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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.
It’s a super simple recipe but still has loads of flavor.
Table of contents
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, this grilled courgette salad with feta or this zucchini bread with feta. Perfect for using up leftovers!
Lemon As Finishing Touch
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?
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.
Check Out These Pasta Recipes
- 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!