This zucchini fettuccine alfredo features a healthier remake of the classic sauce (no cream!) with the addition of grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.

You haven’t experienced fettuccine alfredo until you’ve tried this summery version filled with fresh veggies.

Zucchini Fettuccine Alfredo #pasta #zucchini #cheese #dinner #dinneratthezoo Zucchini Fettuccine Alfredo #pasta #zucchini #cheese #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A serving bowl of zucchini fettuccine alfredo topped with cherry tomatoes.

It’s that time of the year again: zucchini time! We decided not to go crazy with a big garden this year because we started late and there’s a drought here in California which means that water prices are sky high. I had a handful of seed packets that I had picked up for 10 cents each and we ended up planting the seeds to see if they’d sprout and then bought a couple of tomato plants.

Turns out ALL the seeds sprouted, we’ve got green beans, a pumpkin vine, snow peas, carrots and of course zucchini and summer squash. This zucchini fettuccine alfredo is a great way to use your garden bounty and I’ve lightened up the sauce too – no cream! Because really, a ton of heavy cream would negate the impact of eating the fresh vegetables. 

How do you make zucchini fettuccine alfredo?

Let’s talk about the pasta first. The lighter alfredo sauce is made with low fat milk and flavored with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese – you can’t use the green can of cheese for this recipe! Plain old fettuccine alfredo, while delicious, can also be a little boring. I’ve livened this version up with grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil and pine nuts.

Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.

I went with a variety of zucchini and summer squash – I like all of the different colors and I cut the squash in a variety of ways for more texture. I grilled my zucchini, but you can always roast or saute it if you don’t want to heat up the grill. I actually grilled my squash the day before when we already had the grill going for that night’s dinner.

Pasta in a creamy sauce topped with vegetables and pine nuts.

After the pasta is cooked and tossed with the alfredo sauce, the grilled zucchini gets mixed in along with cherry tomatoes, basil and some toasted pine nuts. Pretty easy right? It looks more complicated than it actually is. This recipe is a quick one too, it’s ready in about half an hour and it’s really a complete meal, no sides needed!

A fork in a bowl of zucchini fettuccine Alfredo pasta.

Now I can see how some of you may be wondering how this meal is kid friendly. I did serve this to my girls in a deconstructed form – they had the plain fettuccine alfredo with the zucchini and tomatoes served on the side and everyone was happy with that.

Lately I’ve been cooking in a way where I can easily customize everyone’s food without having to actually make a separate meal for the pickier eaters. This zucchini fettuccine alfredo is an example of a dinner that can be gourmet for the adults and more basic for the kids. Even if you don’t have a bumper crop of zucchini in your yard, it’s definitely worth picking some up to make this dish.

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5 from 4 votes

Zucchini Fettuccine Alfredo

AuthorSara Welch
This zucchini fettuccine alfredo features a healthier remake of the classic sauce (no cream!) with the addition of grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.
This zucchini fettuccine alfredo uses a lightened up sauce (no cream!) and features plenty of zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil and pine nuts. 
Time
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-fat milk 2%
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 12 ounces uncooked fettuccine pasta
  • 3 cups zucchini and summer squash seasoned, thinly sliced and grilled, roasted or sauteed
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
  • additional grated parmesan for serving optional

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
  • For the sauce: Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon,1 minute. Whisk in the milk, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the cream cheese parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute.
  • Drain the pasta and return it to the large pot. Add the alfredo sauce and toss to coat thoroughly. Stir in the zucchini, tomatoes, pine nuts and basil. Serve immediately with additional parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Notes

Make Ahead: The zucchini can be grilled up to 3 days in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 781mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 34.2mg | Calcium: 359mg | Iron: 3.2mg

Hello! I’m Sara!

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Comments

  1. really good! a bit bland for our taste so we added another clove of garlic, a little garlic salt and a little cayenne pepper!

  2. Such a great idea to deconstruct this for little ones! I want to devour this everyday as I love pastas that are more simple and filled with veggies!

  3. I love all the summer-y zucchini and delicious flavour going on in this fettucine. I don’t make pasta often but next time I do this will be the recipe I turn to make.

    1. Thanks Jaren, until recently I never made alfredo sauce at home because of the calories – now I don’t have to worry about that with this version! 🙂

  4. Seriously, I need this right now! I cannot get over how beautiful and tasty it looks! Might be dinner tonight 🙂

  5. This looks so yummy! I just love Italian dishes like this one because it’s sophisticated enough for the adults in our house, but noodly enough for kids!

  6. Stunning dish! Zucchini season is the best (even though I eat it year-round!)

  7. Beautiful pictures – this looks soooo good I want to take a big bite! I love that you grilled the zucchini and cut it up in different shapes!