ZUCCHINI ‘RICOTTA’ PASTA + FRESH HERBS
Zucchini ‘Ricotta’ Pasta with basil, mint and lemon is a summery and fresh combination for a simple vegan main dish that can be served warm or chilled!
Today, it’s a celebration of zucchini and fresh herbs – and lots of it!
Zucchini, Ricotta Pasta with fresh basil and mint is a wonderful way to celebrate these delicious ingredients.
It’s a creamy vegan pasta featuring summer squash, fresh herbs, zesty lemon and vegan ricotta cheese.
Pair with a dusting of almond parmesan and you have a quick and easy lunch, dinner or make ahead meal!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Zucchini is cooked until soft and tender, and tossed with pasta, vegan ricotta and fresh herbs for a deliciously creamy vegan pasta dish that can be served both warm or chilled.
Here is everything you will need:
- Zucchini – feel free to include yellow squash for a combination of colors.
- Garlic
- Basil – feel free to use only basil.
- Mint – feel free to use only mint.
- Lemon
- Vegan ricotta – I used this homemade Tofu ricotta, but this Cashew Ricotta would be great too!
- Olive oil – a flavored olive oil such as lemon or garlic would be fantastic.
- Salt + pepper
- Red pepper flakes – adds a nice heat, but optional
- Pasta – use your favorite small pasta such as bowtie, penne, rigatoni, etc.
How To Make Zucchini Ricotta Pasta + Mint
- Cook the pasta.
- Prep the zucchini into 1/4 inch slices.
Recommended Equipment: Use a mandolin to uniformly slice the zucchini with ease. I heart this Benriner slicer, but this XOX mandolin would be great too at half the cost (affiliate links).
- Cook the zucchini and garlic.
- Add the pasta to the zucchini.
- Next, add the vegan ricotta, basil, mint and lemon juice.
- Toss well to coat.
And now your summery pasta is ready!
Serving Suggestions
This easy ricotta pasta is great alone, but can be made a little heartier with a side salad or soup. Here are a few of my favorite options:
- Topping: Top with a light dusting of almond parmesan and squeeze of lemon.
- Salad: Serve with a simple salad with Healthy Flax & Evo Balsamic Vinaigrette or Vegan Caesar Salad.
- Soup: Serve with a small bowl of Tomato Basil Soup, Vegan Minestrone Soup or Hearty Lentil Soup.
- Bread: Pair with a slice of homemade Artisan Bread.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: Zucchini ricotta pasta is freezer friendly for up to 2 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link). Let thaw before reheating. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags.
- Meal prep: This creamy pasta is great for meal prep and can be served chilled or at room temp.
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Gluten-free: Use gluten free pasta.
- Oil-free: When cooking the zucchini and garlic use vegetable broth in place of oil.
- Soy-free: Use this Cashew Ricotta Cheese.
- Nut-free: Use Tofu Ricotta.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Pasta & Peas w/ Romesco Red Pepper Sauce
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Hearty Lentil & Mushroom Ragu + Pasta
- Easy Vegetable Pasta
If you try this zucchini ricotta pasta, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintZUCCHINI ‘RICOTTA’ PASTA (VEGAN)
A summery and fresh combination of zucchini, vegan ricotta, and lemon with basil and mint is a simple, wholesome and flavorful meal to be enjoyed warm or chilled!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 16 oz. small pasta (bowties, penne or rigatoni)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water or broth
- 2 lbs. zucchini (4 – 5 medium), sliced 1/4 inch or if wide cut into half moons
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil, julienned
- 1/4 cup mint, julienned
- 2 lemons, juice of
- 3/4 cup vegan ricotta (cashew ricotta or tofu ricotta)
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional
To Serve
- lemon wedges, to serve
- almond parmesan, to serve
Instructions
Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Zucchini: In large pan, heat olive oil or water over medium heat and cook the garlic and zucchini together, until zucchini is pretty tender, about 8 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently so they cook uniformly.
Combine: Add the pasta, vegan ricotta, fresh herbs and lemon juice to the pan with zucchini, mix well to coat. Taste for flavor, adding more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with lemon wedges and a good dusting of almond parmesan – it’s simply delicious!
Serves 6
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
Feel free to use only basil or only mint, instead of using a combination. Also, use as much as you like of each!
Add in yellow squash for a more color.
Edit: This recipe has been changed from it’s original use of 1 cup of mint to include basil as well, reducing the amounts of fresh herbs used. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your taste.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: Use a mandolin to uniformly slice the zucchini with ease. I heart this Benriner slicer, but this XOX mandolin would be great too at half the price (affiliate links).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: The nutrition info accounts for 1/2 block tofu since I used this Tofu Ricotta Recipe.
Updated: Zucchini Ricotta Pasta was originally published in September 2013. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in January 2020. The only changes made to the recipe is including basil with the mint. The original recipe called for 1 cup of mint.
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Lovely recipe, thank you!
Another terrific recipe from your site! Many thanks!!!
This was terrific, my partner and I love it!
It’s a wonderful recipe, many thanks!
i've made this twice already! it's amazing and my dad even loved it! i choose vegan for health reasons, but my dad just thinks i'm learning how to cook!
i told him it was alfredo sauce and he said it was the best alfredo sauce he's ever had!
LOL, aren't dad's the best! I'm so glad you both loved this. I had a great time putting this together, I love the mint and zucchini combo with the ricotta…so good! :)
This is delicious! I used walnuts and sunflower seeds for my ricotta though, cause I was out of cashews. It worked very well! So creamy and good, also added a dash of almond milk at the end because the 'cheese' was quite thick. Love your blog, thank you so much for the idea. Next time I wanna try it with cashews because it looks amazing!
I just discovered your site, and am really enjoying exploring it! Although my husband and I do not consider ourselves vegan, we do try to commit to eating exclusively vegan diets 2-3 days per week. This is a great recipe that will be a nice addition to our regular dinner menu (and I really love the opening picture on this post!). Thanks for sharing!
I think that is great. You may find yourself easily slipping into more days as you explore vegan foods. I hope you get a chance to try this soon…it was delicious! Thank you for stopping to share and the kind words, always makes my day. Cheers to you and your husband. :)
This looks amazing! It's great to have a non-dairy option for pasta with a creamy sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, and your welcome! Cheers…
Yum!And what lovely pictures too :) We have loads of courgettes and mint at the moment, and a bag of cashews in the cupboard…. maybe I should give the fresh tomato sauce a break next time I cook pasta. When I don't have cashews I make a "cream cheese" for pasta with unpressed tofu, tahini, lemon juice and soy sauce, which is pretty yummy too.
It sounds like this may be the perfect change up for you usual sauce! Your cream cheese sounds delicious too, I will have to give that a try. Thanks again for the lovely inspiration. :)
Wow that looks awesome, the food and imagery!
Thank you! :)