Shrimp and zucchini pasta recipe with summer corn
This quick and easy shrimp and zucchini pasta with corn is a delicious summer meal. The pasta is coated in a light lemon butter sauce and topped with nutty parmesan cheese, making this tasty recipe a perfect low effort dinner.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my creamy chicken spinach pasta and my roasted vegetable pasta recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my pasta recipes in one place.
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Shrimp and zucchini pasta with summer corn
This summery pasta recipe is best when corn and zucchini are in season, but it can be enjoyed any time of the year. The recipe is quick and simple, making it a weeknight favorite.
Feel free to add in additional vegetables, capers or olives for a salty bite, or additional herbs.
The NYT recipe for linguine with zucchini was the inspiration for this recipe.
What you need to know
This shrimp and zucchini pasta (or for my friends across the pond, pasta with courgette and prawns) will take about 30 minutes from start to finish, less if you’re speedy in the kitchen.
If fresh corn is available, use it. The cobs will go into the pasta water as it is coming up to a boil, and give the water a bit of extra flavor for the pasta to absorb.
My other important tip is to grate the cheese yourself instead of buying pre-grated or shredded. I’ve made this dish a few times, and I tested it with pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese tends to clump up, and doesn’t blend into the sauce very well. Buy a block of cheese and grate it for best results and a silky sauce.
Ingredients
This shrimp and zucchini pasta with corn uses mostly pantry ingredients, so you will only have to shop for a few items.
- Corn – Fresh corn is best here if it is available. We’ll use the cobs and the kernels.
- Substitution: Use frozen or canned corn if fresh is not available.
- Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper – These add flavor to our dish.
- Garlic – Garlic makes everything better, but if you can’t eat it or don’t like it, swap it out for a shallot.
- Lemon – We’ll use the zest and the juice to make a silky lemon butter sauce to coat the pasta.
- Butter and olive oil – Used to sauté and create a light sauce.
- Pasta – Any shape you have is fine.
- Shrimp – Peeled and deveined, I like to use medium-sized shrimp. You’ll get 30 – 40 shrimp per pound at this size.
- Cheese – Buy a small block of parmesan or pecorino Romano and grate it yourself for best results.
- Zucchini – Look for firm, bright green zucchini without any blemishes.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make shrimp and zucchini pasta. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
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- Boil – Bring a pot of water to a boil. If you’re using fresh corn, toss the cobs in the water. Cook pasta, then drain.
- Cook shrimp in a large skillet, just until pink. Be careful not to overcook. Set aside.
- Add corn and zucchini to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients for sauce.
- Add shrimp and pasta to the pan, gently toss to coat in lemon butter sauce.
Shrimp and zucchini pasta FAQ’s
Variations and substitutions
- Vegetarian – To make this dish vegetarian, omit shrimp, or replace with chickpeas for protein.
- Tomatoes – Toss in a handful of ripe summer tomatoes for a tasty variation. Consider adding basil if you are adding tomatoes.
- If fresh summer sweet corn isn’t available, swap with frozen or canned corn.
Helpful tools and equipment
- A microplane zester is one of the most used tools in my kitchen. It makes quick work of zesting citrus, and grating cheese.
- This mini food processor is perfect for blitzing up chunks of hard parmesan or pecorino Romano into the perfect texture for sprinkling.
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Shrimp and zucchini pasta with corn
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn about 2 ears / 250ml
- ½ pound pasta 227g / reserve 1 cup pasta water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined / 454g
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic minced (measure with your heart, add more if you prefer)
- 1 medium zucchini cut into quarters, then each quarter thinly sliced (courgette)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon zest and juice + extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to your preferences
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese + extra for sprinkling on top (*see note)
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped, optional / chives are also a good option
Instructions
- If using fresh corn, cut the corn off the cob. Reserve the cobs. Set corn aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (*If you have corn cobs, add them to the pot as it is coming to a boil. Then use tongs to remove the cobs when the water is boiling, and you're ready to add the pasta)Add pasta and cook according to directions. Just before pasta is done cooking, remove 1 cup of pasta water, set aside.Drain pasta, then drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, stir to coat the pasta, cover and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer. Season shrimp with half of the salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes per side.Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
- Add half of the butter to the same pan, then add garlic. Cook for one minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn, then add sliced zucchini and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add corn and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium, then add pasta to the pan with the zucchini and corn, stir to combine. Add ¾ cup pasta water, zest and juice of 1 lemon, remaining butter, and cheese. Stir to combine. Add shrimp to pan, and gently stir until you have a glossy sauce – this will take a couple of minutes. Add chopped parsley or chives, if desired, and top with additional cheese and lemon zest.
Notes
- You may or may not need the full cup of pasta water. I always end up using all of it. This depends on how loose or tight you like the sauce.
- For the cheese – I have found that pre-shredded or grated cheese tends to clump up and doesn’t work as well. For best results, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself. I buy a block of Pecorino Romano, then cut it into small chunks and blitz it in the food processor. This gives me the perfect sprinkling texture, and it works beautifully in the sauce. No clumping.
- Use whatever pasta you have – any shape is fine.
Nutrition
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