Creamy Zucchini with Linguine

To all the reviewers who did not use all the olive oil recipe calls for: try it again following the recipe! I thought the amt was crazy too and ended up not liking the dish until I tried it again using MORE olive oil. Try me. You'll see!

Hubby usually hates zucchini but he liked this pasta dish. make sure you sautee the zucchini until they brown a bit.

I've made this twice--once as written, and once with some alterations. It's pretty good as a base as written; we had it with grilled shrimp skewers and it made a nice, relatively light dinner. The second time, I added red bell pepper and onions, along with more garlic. We had it with shrimp again, mainly because it's what we had on hand. It was a bit heartier with the extra veggies, and since I gave the onions a good, long browning time, that helped boost the flavor. It's still not a high-flavor dish, but it's tasty and a good way to get the veggies in. You could probably adapt this to whatever vegetables you have on hand and it would still be good.

this is a great recipe, i also added approx 1 cup diced chicken, and 1 tsp basil, just to use up some left overs.

The flavor in this was really great. I had some heirloom cherry tomatoes on hand so I halved those and added them after the milk reduced (also used 2% milk without problems). I'm glad I did because then the vegetable to pasta ratio was much better. Anyway, this was a very good recipe! You could easily add a lot of other vegetables and make it a primavera type of dish.

I don't think I'll be rushing to make this again, but it fulfilled a need for us for tonight...to use up some zucchini! :-) I skipped the olive oil all together (way too much!) and used a cast-iron skillet with 1T butter to nicely brown the zucchini with the garlic; deglazed the skillet with a splash of white wine; added Italian seasoning to further flavor the dish, and upped the red pepper just a bit. Thickened the sauce with a small amount of cornstarch in the milk. Reduced the amount of pasta by half and served over angelhair because I love it. It was nice, filling. Would add a lot more zucchini in the future. Thank you so much, Senorita!

This recipe was my inspiration for our todays meal after work. I used evaporated milk (some more than suggested) and let it cook down well. I also added diced ham (to the well browned zucchini) and cheese (to melt into the sauce). The sauce became very nicely rich and creamy in the way of italian panna. Without this recipe todays dinner would have been quite another thing - thanks a lot!

Very good! I followed the recipe almost to a T. We only buy fat free milk so I just used that. Will make this again.

Made this for the grands & I for lunch today. I used WW spaghetti because I was out of linguine & I used half & half for the milk. I also didn't have parmesan so I subbed some romano. I think it could have used more flavor...next time I will add more seasonings. Maybe italian seasoning, as suggested by Sunflower, would be good.

I cut this recipe in half. I did end up using a little more red pepper flake and parmesan cheese than the recipe called for. I don't keep whole milk on hand only because we drink 1%. I did use a half cup of fat free evaporated milk. Those really were small changes that really didn't affect the end result. My husband and kids thought this was okay--a lot like alfredo if you think about it only it's using EVOO instead of butter. They ate all of a halved recipe which means it's either good or they were really hungry. ;) I'd make this again when zucchini's are growing like crazy this summer.

Absolutely delicious and my whole family loves it. The only thing I add to it is diced tomatoes for color/taste. I also use 2% milk and it's perfect.

I was a little disappointed with this recipe. It just wasn't very creamy at all. I used half cup heavy cream and half a cup of whole milk. Like some other reviewers said, it was kind of bland. I don't think I would make again, even though my husband said he liked it ok. Oh, and 1/2 C olive oil is crazy. I used a tbs or 2.

I thought this was a great recipe. Easy to make. I didn't have fresh parsley so I used some dried oregano and basil. I also put extra garlic which adds a lot more flavor.

Good! Quick & easy.

This was yummy! I tweaked it around by adding shrimp, about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of sour cream and some shredded cheddar and served over whole grain spaghetti! A big hit!

Outstanding!! I love this recipe and will fix it again and again. Made it as written, except I had one med zuke and one large flying saucer squash...I tossed in some chicken to please my meat lovin husband. It was a GREAT main dish!! Thank you for a great recipe

We thought this was perfect. And I look forward to using it as a base for other ingredients I want to throw into pasta. I used heavy cream, instead of Milk. Very good!

