Oh my gosh, I’ve made something yummy.

The weather has been really back and forth lately. One day rainy, the next day bright and beautiful.

Therefore, please forgive the fact that my recipes follow a very broad definition of “seasonal” and are entirely unpredictable. That’s why I love things like this pasta that are fairly multi-seasonal. Zucchini is a mid to late summer veggie but you can change it out with what’s in season and available to you locally. Although, we live in a modern age so it’s likely that you have access to fresh zucchini year-round, however, if you want to add asparagus in the springtime or butternut squash in the fall then that would be awesome too.

It’s a super easy meal to throw together and pretty economical too, for those of you searching for budget friendly meals. It makes a great weeknight dinner and, like I already said, it works for almost every season.

Creamy Zucchini Penne Pasta (Vegan+GF)
This pasta dish is about as simple as it gets combining a simple cream sauce and some fresh veggies.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 - 8 servings
Ingredients
16 ounces uncooked penne noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
4 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion chopped
3 medium zucchini chopped into small cubes
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
2 1/2 cups unflavored plant-based milk
1/2 cup coconut cream *see note
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregeno
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons cashew butter
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Instructions
Cook the noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over low heat and add garlic, onion, and zucchini. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until zucchini is softened, then turn off heat pour mixture into a separate dish.
In the still warm pan, whisk in lemon, milk, and starch until smooth, then return to medium-low heat and slowly whisk until completely smooth with no lumps. Increase heat to medium and stir gently until it begins to thicken. Stir in coconut cream, cashew butter, nutritional yeast, oregeno, parsley, salt, and pepper then add to pan and stir until smoothly melted in.
Reduce heat to low and add zucchini/garlic mixture. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until warmed through, then add pasta and gently mix to coat in sauce.
Serve hot topped with additional nutritional yeast if desired.
Recipe Notes
If you have trouble finding coconut cream at your local grocery store it's completely fine to use full-fat coconut milk and scrape the cream off of the top. Just be sure that it's cold enough to separate.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Oatmeal Cookies & Cream Skillet Cookies
2. Vanilla Crepes + Berries
3. Spicy Cheddar Chili Queso Dip
4. Breakfast Burritos
5. Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Trifles