Pasta Zucchine e Limone

Name: Pasta Zucchine e Limone
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 320 g pasta secca; 300 g zucchine; 100 g limone; 40 g parmigiano reggiano; 30 ml olio extravergine oliva

Pasta with sautéed courgettes, lemon zest, Parmigiano, and olive oil. A light summer pasta at €0.59 per serving — no cream, no eggs, no meat.

Serves: 4Prep: 10 minCook: 15 minTotal: 25 minDifficulty: EasyCuisine: Italian

→ Calculate ingredient cost for this recipePrices are editorial estimates (Q1 2025). Confidence rating shown after calculation.

Pasta Zucchine e Limone

Pasta zucchine e limone is a light summer pasta: sautéed courgettes, lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano, and olive oil. No cream, no eggs, no meat. The lemon zest is added off heat to preserve the bright citrus aroma. Ready in 25 minutes at approximately €0.59 per serving.

Ingredients (4 servings)

320g dry pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or rigatoni)
300g courgettes (2 medium), cut into 5mm rounds or half-moons
100g lemon (1 lemon) — zest of the whole lemon, juice of half
40g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, finely grated
30ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the courgettes Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the courgette slices in a single layer and cook without moving for 2–3 minutes until golden on one side. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more. The courgettes should have colour, not be steamed and pale. Season with salt. Remove from heat.

2. Cook the pasta Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to 1 minute less than package time. Reserve 100ml of pasta cooking water before draining.

3. Combine Return the courgette pan to low heat. Add the drained pasta and half the pasta water. Toss for 30–60 seconds. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmigiano. Toss again, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen — the cheese should melt into a light coating.

4. Serve Serve immediately with a grind of black pepper. The lemon aroma fades as the dish cools.

Notes

Colour on the courgettes is important — pale steamed courgette adds texture but little flavour. A hot pan with enough oil to prevent sticking is the key. Cook in batches if the pan is crowded.

Lemon zest goes in off heat. Adding it while the pan is still very hot diminishes the citrus aroma. The lemon juice adds acidity; use half a lemon and adjust to taste — full lemon juice can overpower the Parmigiano.

This is a vegetarian dish. For a richer version on the same base, see pasta ricotta e zucchine which adds a cold-fold ricotta sauce. For a lemon-forward ricotta pasta without zucchine, see pasta ricotta e limone.

Cost Context

At Italian supermarket prices (Q1 2025): pasta-secca (€1.65/kg), zucchine (€2.00/kg), limone (€2.20/kg), parmigiano-reggiano (€17.50/kg), olio-extravergine-oliva (€9.50/L). Total for 4 servings: approximately €2.33 — roughly €0.59 per serving.

Parmigiano Reggiano (€0.70 for 40g) is the dominant cost at approximately 30% of total spend. Courgettes (€0.60 for 300g) contribute 26%. Pasta and oil together account for around €0.82.

Compare to pasta zucchine e parmigiano (similar base, no lemon) and pasta ricotta e limone (€0.88/serving, lemon-forward with ricotta). Use the Recipe Cost Calculator for the full itemised breakdown.