I used teriyaki marinated zuchinni and cooked as directed then added some marinated pineapple tidbits. Instaed of parsley I used dried basil and instead o parmesean I used mozzerella. Whole family loved it even my very picky 13 yr old brother!

a little bland for my tastes but my husband LOVED it so i will be making it again!

I made this, but instead of the red pepper flakes, I used black pepper. You definitely have to use the entire amount of olive oil or the sauce won't turn out rich and creamy, that just makes sense! My family loved it! I will try a stronger cheese next time, maybe Romano.

Wonderful dish! I add carrots, peppers, and broccoli ~ delicious!

Yum. I used fettuccine, because it was what I had, an extra clove of garlic and 1% milk. The milk did curdle, which looked unappealing, but then you add the parmesan and and you can't tell which is which, so whatever. My parents thought it was better without the extra cheese on top, so you may want to try it without first. Delicious.

Husband loved it. Me, not so much BUT I'm not a fan of cream sauces to begin with.

Yummy! Extremely simple and cheap to make and really good. It is a good base for a cream sauce to which you can add other veggies or shrimp or chicken.

We love this meal! Easy, affordable, delicious!

We customized this with fresh mushrooms I had on hand and 1/2 sweet white onion. We were both pleased with the outcome.

Just OK. Needs a LOT more flavor - salt, garlic, pepper, onions. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out quite bland.

Delicious, next time though I may use a heavier cream.

I was pretty disappointed with this recipe.... so bland! I even added three times the amount of garlic called for, and fresh parsley and basil, but on my own serving I kept adding more salt. Blah. And why so much olive oil? I used less than half as much and it was still overly greasy. I used a heavier cream in place of milk, added extra parmesan and shredded Jack cheese, but everything seemed curdled and chunky and not like a thick white sauce. The zucchini, cooked first, was very mushy in the finished dish. I'd have liked it to be more crisp, added later on in the recipe. My little brother loved it tho and was shocked to find his hated zucchini was a main ingredient! & my picky-eater little sister had seconds. I guess everyone loved it except me.

I can't thank you enough for a low-cholesterol recipe for pasta with a cream sauce.

This recipe was good but I did some major tweaking after reading the reviews. Many said there was no flavor...well if you add any powdered seasonings (garlic,etc) to that much hot oil it is going to burn the flavor right out of it. I added my seasonings instead to the milk in a different pan. Other reviews said the milk curdled...you can not add any dairy product to hot oil and expect it not to curdle. I instead slowly heated the milk/seasonings and let the oil & zucchini mixture cool a little before combining the two. Turned out wonderful. Would definately use 3-4 zucchini though!! And 2% milk worked just fine. Thank you so much.

My family loved this as a side dish to steak. I added half a chopped onion which added to the flavor. My kids couldn't get enough!!

This was a good recipe - quick, easy and used things I had on-hand so there was little prep! Instead of dicing the zucchini, I used a vegetable peeler and shaved off slices, this helped it cook up faster. The flavor was good and light, perfect for this hot summer day.

I made a few changes to this recipe and next time I will make a few more. I added some finely chopped onion to brown along with the zucchini and used 2% milk instead of whole milk. Next time I will use 1/2 as much olive oil. I also added chopped ham because my husband refuses to eat a meatless dinner! Overall it was good, just a few tweaks needed.

I really liked this. I was out of milk so I used chicken broth (about a cup) and cream cheese (1/2 a package). I will try the recipe as written next time, but it was easy and a good way to get rid of my zucchini.

Great and easy recipe. I added more garlic crushed and also added chopped cherry peppers to add more spice. 2% milk worked fine since I did not have whole milk.

I did not use any olive oil; instead sauteed in 2 T light butter. Used half & half instead of milk. Looked and smelled good but was VERY bland. Tried to add more garlic, oregano, crushed red but nothing seemed to work.

