A simple yet flavorful rustic pasta dish, Mediterranean penne features tender zucchini, sweet cherry tomatoes, and buttery pine nuts. It's easy to make any night of the week in 30 minutes with only 7 ingredients.
Inspired by one of my favorite pasta with vegetable sauce dishes, spaghetti with zucchini, it's just as foolproof to make but takes the flavor up a notch with garlic, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Like my other easy vegan pasta recipes, you can keep it simple or make it your own by adding your favorite ingredients.
The key is allowing the zucchini to cook down so that it releases most of its water content, resulting in the perfect texture. Then add fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegar for a delicious balance of flavors that pair wonderfully with al dente penne pasta.
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This came in super handy for a quick and easy dinner tonight that all my kids loved! Thank you!
- Jessica
Ingredients
Penne pasta: I chose gluten-free made from a blend of rice and corn, but any variety will work, including those made from legumes. Refer to the cooking directions on the package.
Zucchini squash: Cut off and discard the ends of the zucchini before halving them lengthwise and slicing into half moons. This will help remove any potential bitterness.
Pine nuts: I recommend purchasing dry toasted pine nuts. But if you have raw pine nuts, you can toast them in the oven or on the stove before making this Mediterranean penne pasta.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Instructions
- Cook the penne according to the package directions. Reserve about a cup of the starchy cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside.
- Saute the zucchini in the olive oil in a large skillet until very tender and reduced in size.
- Add the garlic and tomatoes and saute about a minute longer.
- Stir in the pine nuts and balsamic vinegar.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss everything together to combine, adding a little of the reserved cooking water at a time, as necessary, and enjoy.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy this Mediterranean penne on its own as a complete meal, or pair it with your favorite dishes. I particularly enjoy it with Greek chickpea and avocado salad and rosemary and nutritional yeast tofu. And in cooler weather, lemony herbed white bean soup is the perfect starter.
If you're looking for more ways to enjoy zucchini the Mediterranean way, try my sauteed zucchini and tomatoes with basil or garlic and rosemary grilled vegetable skewers next.
Made this recipe or have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 For even more recipes, join the Veggies Save The Day community. It's less like a newsletter and more like emails between friends.
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Mediterranean Penne with Zucchini and Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounces penne pasta
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds zucchini, ends removed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the penne according to the package directions. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside.12-16 ounces penne pasta
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and reduced in size.3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 pounds zucchini
- Add the garlic and tomatoes and saute until fragrant, about one minute.3 cloves garlic, 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- Stir in the pine nuts and balsamic vinegar.¼ cup toasted pine nuts, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss everything together to combine, adding a little of the reserved cooking water at a time, as necessary, and enjoy.salt and pepper
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation.
JoAnn says
What can I substitute for the pine nuts
Amy Katz says
You can simply leave them out. No substitution necessary.
Suzy says
Quick, easy and tasty! I upped the tomatoes and the zucchini and reduced the pasta to the recommended 2 oz/person serving. That brought the calories down nicely! 😉 I omitted the pine nuts too, I'm not a fan of their flavor. But using a good balsamic gave the flavor a real boost! Next time, a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan on top. Thanks for this great recipe!
Amy Katz says
I'm glad you were able to modify the recipe to make it work for you, Suzy!
Jessica says
This came in super handy for a quick and easy dinner tonight that all my kids loved! Thank you!
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy that everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment, Jessica!