One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
by Chungah
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.
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Other than the thyme, i happen to have every single ingredients on hand. Love shrooms and zucchini and peas. Love that this is one pot and ready in no time!
hi there, the only problem I had was when i added the Parmesan cheese. It stuck together in chunks. Is this supposed to happen? Thanks!!!
No, that is definitely not supposed to happen! My recommendation is to use finely grated Parmesan cheese to avoid this. Hope that helps!
Do you strain the water out after you let it simmer?
Amber, there should be no need to strain the water as it should have been completely reduced with the pasta.
Omggggg noooo I’ve just noticed I needed an oven !! :'( And I still dont have one…
Pauline, this recipe does not need an oven. It calls for a Dutch oven, which is a kind of deep pot with a close-fitting lid — you can make this dish on the stove/cooktop. 🙂
a few lumps like that here too – and it was very finely grated. perhaps need to add and combine the cream first as this tends to happen when hard cheese hits warm water. Lovely recipe though.
Delicioius! I used basil instead of thyme. It’s what I had. I also tossed in the spagetti to start cooking before the veggies as I like the veggies al dente. My hubby said throw some shrimp or ham on it next time. I also a little gorgonzola for extra flavor. Ummmm Ummm good! This one goes on the monthly menu!
Crazy question…I’m not a good cook…anyway, if you added shrimp, would you just throw them in the pot w/everything else to cook? I have a bag of the frozen peeled shrimp in the freezer, and was trying to find a recipe to use them in. Lol
Pam, it may be best to prepare the shrimp separately to avoid overcooking it.
I agree with Chungah. You don’t want to overcook the shrimp! But, you could throw them in pot during the last 5 minutes or so, and probably be ok if you want them to cook with the seasonings 🙂
Or you could do what I do and buy pre cooked detailed shrimp in the frozen variety. thaw and throw in. Wala!
How much zucchini? thanks!
Thanks for pointing that out! You’ll need 2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered.
I had my doubts about this recipe but tried it anyway. I AM IN LOVE with it. Thank you soooo much !!!! I added 3% milk towards the end. paired the pasta with a chilean wine ‘Tarapaca’ 😀 i had one of the best friday nights after a busy week so .. thank you once again 😀 I am going to share this.
Ong I made this today and it was delicious.
so I made it with angel hair pasta and part of it clumped together lol
How I manage to mess up pasta, I do not know…
Laura, unfortunately, one pot pasta recipes can be very finicky. It is best to use the type of pasta as directed in the recipe – although I do love angel hair pasta!!! 🙂
Looks easy and delicious! Will this recipe work with brown rice or quinoa pasta for a gluten free option?
Tina, I cannot really say as I have never tried these options myself but if you read through the comments, some of the readers have mentioned that they had unsuccessful results substituting a different kind of pasta.
Chungah, look in your supermarket for vegetable pasta for the gluten free option. It’s just like regular pasta except it’s made out of beets, carrots, and other vegetables and it gives you a full serving of your daily veggies. You can also get spinach fettuccine.
used brown rice pasta and wasn’t impressed. It was very sticky and way too gooey. Maybe that’s because i had to add extra water as well to cover all the ingredients?
You don’t need to cover the ingredients in water – the pasta will “fall into” the pot as everything boils. Use the amount of water in the recipe and you will be fine! 🙂
You say use the amount of water in the recipe, however, the recipe doesn’t mention how much water should we use. Can you clarify?
Please refer to step #1:
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.
I made this recipe as ordered. It’s flavorless. I’ve LOVED ALL the other damn del. recipes I’ve tried though.
Can you use Angel hair pasta
Yes, absolutely. However, cooking time may have to be adjusted accordingly.
I don’t care for zucchini, how do you think it would taste without zucchini?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This looks so deliciuous, and easy! I’m making it tonight, can’t wait to post my results! thanks for the great recipes!
Did you use fresh or frozen peas?
I used frozen but fresh should work just fine.
Hi will this work with whole wheat pasta?
I actually have not tried whole wheat pasta myself but if you sift through the comments below, many of my readers have had unsuccessful results with pasta substitutions.
Hey there! I made this tonight, used angel hair pasta with no problems whatsoever. I also threw in some turkey kielbasa sausage with the pasta to cook like the other one pot recipe you have, because I’m just a meat person. It was amazing! One thing though:
I’ve got your cookbook and the recipe in the cookbook calls for 1/2 cup heavy cream and this blog post says 1/4 cup. I used 1/2 cup and I think it was perfect. I’ll probably make it again per your cookbook, but I was just curious on your thoughts?
I love your modifications! It sounds amazing.
I use 1/4 cup for the most part, while I use 1/2 cup at other times (depending on how indulgent I feel, of course!).