• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Pasta Project logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Italy’s Regions
    • Abruzzo
    • Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta or Val d’Aosta)
    • Basilicata
    • Campania
    • Calabria
    • Emilia-Romagna
    • Friuli Venezia Giulia
    • Lazio (Latium)
    • Liguria
    • Lombardy
    • Le Marche Region; the next Tuscany
    • Molise, Italy’s second smallest region.
    • Piedmont-Piemonte
    • Puglia
    • Sardinia
    • Sicily, the food and the pasta!
    • Trentino-Alto Adige (South Tyrol)
    • Tuscany (Toscana) the Food and Pasta.
    • Umbria, the green heart of Italy
    • Veneto
  • Pasta and recipes by region
    • Abruzzo
    • Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta)
    • Basilicata
    • Calabria
    • Campania
    • Emilia-Romagna
    • Friuli Venezia Giulia
    • Lazio (Latium)
    • Liguria
    • Lombardy
    • Le Marche (Marche region)
    • Molise
    • Piedmont-Piemonte
    • Puglia
    • Sardinia
    • Sicily
    • Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol
    • Tuscany-Toscana
    • Umbria
    • Veneto
  • Pasta Types
    • Anelli or Anelletti pasta rings.
    • Bigoli Pasta from Veneto
    • Biricci pasta
    • Bucatini; the spaghetti with a hole!
    • Busiate
    • Caccavelle Giant Pasta Shells from Gragnano, Naples.
    • Calamarata pasta from Southern Italy.
    • Candele: Pasta candles
    • Cannelloni or Manicotti
    • Casarecce pasta from Sicily.
    • Cavatelli Pasta from Southern Italy
    • Conchiglie, Conchigliette, Conchiglioni.
    • Corzetti or Croxetti Pasta from Liguria.
    • Dischi Volanti Pasta (Messicani)
    • Ditaloni, Ditali, Ditalini
    • Elicoidali
    • Farfalle pasta: Butterflies and Bow Ties
    • Fettuccine pasta (lisce e rigati)
    • Fileja pasta from Calabria
    • Fresine pasta from Gragnano
    • Fusilli Pasta; long, short, homemade and hollow.
      • Fusilli Bucati Corti (short hollow fusilli)
    • Garganelli pasta from Romagna (Emilia-Romagna)
    • Gargati Pasta from Veneto.
    • Gigli or Campanelle pasta
    • Gomiti Elbow Pasta, a pasta with many names
    • Italian Gnocchi; Potato gnocchi and family
      • Canederli: Italian Bread Dumplings from South Tirol
    • Gramigna: Pasta from Emilia-Romagna.
    • Grattoni-grattini (pasta for soup)
    • Intrecci pasta.
    • Lagane pasta from Southern Italy
    • Lasagne or lasagna.
    • Linguine pasta from Liguria
    • Lombrichelli, hand rolled pasta from Lazio
    • Lorighittas Pasta from Sardinia
    • Lumaconi (snail shell pasta)
    • Maccheroncini di Campofilone from Le Marche
    • Mafaldine (mafalda or reginette)
    • Malloreddus (Sardinian Gnocchi)
    • Maltagliati Pasta
    • Mezze Maniche Pasta (half-sleeves)
    • Occhi di Lupo (wolf’s eyes) Pasta
    • Orecchiette pasta
    • Paccheri
    • Pappardelle pasta from Tuscany
    • Passatelli Pasta from Emilia-Romagna
    • Penne
    • Pici pasta from Tuscany
    • Pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta)
    • Radiatori (radiator shaped pasta)
    • Rigatoni, pasta with ridges.
    • Sagne Pasta from Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio.
    • Sardinian Fregola (fregula sarda)
    • Scialatielli pasta from Amalfi
    • Sedani rigati
    • Spaccatelle pasta from Sicily
    • Spaghetti
    • Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra from Abruzzo
    • Strozzapreti
    • Tagliatelle
    • Tagliolini
    • Torchio Pasta (Maccheroni al Torchio)
    • Tortelli and Ravioli
      • Cjarsons ravioli from Friuli Venezia Giulia.
    • Trescatori Pasta from Abruzzo
    • Trofie pasta from Liguria
    • Tuscan Gnudi (ricotta and spinach gnocchi)
    • Vermicelli
    • Vesuvio pasta from Campania; shaped like a volcano!
    • Ziti and Zitoni Pasta
  • Pasta Recipes
    • Baked Pasta Recipes
    • Pasta with Poultry and Game
    • Pasta Salads and in Soups
    • Vegetarian Pasta dishes
    • Seafood & Lake Fish Pasta
    • Meat Pasta Dishes
    • Pesto and other pasta sauces
      • Alla Mediterranea (Mediterranean sauce and celebrations!)
      • Beetroot and Radicchio Pesto
      • Busiate with radicchio pesto
      • Busiate pasta with Trapanese pesto from Trapani
      • Casarecce with pumpkin and orange pesto
      • Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Casarecce Pasta
      • Fusilli pasta with black olive pesto and tuna.
      • Long Fusilli Pasta with Pesto Calabrese
      • Matcha Pesto for Pasta
      • Pappardelle pasta with walnut sauce and black truffle shavings
      • Pesto Pasta Liguria with Potatoes and Green Beans
      • Pasta with pistachio pesto
      • Trofie Pasta with Rocket Pesto Recipe
      • Tuscan pici pasta all’etrusca with asparagus
    • Special & Favourite Pasta Recipes
      • Baked Pasta Roses
      • Cinnamon Butter Gnocchi: Recipe from Veneto
      • Gnocchi alla Romana
      • Lasagna bianca with mushrooms and burrata
      • Spaghetti al Limone with Ricotta, Basil and Lemon
      • Spaghetti/Maccheroni alla Chitarra with 4 meat ragu Abruzzese
      • Stuffed Lumaconi (Lumache) snail shell pasta
      • Pasta with Nduja
      • Pasta al forno (pasta bake the Italian way)
      • Ricotta Gnudi with Black Truffle.
      • Tagliolini with Taleggio and Black Truffle
  • Restaurants and Pasta Companies
    • Agriturismo Il Romitorio, Tuscania, Lazio
    • Restaurant Dei Cantoni, Longiano, Emilia-Romagna
    • Pasta Mancini: Pasta From Field to Fork.
    • The Best Italian Pasta Ever: Pastificio dei Campi
    • Organic Pasta Makers Girolomoni.
  • SHOP OUR ARTICLES
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Italy’s Regions
  • Pasta and recipes by region
  • Pasta Types
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Restaurants and Pasta Companies
×