This was a good base recipe but needed more oomph or it'd be too bland for me. I added bacon and sautéed it first, put it aside when crispy and then used the fat (I know it's terrible but so yummy). I added extra EVOO around 1 1/2 tablespoons)(eyeballed it) and sautéed the zucchini and asparagus for around 10 minutes. I then added leftover fresh spinach, sautéed just wilted, added 1 cup of half & half with a splash of white wine, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder. Simmered for around 7-10 minutes. Finally, I added the cooked thin spaghetti and mixed it with 1/4 cup or so of parmesan. Served it with more parmesan on top. It was really good but with the amount of fat and cheese that I put in it, it can only be on the menu once a month!

This is a great zucchini recipe. Only change I made was using half & half since I didn't have whole milk. Will definitely make this again. Don't change the olive oil amount given since it's an important component to the recipe.

Added extra garlic and parmesan and it turned out great!

It was good enough but not very interesting. I followed the recipe exactly.

I brought this to work and people kept commenting on how yummy and healthy it looked. And "Looked" only as I enjoyed this dish too much to share it! :) I used half and half to save me some time and added a dash of Italian seasoning. Next time I'll use even more zucchini...

This was delicious! The flavor was great! I did use rotini pasta instead of linguine though because I think it holds the sauce better.

I used frozen squash! Delish

Delicious! I added garlic powder and other italian seasonings at the end, as well diced tomatoes for more texture. So glad there are plenty of leftovers - yum!

I followed this recipe exactly as it is written, and the zucchini never browned, just boiled in the olive oil. Result was soggy, tasteless pieces in the heavy sauce. The dish was delicious, but next time I will brown the zucchini separate from the sauce and add it along with the pasta.

Great easy recipes! No leftovers with this one! Again, an excellent way to use up surplus zucchini! Garlic was an excellent taste!

This was very good, but I only got 2-3 serves out of it. Also the milk curdled, but it tasted OK. I only used about 3 tbsp of oil and the zucchini shrank so much that next time I'd use 3 or 4 of them.

I loved this. I will use more zucchini next time for 12 oz of linquini and I added more garlic (my preference). Thanks for the post!!

A really good base, but I ended up adding to it after reading the reviews. I used my homemade cajun seasoning, whipping cream, and some lemon pepper. Added red peppers and onions. Everything else the same! I guess it was cajun pasta ;) Served with cajun shrimp. SO DELISH. My one year old and two year old loved the zucchini in here and actually picked it out to eat!! I used the whole 1/2 c of olive oil for sauteeing the veggies before making the sauce with the dried bits on my skillet.

YUM! I changed a few things but this is a really good basic pasta that's super good. I added a chopped up red bell pepper and in the end threw in some prosciutto. I also added more zucchini, garlic, and red pepper flakes than were originally called for. I would make this again.

This was wonderful. I used the amt of oil the recipe called for. I did everything according to directions. I loved it! Will definately make again!

This was yummy, my guests loved it. However, I am wondering if the amount of olive oil is correct. Is it really 3/4 of a cup? Then, when the zucchini is done cooking do you drain the olive oil off or do you mix the milk right into the oil? I drained the oil, but wonder if I did the right thing.

It was a very simple recipe and it was delicious. Simple and delicious is my favorite kind of cooking! Added bonus - got rid of some zucchini from the garden.

i wasnt to crazy about this dish but my friends liked it so I guess it cant be too bad

It was okay, a little bland for my taste, but my husband and my one year old really liked it. Will make it again for them.

I only made 8oz of linguine but kept everything else the same. Well, no I didn't. The amount of olive oil is ridiculous, it has to be a mistake. I didn't even use half of that. I didn't want my zucchini to get soggy so I took them out before adding the half and half to the pan (I did change that too, no milk). I added the noddles and then the zucchini back in. I liked the dish but I agree that it needed more flavor to it. So...I added some more cheese, some more salt and some black pepper.

Good tasting overall but I found that oil a bit much. I would reduce it if I made this again.

This was great! You do want LARGE zucchini though if you're using two! And you do need ALL THE OLIVE OIL!! It's part of the sauce, not just meant to cook the veggies!

Recipe exceeded my expectation!!! I added three pieces of bacon to the oil after the zucchini..Also added 1lb of grilled chicken to the mixture while cooking down the sauce...Excellent!!!

