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    Home » Recipes » Pasta

    Published: Jul 18, 2021 · Modified: Apr 26, 2022 by Claire · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 4 Comments

    Brown Butter Zucchini Pasta

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This brown butter zucchini pasta is the perfect comfort food dinner. It has a lovely combination of flavours, with the nuttiness of the brown butter and the garlic and herbs. A vegetarian and low histamine dinner, that can be gluten-free using suitable pasta.

    brown butter zucchini pasta on a brown plate.

    Pasta is always perfect for a busy weeknight, so you may also like to see my coriander pesto pasta and creamy tahini broccoli pasta. Both easy to make and very tasty!

    My zucchini pasta recipe was inspired by the famous Smitten Kitchen zucchini butter spaghetti but with swaps and substitutions for slightly different flavours. It has a light but flavourful sauce, and is made without tomatoes as many pasta sauces are. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal.

    Jump to:
    • 💭 What is a brown butter sauce?
    • 🍝 Ingredients
    • 📖 Variations on the recipe
    • 🔪 Step by step instructions
    • 💭 Recipe tips and notes
    • 🍽 How to serve
    • 🥣 Gluten-free pasta options
    • 🍝 More tasty pasta recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    💭 What is a brown butter sauce?

    Brown butter sauce is made by gently heating unsalted butter in a pan. It starts to foam and very lightly bubble as the water evaporates and the butter turns brown in colour.

    As a tomato-free option, brown butter is perfect for making pasta sauce and has a rich nutty flavour. Some say it tastes like caramel! Vegetables such as zucchini and butternut squash take up the flavour so well, and make for a lovely weeknight pasta dinner.

    🍝 Ingredients

    wooden box with zucchini, spaghetti, salt, garlic, basil and thyme in it.

    This brown butter zucchini pasta recipe has surprisingly few ingredients, and quite a few are pantry staples. So I hope it can be made easily without a trip to the store!

    • Pasta: if you aren't able to tolerate regular pasta, then there are so many good gluten-free options available now. You don't have to use spaghetti, but I like the way it picks up the brown butter flavours.
    • Zucchini: the main vegetable of the dish. It looks like a lot when you grate it, but it cooks down a great deal.
    • Fennel: complements the zucchini with its anise-like flavour, and gives a little hint of a crunch to the dish.
    • Garlic: one of the biggest flavours of the dish. I suggest using fresh rather than a garlic powder.
    • Basil and thyme: for a fresh herby flavour that complements the zucchini so well. Adjust the quantities to preference. You can add even more if you like a very herby taste!
    • Butter: unsalted butter is used to make the brown butter sauce. It becomes nutty and delicious after being heated in the pan.

    📖 Variations on the recipe

    This recipe is actually very adaptable. Not a fan of fennel? Then simply use zucchini by itself.

    The herbs can be swapped for those you prefer. A small handful of mint would be a nice addition for that fresh summer flavour.

    It can easily be made gluten-free by using a suitable pasta.

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    Making a brown butter sauce is surprisingly easy, and is a great option for a pasta without tomato sauce. This brown butter zucchini pasta recipe has just a few easy steps:

    zucchini and fennel in a pan.
    spaghetti cooking in a pan.
    1. Make your pasta according to packet instructions. Don't forget to reserve at least half a cup of the pasta water.
    2. Heat the butter on a low-medium heat. It will begin to foam and very slightly bubble - just don't let it get too hot or too bubbly! Add the garlic, and let it become fragrant for a minute or so before adding the zucchini, fennel and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The zucchini will cook down a great deal.
    3. Sprinkle in the basil and thyme and then pour in ¼ cup of the pasta water, then add the spaghetti. Combine using tongs, adding more pasta water if required. Cook for a few more minutes then add a pinch of salt and pepper.

    💭 Recipe tips and notes

    • Heat the butter on a low to medium heat, not high. It should foam, slightly bubble and give off a nutty aroma. Add the garlic at that point, not before.
    • Add pasta water according to how dry the sauce is and to taste preference.
    • Swap out the pasta for your preferred variety if regular wheat pasta isn't suitable for you.
    • You can leave out the fennel if you prefer and have just zucchini.
    • This gives a fairly subtle flavour, for a 'bigger' flavour add more garlic and herbs to taste preference.

