• Total time: 30 minutes with 15 minutes of prep work.
• Main ingredients: Zucchini, garlic, shallots, white beans, vegetable broth, and ditalini pasta.
• When to serve: You want a healthy pasta packed with vegetables. Can be served as a main dish or side to baked chicken kabobs. 
• Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean diet, vegetarian and vegan diet, and is dairy free friendly. It is customizable to a gluten free diet, as well as a migraine diet. 
• Why you’ll love it: This zucchini pasta uses an Italian cooking technique of simmering the ditalini pasta in the zucchini sauce so you get a super flavorful, creamy pasta dish without any heavy cream. White beans not only add to the creaminess, but also pack in fiber and nutrition without overpowering the flavor, allowing the zucchini to shine.

• Ingredients
• Recipe Variations 
• How to Make Zucchini Pasta with Ditalini
• Tip for Blending Zucchini Sauce
• Storage Information
• Serving Suggestions
• More Zucchini Recipes
• Easy Zucchini Pasta Recipe

Step 1: In a large pan, like enameled cast iron, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook till softened and browned, then add in the garlic and chopped zucchini. Stir to cook for about 3 minutes till the zucchini is softened and brown in parts. 

Step 2: Pour the broth into the pan and add in drained and rinsed white beans, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boil over high heat for boil for 1 minute. Use an immersion blender to blend about half to the veggies and beans into a creamy sauce.

Step 3: Once the liquid has returned to a boil, add the ditalini pasta and cook, stirring often for about 10-12 minutes until the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Stir in the lemon juice and cheese, if using.

Step 4: Spoon the pasta into shallow bowls and top with zest and thinly sliced basil. 

• 1 Immersion blender or Regular blender

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ▢ 2 shallots, diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 pound zucchini, about 2 medium zucchini, diced into ½-inch cubes , about 3 cups diced
• ▢ 15 ounces canned white beans, drained and rinsed, also called cannellini beans
• ▢ 4-5 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth, plus more if needed (plan to use around 4 cups), choose a more flavorful brand, like Bonafide
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ black pepper, freshly ground
• ▢ 12 ounces ditalini pasta
• ▢ 3 ounces Boursin garlic and herb cheese, optional, but recommended for flavor
• ▢ Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped zucchini and saute for 3 minutes.

• Pour 4 cups of broth into the pan and add the drained and rinsed white beans, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the veggies and beans to create a rich and creamy sauce. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a measuring cup to remove about half of the veggies and beans, plus about 1 cup of the broth, and transfer it to a blender. Blend until smooth, then add it back into the pan.)

• Once the liquid has returned to a boil, add the ditalini and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes. If needed, add more broth to thin out the sauce. Stir in Boursin cheese, if using. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve in shallow bowls with more freshly ground black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, basil, and lemon zest on top. Enjoy!

• Broth measurements – This varied based on what kind of pan was used (wider used more broth), ditalini pasta brands (smaller ditalini used less broth), and boiling time. 4 cups worked well in testing, but I recommend having at least 5 cups on hand, just in case the sauce is too thick. 
• A note on cheese – Although this pasta is great dairy free, everyone preferred it with added 1/2 round of Boursin garlic and herb, or 1/2 cup grated parmesan. If you do not use any cheese, do not skip the lemon juice.
• HYH/low histamine – Use Boursin instead of added lemon. 

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Alicia Wolf

Alicia is a recipe developer, migraine advocate and the bestselling author of two books - The Dizzy Cook and The Mediterranean Migraine Diet. Her recipes and story have appeared in the New York Times, Healthline, Parade, mindbodygreen, Today, the Vestibular Disorders Association, Danielle Foundation, and the American Migraine Foundation. Read More

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HDHeal Your Headache (HYH)MDMediterranean Migraine DietGFGluten FreeHPHigh ProteinVVegetarian

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HDHeal Your Headache (HYH)MDMediterranean Migraine DietGFGluten FreeVVegetarian