Goat cheese spaghetti with zucchini is a quick yet elegant pasta dish with a creamy lemon goat cheese sauce. It's perfect for serving guests.
Goat cheese pasta with zucchini (courgettes) in a creamy sauce made with heavy cream and lemon is truly something special.
Pasta is not something I would necessarily make for guests. I make pasta at least once a week for the family, but I rarely purposely make it when somebody comes for dinner. We love pasta and everything. I have rarely eaten a pasta dish that I didn't like, but normally, I think that serving pasta to guests is too simple when entertaining. I feel the need to put a bit more effort into my cooking, a way of honoring the guests, I suppose.
Yet this zucchini goat cheese spaghetti dish is an exception. I've treated guests to it several times already, and it has been a success every time.
This Spaghetti with Aubergines recipe is also fit for guests.
Ingredients
Goat gouda cheese is white and shaped like regular cheese, but it has a different taste. It's a bit more expensive than regular Gouda, so I usually enjoy it on its own with bread or on a cheese platter. It tastes amazing with fig marmalade or honey. If you're not familiar with goat cheese, don't worry—goat Gouda is mild and perfect for first-time tasters. You can replace it with regular Gouda or cheddar, but the dish will taste different.
Zucchini: I used a yellow zucchini, which made the dish look even prettier, but green zucchini works just fine, too.
Other ingredients: heavy cream, garlic, 1 large lemon, fresh thyme, and vegetable broth (bouillon cube is fine).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Tip
If you happen to have a spiralizer, you can use it to cut the zucchini. Otherwise, slice it thinly with a vegetable peeler.
Goat Cheese Spaghetti with Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini Note
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 garlic cloves
- 14 oz spaghetti
- 1 large lemon
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups grated goat Gouda cheese
- 3-4 sprigs thyme
- fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini into long strips using a vegetable peeler. If you have a spiralizer, you could use that as well.
- Marinate: In a large bowl, mix the heavy cream and the grated garlic cloves. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the zucchini stripes in the cream and leave to marinate for about 20 – 30 minutes or until you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet's instructions.
- Grate cheese: In the meantime, grate the goat Gouda and chop the thyme leaves very finely.
- Combine: Drain the spaghetti and place them back in the pot. Add the zucchini and the cream, about ¾ of the lemon juice, and the vegetable broth. Stir well but very gently, taking care not to break the zucchini stripes too much (I find that using two forks works best in this case).
- Add cheese: Heat everything together, then add the cheese and the thyme. Stir again to mix everything and to help the cheese melt. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if necessary. Serve immediately with a green salad.
Brie says
What a classy pasta dish! I find goat cheese a little strong but goat gouda sounds like a delicious more mellow cheese great for everyone's tastes. Looove the bright addition of lemon and thyme - perfect for summer!
Marvellina @ What To Cook Today says
I've never had goat cheese on pasta dish before. I have to try that. I find goat cheese a bit strong for me ,but I can see it works well on pasta