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Pasta e zucca is a cherished family recipe I grew up with, using a type of squash called zucca napoletana—a long, green-skinned variety typical in southern Italy. The dish combines pasta and squash, creating a comforting, almost stew-like meal, with pasta cooked in the same pot like risotto. This method allows the pasta to absorb all the rich flavors from the squash, garlic, and chili, resulting in a thick, flavorful, and hearty dish that’s perfect for winter family meals.

Pasta and Zucca - Pasta and Squash

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings 2 people

Equipment

Large soup pot or Dutch oven
Small pot or kettle
Wooden spoon
Ladle
Individual bowls for serving

Ingredients

For the pasta and squash

▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 2 garlic cloves - peeled and minced
▢ ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes - (optional)
▢ 500 g winter squash - (e.g., butternut squash), peeled and diced into 2 cm / 1 in cubes
▢ 160 g mixed small pasta - (or small tubular pasta, wheels, or short pasta)
▢ Salt to taste

For garnish

▢ A drizzle extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 handful parsley - finely chopped

Ingredient Notes

The preferred pasta for this recipe is pasta mista which translates to “mixed pasta” in English. Pasta mista is a blend of leftover pasta from different packages, with various shapes and sizes, combined for soup pasta dishes. Rather than discarding these smaller quantities that might not be enough for a portion, this mixed pasta is perfect for recipes like pasta and zucca, pasta and fagioli, pasta and piselli. It’s also common for this recipe and similar dishes to use pasta spezzata, or ‘broken pasta’: long pasta shapes (spaghetti or linguine) broken up by hand into shorter pieces.

Instructions

Prepare the base

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, large enough to cook the vegetables and the pasta, add the extra virgin olive oil.
Add the crushed garlic and dried red pepper flakes (if using) to the oil. Sauté until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.

Cook the squash

Add the diced squash to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash softens and absorbs the flavors.
Pour enough water to cover the squash, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes until the squash is tender.

Cook the pasta

In a separate small pot or kettle, bring 2 cups of water to the simmer. When warm, turn off the heat.
Add the pasta and ½ cup of water from the small pot or kettle. If needed, add an additional ½ cup of water to ensure that both the pasta and squash are entirely covered with water without exceeding their level.
Cook the pasta over medium-low heat without a lid. Stirring with a wooden spoon often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
TIP: When cooking the pasta, check the cooking time on the package, and add 1-2 more minutes as cooking pasta with vegetables requires a little more time.
As the pasta cooks, it will start slowly absorbing the water. You might need to add more hot water, a ladle at a time if the soup starts to dry out and there’s not enough liquid to fully cook the pasta. Check by tasting: if the pasta is too hard for your taste and there is not enough liquid, add more water as needed.
TIP: The final texture of pasta and squash should be a creamy, dense soup without an overly thick consistency. Throughout the process, increase the heat if you find that the pasta and squash are still too soupy. Add a little bit of water if the soup is too thick. Adjust water and heat as you go.
The pasta and squash are ready when the pasta is still al dente (check by tasting) and all the ingredients are combined in a creamy but not too thick consistency.

Final touches

When the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and adjust the seasoning with salt.
Serve the pasta e zucca in individual bowls, garnishing with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

To Prepare in Advance
You can prepare the squash and garlic base a day in advance. Store it in the fridge, and when ready to serve, reheat the base and add water and pasta to complete the dish according to the recipe.

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