next time. I also put some sun-dried tomatoes in after this had cooked. YUM!
I made this tonight with portabella mushrooms and yellow squash in place of the peas.
Super easy, delicious, and the leftovers will be even better. Thanks for posting. We loved it!