Creamy Pasta with Zucchini

Just a handful of ingredients go into this quick pasta toss; it's a great way to take advantage of a bumper crop of zucchini. You can add many different veggies to make this your way. You could dice onions and saute it in the olive oil until translucent before adding the garlic. Diced tomatoes and fresh mushrooms would be delicious as well. You can use farfalle or penne in place of linguine, if desired.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 455 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds zucchini, shredded and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or to taste (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.

Step 2

Whisk milk and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth.

Step 3

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir minced garlic in hot butter until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Whisk in milk mixture; season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, add Parmesan cheese, and whisk until cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in parsley and remove from heat.

Step 4

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute sliced garlic in hot oil until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Increase heat to high and stir zucchini, pinch of salt, and pinch of black pepper into skillet; cook and stir until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Stir sauce and Cheddar cheese into zucchini mixture; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Toss zucchini sauce and linguine together in a large bowl and garnish with basil.