Healthy & Simple Creamy Pasta with Zucchini and Potatoes | Low-Cost Italian Cooking

Healthy & Simple Creamy Pasta with Zucchini and Potatoes | Low-Cost Italian Cooking. This healthy, simple and low-cost Italian pasta is one of those recipes that shows just how delicious everyday ingredients can be. There is no cream in this dish, yet the sauce becomes beautifully smooth and creamy thanks to the natural starch from the potatoes, good extra virgin olive oil and gently cooked zucchini.

It is exactly the sort of meal I enjoy making at home because it is wholesome, satisfying and inexpensive, while still feeling like proper Italian comfort food. With only a handful of ingredients, you can create a meal that is full of flavour without relying on expensive products or complicated techniques.

Whether you grow zucchini in your own vegetable patch, pick them up from your local supermarket or simply have one waiting to be used in the fridge, this recipe works throughout the year. During the summer, it is a wonderful way to use an abundance of fresh zucchini, while in the colder months it brings a little Mediterranean warmth to the table.

This is honest Italian home cooking. Healthy food, simple ingredients, very little waste and plenty of flavour.

I hope you enjoy making it as much as I enjoy sharing it with you.

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INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)
Vegetables and Pasta
200g (7 oz) paccheri pasta, or any pasta you enjoy
1 medium zucchini (courgette), grated
1 medium potato, cooked until tender
Base
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 small onion, finely chopped
Liquid
500ml (2 cups) vegetable stock, reserved potato cooking water or plain water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish
30g (1 oz) Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
Fresh parsley
Lightly fried onion (optional)

OPTIONAL
Nutritional yeast for a vegan version
Cooked sausage, pancetta or bacon if you would like a meat version

COOKING METHOD
Begin by grating the zucchini and finely chopping the onion. Put a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into a saucepan and gently cook the onion together with the garlic until it becomes soft and fragrant. Add the grated zucchini and let it cook for a couple of minutes before breaking in half of the cooked potato. Stir everything together and allow the vegetables to get to know each other.

Pour in the vegetable stock, or even better, the water used to cook the potato. Season with a little salt and black pepper, then leave everything to simmer gently until the zucchini is completely soft.

Now comes the little trick that makes this dish so enjoyable. Blend the vegetables with an immersion blender until they become naturally smooth and creamy. There is no need for cream because the potato creates all the richness you need while keeping the dish light and healthy.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until it is just before al dente. Transfer it directly into the sauce together with a splash of the pasta cooking water and stir gently over the heat for another minute or two. The starch from the pasta helps the sauce cling beautifully to every piece.

Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, a little chopped parsley and, if you like, some lightly fried onion on top. If you prefer a heartier version, you can also add cooked sausage or pancetta, but I think this dish is at its very best just as it is, allowing the simple ingredients to shine.

Healthy, simple, low-cost Italian cooking that anyone can make at home.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and preparing the vegetables
00:47 Building a naturally creamy sauce
04:39 Cooking the pasta
06:40 Bringing everything together and serving

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