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10 Comments Pasta with zucchini, crispy baked chorizo and lots of peas. This is an ideal quick pasta dish for a weekday meal. There is no sauce, but you can add it if you like.
Pasta with zucchini and chorizo
This recipe for chorizo pasta was originally a recipe from the Donna Hay Challenge. The challenge was to cook and photograph all 85 recipes in a Donna Hay magazine. Quite a challenge. And then one that fell through after about three months. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t make lots of delicious recipes in the meantime.
This pasta with zucchini is one of them. I love quick pasta recipes. It’s great for a quick meal and it’s on the table quickly. In Donna’s original recipe, the grated zucchini went through the pasta. Raw. You can do that, of course, but this time I decided to cut the courgette into pieces and sauté it a little. I just like it better that way.
Without sauce
This quick pasta recipe is made without a sauce. You can make it creamy by adding a little of the cooking water. But if you really can’t do without sauce, you can add it if you like. Funnily enough (or maybe not so funnily enough), I love pasta without thick sauces.
That’s why I loved this recipe for zucchini pasta. I always add a mountain of Parmesan cheese on top. Delicious! The chorizo also adds a lot of flavor to this simple dish, so make sure to fry the chorizo in a hot pan before adding to the pasta.
Chorizo does tend to create a lot of smoke when you add it to a dry pan. It releases copious amounts of fat from the sausage, so don’t add any extra!
And my smoke detector always goes off every time I fry chorizo. I guess it is hanging to close to the kitchen! But it scares the hell out of me every single time. These days I try to be more careful by switching on the extractor immediately. A learning curve. If you love zucchini you might also want to try this easy zucchini quiche or this zucchini bread with feta. Perfect for using up leftovers!
Lemon as a finishing touch for pasta with zucchini
As a finishing touch, add a little lemon juice and zest to the pasta along with the cooking water. This gives a nice fresh touch and creates a slightly creamy effect. You can also add a little extra olive oil if you like.
I also often serve this pasta with some extra lettuce on top. Usually rucola, but lamb lettuce is also delicious.
What kind of pasta do you use for this zucchini dish?
I use penne. As the sauce does not stick to the pasta, I think this is the best option. Any other short pasta will do. I recently fell in love with mini penne, which is what I used here, but any other sort will do. Orzo, orechiette or farfalle all work. I wouldn’t use something like spaghetti as I feel that needs more of a sauce to go with it.
If you love pasta, check out these delicious recipes as well:
- Pasta salad with tuna
- Pasta with feta and chili
- Pasta with goat cheese and lemon
- Zucchini pasta with roasted tomatoes
- Pasta gorgonzola
Pasta with zucchini and chorizo
Ingredients
- 150 gr penne
- 1/2 chorizo
- 100 gr peas
- 1 zucchini cut in pieces
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic
- parmesan cheese grated
- oliveoil
How to make the pasta with zucchini
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Cut the chorizo in thin slices and fry them in a skillet without oil until crunchy. Add the chopped garlic and fry for another minute. Take off the heat and set aside.
- In another pan ad the olive oil and sauté the zucchini. Add the peas and bake those quickly as well.
- Drain the pasta and keep some of the cooking water
- Add the pasta to the zucchini and add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid with the juice and zest of the lemon. Add the chorizo and eat with loads of parmesan.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Loved how simple this recipe was and very tasty. Will be a favourite in this household. Thankyou
Ah you’re welcome Leanne. Glad you liked it!
I’m feeling sleepy just reading how tired you two are. Eat a bowl of this wonderful pasta and have a nap!
Lol… Thankfully i had some good night sleep since writing it…:)
What a great looking dish! Loads of color and texture. And loads of flavor too, or so I’m guessing from the ingredients. Good stuff. Thanks. And now get some sleep! 😉
Haha… Will do so John! Thanks!
I think baking the chorizo to get the crisp texture is a wonderful idea. I love the simplicity of this pasta. I think it will make a simply Perfect lunch.
Hi Simone,
even if I use to cook pasta everyday, I can learn always something new. The idea of chorizo is fantastic. Also, the use of lemon and pasta togheter is not so common here in Rome, and when I find a recipe with them I remember how tasty and perfect are the two joined. Wow!
Giovanna
Oh I just love pasta dishes like this. Easy and so Spring-y – light and flavorful! I am enjoying this series Simone. What I love about you Simone is that you are a loyal and good friend – always there to help. Not many like you out there!
O thanks so much hon.. 😉 You’re too sweet!