    🍽 How to serve

    This pasta can be served on its own, or I like to add some torn pieces of mozzarella if I am more hungry and want a source of protein. You could also add some chicken, such as my herbed panko chicken or pan fried rosemary chicken fillets, and a fresh salad on the side is always nice.

    🥣 Gluten-free pasta options

    If you aren't able to tolerate gluten, there are many gluten free pasta options to try:

    Trader Joe's organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta

    Trader Joe's brown rice and quinoa spaghetti

    Barilla gluten free elbows pasta (corn and rice flour)

    brown butter zucchini pasta on a brown plate.

    🍝 More tasty pasta recipes

    There are lots of pasta recipes to try out, including my roasted red pepper ricotta pasta and creamy tahini pasta, amongst many others. Some recent recipes:

    • pesto orzo salad on a white plate next to red apples and a cream striped cloth.
      Pesto Orzo Salad
    • creamy kale pasta in a light grey bowl with a spoon next to a small bowl of pistachios.
      Creamy Kale Pasta
    • pesto ricotta pasta in a light grey bowl on a beige cloth with a for on it next to a glass jar of pesto.
      Ricotta Pesto Pasta
    • green spaghetti sauce on pasta in a light brown bowl next to a knife and fork and a glass of water.
      Green Spaghetti Sauce

    I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you tried the recipe!

    📖 Recipe

    bowl of brown butter zucchini pasta.

    Brown Butter Zucchini Pasta

    Claire
    This brown butter zucchini pasta is a very simple recipe and perfect for a weeknight dinner. Made without tomatoes, it is flavourful from the brown butter, herbs and garlic. Makes 3 generous portions.
    4.60 from 5 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine American, British, Italian
    Servings 3 servings
    Calories 454 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 ounces spaghetti
    • 3 medium zucchini grated
    • ½ fennel finely diced
    • 4 tablespoon butter
    • 2 garlic cloves minced or finely diced
    • large handful basil leaves
    • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
    • salt
    • black pepper optional

    Instructions
     

    • Boil the spaghetti according to packet instructions in salted water. Take off the heat and drain around a minute away from al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water.
    • Heat the butter on a low-medium heat. Once it begins to foam and lightly bubble add the garlic. After a minute or so, add the zucchini, fennel and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes silky in texture. The zucchini will first release liquid, and then this will mostly evaporate.
    • Add the basil and thyme to the pan. Pour in ¼ cup of the pasta water, then add the spaghetti. Combine using tongs, adding more pasta water if required. Cook for a few more minutes then add a pinch of salt and pepper (if using), plate up and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Heat the butter on a low to medium heat, not high. It should foam, slightly bubble and give off a nutty aroma. Add the garlic at that point, not before.
    • Add pasta water according to how dry the sauce is and to taste preference.
    • Swap out the pasta for your preferred variety if regular wheat pasta isn't suitable for you.
    • You can leave out the fennel if you prefer and have just zucchini.
    • This gives a fairly subtle flavour, for a 'bigger' flavour add more garlic and herbs to taste preference.
    • Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
     
    Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance
    All ingredients score 0 on the SIGHI list, with the exception of:
    • pasta: wheat scores 1 and has a ? as a liberator.
    • garlic, which scores 1.
    • black pepper, which scores 2.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 454kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 13gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 141mgPotassium: 710mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 970IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @lowhistaminekitchen or tag #lowhistaminekitchen!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chelsea says

      June 16, 2022 at 8:47 pm

      5 stars
      This was lovely. I had some fennel in the garden and zucchini I picked up from the farmers market yesterday so decided to whip this up for lunch. We used tinkyada gf pasta. And added thinly sliced chicken breast. My children gobbled it up and went back for seconds

      Reply
      • Claire says

        June 16, 2022 at 10:14 pm

        So happy to hear you all enjoyed it! Always lovely to use fresh produce from the garden isn't it. I've got fennel growing too, so looking forward to using it for this pasta. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!

        Reply
    2. Antje says

      March 27, 2022 at 5:24 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious!

      Reply
      • Claire says

        March 27, 2022 at 5:42 pm

        So glad you liked it Antje!

        Reply

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    Hi, I’m Claire. After a diagnosis of MCAS I began to follow a low histamine diet, which has helped me manage my symptoms. Here I hope to show that a restrictive diet can still be full of flavourful meals, and help you enjoy being creative in the kitchen.

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