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Perfect week night recipe for lemon and courgette spaghetti. It's flavoured with lemon, parsley and black pepper and makes a great midweek meal. I also like to add some chilli pepper too for a bit of a spicy kick!

When I first created this simple but delicious lemon and courgette pasta recipe, it was partly because I was aiming to eat more fruit and vegetables. I had a spiralizer and I really wanted to use it. The spiralizer cuts the courgette into long thin ribbons which are perfect with spaghetti or in salads and stir fries.

Some recipes replace the spaghetti entirely with courgette but I know that wouldn't fill me up. I'd be looking for snacks in a couple of hours. I still wanted to eat pasta, just a pasta dish filled with vegetables too.

This spaghetti fits the bill perfectly. It's light and fresh from the courgette, herbs and lemon but the creme fraiche gives it that comfort food factor too. Plus, the chilli I add gives it a delicious spicy kick!

It's also quick to prepare and cook. But, I have to admit that I find the spiralizer far too much effort these days. It's quicker to just slice the courgettes rather than get the spiralizer out of the cupboard, assemble it and then wash it afterwards.

What ingredients do you need for lemon and courgette spaghetti?

To make this tasty vegetarian pasta recipe you'll need:

Pasta- If you are spiralising your vegetables then spaghetti works best but if you're just going to slice the courgette then feel free to use any shape of pasta.
Courgette
Garlic - Use freshly crushed garlic if possible but garlic paste also works.
Creme fraiche - I like the slighly more acidic taste of creme fraiche but you can use double cream instead.
Lemon - You need to use a fresh lemon to juice it for the sauce. If you want to make it super lemony you could even grate some of the zest before you juice it.
Seasoning - Lots of black pepper and a little salt
Chilli pepper - I didn't add a chilli pepper when I first published this recipe but now I do every time! It makes it super tasty.
Herbs - I think chopped fresh parsley goes really well with the lemon and courgette in this pasta dish but you could use basil instead
Parmesan - I like to add a little on top but you can use a different cheese instead. As parmesan isn't vegetarian you might want to adapt it to suit your diet too.

Ingredients for lemon and courgette spaghetti

How do you make lemon and courgette spaghetti?

This recipe is so simple and there is a full recipe card further down the post too.

Boil the spaghetti and just before it is ready, add the slice (or spiralized) courgette.

In another pan, stir fry the chilli pepper and garlic.

Then drain the pasta (reserving a little water to stir into the sauce if necessary) and add it to the pan with the chilli pepper and garlic. Add the lemon juice, creme fraiche, herbs and seasoning. Stir to heat through.

If you are using chopped rather than spiralized courgette you can stir fry it for a couple of minutes with the garlic and chilli pepper instead of cooking it with the pasta. Then add the spaghetti and sauce ingredients (lemon, creme fraiche, herbs and seasoning) to the pan with the courgette.

How to make creamy lemon courgette spaghetti

Adaptations and Substitutions

Feel free to adapt this a little to suit your tastes. You could stir fry a few more vegetables with the garlic and chilli pepper if you want. For example you could add onions and peppers.

Instead of using creme fraiche you could use cream, coconut cream or thick coconut milk

What can you do with the leftovers?

Personally, I think this lemon courgette spaghetti recipe is best served and eaten when freshly cooked. However, any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. You can then reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan with a splash of extra water.

You will find that the spaghetti will probably absorb more of the sauce and the dish will be a bit softer overall when reheated.

Pan of creamy lemon and courgette spaghetti

Recipe

Lemon and Courgette Spaghetti

Corina Blum

Easy weeknight pasta recipe for lemon and courgette spaghetti. It's flavoured with lemon, parsley, chilli pepper and black pepper and makes a great midweek meal.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Main Course, pasta

Cuisine International, Italian

Servings

Calories 400 kcal

Ingredients

150 g spaghetti
2 medium-sized courgette thinly sliced or spiralized
1-2 chilli peppers use more if you want it hotter!
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tablespoon creme fraiche
1 lemon juiced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch salt
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoon A little grated parmesan

Instructions

Cook the spaghetti.
When the spaghetti is almost ready, add the courgette and continue to cook for another minute. Alternatively, stir fry the courgette with the garlic and chilli pepper in the next step
Heat a little oil in a large pan. Fry the garlic and chilli pepper for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Drain the pasta and courgette and add it to the pan with the garlic and chilli.
Add the creme fraiche, half of the lemon juice, salt, black pepper, a little parmesan and most of the parsley. Stir in. Taste and add the rest of the lemon juice if you think it needs it.
Serve with a little parmesan cheese and the rest of the chopped parsley.

Video

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 15gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 822mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1209IUVitamin C: 79mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 2mg

Keyword lemon courgette spaghetti

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Why not try my courgetti salad with baharat seasoning?

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