I thought this was an excellent recipe! I read the reviews and based on those, I made the following changes: doubled the garlic, 1 tsp of garlic salt, 1 tsp of curry, 1 tsp of italian seasoning, and 1/2 pound of salad shrimp that I added in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Everything else was the same, including the 1/2 cup of olive oil. I tell you what, that was one of the best recipes I have ever put in my mouth! Will definitely fix this again...

So, so good! I used 2% milk instead of whole and angle hair instead of linguine....added some fresh basil and even more red pepper flakes....DELICIOUS!!!!!

I have made this many times everytime it gets better. Great base recipe that you can play with to make many wonderful dishes!

easy and good-just use LESS oil

Well I thought this was just excellent and we did not find it bland. I do think you need to use the called for amount of olive oil. I did and mine was not at all greasy. I also added 2 more cloves of garlic and a 1/2 tsp of pepper. Instead of red pepper flakes I just used red pepper and I used 1/4 tsp of that (so I used red and black pepper), and I added 1 tsp of Italian seasoning. Lastly, I used heavy cream instead of milk. I don't see milk actually getting very "creamy". Simmer for about 10 minutes as called for and it should thicken nicely. Plus if you stir enough it will blend with the oil. My zucchini ended up not being any good, so I had to use yellow squash in this. Loved it. I agree with others that you need more squash, and a variety of veggies would be nice. I cooked the squash and garlic for about 5 minutes before I added the cream and my veggies did not get mushy. We added chicken for some protein and had a very nice dinner!

Awesome. Just made this tonight. I added chicken, which really made the recipe. I used skim milk and the recipe came out just fine. THE OIL IS NECESSARY!!!

Thia surprisingly very tasty. I have never been a fan of zucchini. This definitely won me over!

This recipe will be added to our normal rotation. I can see that this might not be so good if you omit the 1/2 c of olive oil OR the pepper flakes. Those two ingredients really did it for me! I think I may add some mushrooms and/or bacon next time too!

It just wasn't creamy! I'll try again, but make my own creamy sauce.

I agree with the other reviewers who emphasize the need to use the amount of olive oil called for. I used 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 lowfat milk. When I make the recipe again I will increase the amount of zucchini.

This turned out really good, like something you would get at a restaurant. I followed the directions except for adding some onion, 1 roma tomato, and italian seasoning. I would be extra yummy with some shrimp added to the mix!

I am a vegan so I did change some of the ingredients especially after reading the other reviews. I used almond milk and nutritional yeast, along with vegan Parmesan cheese. I used fresh basil and oregano from my garden. I also used 3 zucchini instead of the recommended 2, and lots of garlic! My husband and I really enjoyed this. I would definitely make this again, only next time make some fresh bread to dip in the sauce!

only OK, short on taste

I made this recipe for my husband and I last night for dinner and it was really good! We both loved it. It would be good with garlic toast or bread on the side as well. It makes plenty so you have leftovers as well, enough for another meal or two. Next time we make this recipe, we will add more zucchini and more (1/3 -1/2 teaspoon)red pepper. My husband and I like things a little more zippy, not too hot however.

I halved this recipe due to the amount of ingredients that I had. I followed the recipe exactly, and I have to say that you can probably get away with decreasing the amount of oil slightly. I do think that a large amount is needed however. I tasted this before I added the parmesan and thought "oh this is not going to be that great". After I added the parmesan I had to resist eating it all right then. So for me the parmesan is what brings all of the flavors together and makes them complimentary. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.

Try with shrimp, red peppers?

I thought this receipe was great in a pinch! I usually don't make creamy receipes since I don't stock heavy creams. I was surprised how creamy and flavorful this quick recipe was! I will make it again.

