Name: Mediterranean Penne with Zucchini and Pine Nuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12-16 ounces penne pasta; 3 Tablespoons 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)

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.

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Special diet: gluten-free option, soy-free, vegan

Bowl of penne pasta with tomatoes, zucchini, and pine nuts.

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This Mediterranean Penne recipe is inspired by one of my favorite pasta with vegetable sauce dishes, spaghetti with zucchini. It's just as foolproof to make but takes the flavors 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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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
Amy's tip
Variations
Instructions
Serving suggestions
Storing
More vegan zucchini recipes
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Why you'll love this recipe

You can make it with only 7 ingredients (plus salt and pepper).
It's ready to eat in 30 minutes.
It's bursting with Mediterranean flavors from garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients

Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, garlic, package of penne, bag of pine nuts, bottles of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and salt and pepper grinders on a cutting board.

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.

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.

Amy's tip

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.

Variations

Add additional vegetables like colorful sweet bell pepper strips or sliced mushrooms
Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil in place of the cherry tomatoes
Stir in Kalamata olives or capers
Top with fresh basil leaves, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, or some grated vegan parmesan cheese

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Bowl of Vegan Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad with Tofu Feta.

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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.