Delicious! I always jack up the amount of zucchini- I use a whole pound package from Trader Joe's, & half the amount of pasta so it has enough sauce still (since the extra zucchini soaks it all up). If you do not want to modify the recipe- definitely make sure to use the full amount of oil! It looks like too much when you 1st make it, but the amount is perfect. However, last night I tried a low-fat version & it came out just as well! Use 1/4c oil, 1/4c broth (I am vegetarian so I used veggie broth) & a splash of white wine. The oiliness is still enough to make a creamy sauce, & the flavor from the wine & broth blends really well- for half the calories! Add extra red pepper flakes & parsley if you want additional flavor with no more added fat. I also grill up some fake chicken sometimes as an added protein topper.

Very good. I used yellow squash because it is what I had. Would also be good with a few tomatoes. Oh, also added a little fresh basil.

I was a little afraid of using all of the olive oil it called for and i'm glad I did this came out SO GOOD my husband could not stop saying how good this came out, I did add extra garlic & crushed red pepper for our liking and fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, AWESOME!! Thankyou for sharing with us your recipe.

I just made this for my family, and everybody (even the slightly picky eaters) loved it! It wasn't as heavy as I was expecting. The only change I made was adding some diced onions as another reader suggested. Also, I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I used dried. Delicious!

Was a fantastic base recipe! I would suggest triple garlic, or adding the garlic later on so it has a stronger flavor. I added some cherry tomatoes to mine as well. Otherwise I did the recipe the way it called for! Family loved it! Even the hubby who dislikes zucchini!

The rating I gave isn't really fair, considering I changed quite a bit. I'd say the original is a good base recipe, but add what you like to create more flavor. My additions: 1/2 and 1/2 instead of whole milk, doubled the garlic, italian seasoning, red peppers, onions and added monterey jack cheese in the sauce to make it slightly cheesier.

There is nothing new with this recipe, by that I mean there is no surprising wedding of flavors. But I like it as it is easy made, pretty cheap and it is good! Indeed the olive oil is a major ingredient.

I really liked this recipe! I added white and green beans. Delicious!

I prepared this pretty much as written, except I cut the zucchini julienne instead of dicing, and instead of browning, I cooked until it was just tender before adding the other ingredients. That way, it doesn't end up all mushy. My husband HATES zucchini, but couldn't resist seconds on this dish!

I thought this recipe was very bland. I followed the recipe down to the t. If it wasn't for the salmon that i added to the dish at the last moment, i think it would have been a waste of food.

This creamy delicious dish was a great hit at my dinner party. Very yummy!

Take the seeds off the zucchini. Very good recipe.

Added mushrooms and used 1% milk, as it was all I had at the time. i also added mozzarella cheese with the parmesan. it’s pretty good!

It was a hit for my family! I doubled the garlic and red pepper flakes. It gave it more flavor without being hot.

Delicious! I added chopped fried bacon about, 4 strips. Also added chicken but instead of boiling chicken I chopped it added to olive oil to brown in the same pan as the bacon after bacon was done. Added season salt to chicken. Added onion and some garlic powder to zucchini while simmering. I would make again. Great dish!

Great taste, but the sauce turned brown from being created in the same pan with the zucchini. Next time I'll prepare the sauce in a separate pan.

i made this dish as a quick and easy late night dinner for my husband and i. I have to say it was real good not too heavy but filling. i added summer squash to it and it was delicious!

I made this dish and entered it in a cooking competition. I won. I read the reviews and adjusted the recipe accordingly. I reduced the milk by 1/4 cup and replaced it with heavy cream. I added cherry tomato halves that were marinated in balsamic vinegar and sesame oil. I also boiled a chicken thigh and added the meat. (I boiled the pasta in the chicken water!)

Excellent healthy meal! Thank you for sharing. It is so hard to find yummy, low cholesterol dishes that the whole family will eat. I did tweak it by adding some oregano and onion for more taste. I also used 2% milk instead of whole and it turned out just as creamy.

Totaly bland. If I had to make this again I would add a lot of crushed red pepper.

This was so good! I increased the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp and added more parm. cheese and fresh parsley. Otherwise awesome!

Had some zucchini on hand that needed to be used. Also had linguine so I made this up for dinner tonight. Had to use dried parsley and grated Parmesan but it turned out delicious. Wonder how much better it will be with fresh Parmesan and parsley! This recipe is a keeper and my husband suggested adding chicken next time.