Home » Pasta Types » Garganelli pasta from Emilia-Romagna » Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

July 24, 2018

Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Pasta with zucchini flowers (courgette flowers), saffron and ham.

Pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham is a beautiful delicate and creamy summer dish that you are certain to fall in love with and want to make time and again (at least while zucchini/courgette flowers are in season!)

(click to go straight to recipe) 

Pasta with zucchini flowers and saffron

Garganelli ‘paglio e fieno’ con fiori di zucca, zucchini, zafferano e prosciutto cotto.

There are many foods I had never eaten before moving to Italy. Foods that today I love but were really alien to me when I was younger. For example, zucchini flowers! Italians love zucchini flowers (fiori di zucca). They’ve been eating these flowers since well before edible flowers became a thing!

Pasta with zucchini flowers and saffron

Eating zucchini flowers in Italy.

The most popular way to prepare zucchini flowers here is to fill them, coat them in batter and fry or bake them…totally divine! Although in Southern Italy they also just batter and fry them without filling. One of the most well-known filled and fried zucchini flower recipes is ‘fior di zucca alla Romana’.

Ingredients for pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

This is practically a signature dish in Rome, eaten as street food, as a starter or with an aperitif.  Fiori di zucca fritti in Rome is made by filling the flowers with a local cheese similar to mozzarella called provatura and anchovies, dipping them in a batter of just cold water and flour and frying the flowers in hot oil!

Ingredients for pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham prepared in small white bowls

Italians also eat zucchini flowers in other dishes. These include frittata, risotto and, of course, pasta! Pasta with zucchini flowers usually includes the zucchini themselves, cut into small rings, cubes or slices. Saffron is another popular ingredient in zucchini flower pasta recipes. And for a touch of meat, Italians will add pancetta, speck, ham or sausage.

onions, zucchini and cooked ham cubes cooking in frying pan

Pasta with zucchini flowers.

Pasta with zucchini flowers and saffron doesn’t seem to be associated with one particular area or city. Although the use of saffron is more common in the regions where it is grown, in particular Sardinia, Marche, Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo, which is the region in which saffron was first cultivated in Italy back in the 14th century.

onion, zucchini, chopped ham and zucchini flowers in frying pan

The zucchini flowers.

When I go shopping for zucchini flowers, I can find two types, male and female!! Yes, zucchini have both and pollination is carried out by bees or by hand. The flower from which the zucchini actually grows is the female! The male on the other hand grows on a stalk. For this pasta with zucchini flowers recipe, I used female flowers with very young zucchini attached. I love them so tiny and crispy. They don’t get as soft as bigger zucchini when you cook them! However, you can also use male flowers and buy the zucchini separately. In fact, traditionally, although there’s no difference in taste, male zucchini flowers are used more in cooking. This is because if the female flowers are removed, the zucchini won’t grow!

sauce cooking in frying pan for pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

The pasta.

This recipe for pasta with zucchini flowers can be made with different types of pasta, although short pasta is more typical. I chose to use garganelli, a beautiful short egg pasta from Emilia-Romagna. The garganelli pasta I used was green and yellow. Italians call this ‘paglia e fieno’, meaning straw and hay. This use of two different coloured pastas in one dish is very typical in Emilia-Romagna and tagliatelle served this way is very traditional. The green colour is usually created by adding spinach to the pasta dough.

garganelli pasta paglia e fieno (yellow and green)

The ‘paglio e fieno’ garganelli really went well in this pasta with zucchini flowers recipe. Not only because the green pasta has a slightly spinach taste but also the colours combined beautifully with the zucchini, zucchini flowers and saffron.

sauce in frying pan for pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

Other ingredients.

My hubby wanted to have some meat in this dish so I chose a recipe that included cubes of cooked ham. For a vegetarian version you can leave out the ham. You can also replace the ham with pancetta, sausage or speck. However, I liked the flavour the ham added. It’s not as strong as pancetta or speck.

garganelli pasta with zucchini flowers, saffron and ham

This recipe can also be made without cheese or with ricotta instead of heavy cream. Whichever way you make this pasta with zucchini flowers I’m sure you’ll love not only the combination of flavours but how appetizing and colourful the dish looks. 

If you make this recipe I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Buon appetito!

(See the recipe on the next page. Just scroll down and click 2) 

 

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Filed Under: Garganelli pasta from Emilia-Romagna, Meat Pasta Dishes Tagged With: garganelli, saffron, zucchini flowers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sophia Inza says

    August 08, 2018 at 12:23 am

    This is beautiful and looks delish!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 08, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Thanks so much Sophia, I’m happy you like it!

      Reply
  2. Amanda says

    August 08, 2018 at 12:00 am

    I’ve just been hearing about zucchini flowers and I need to try to find them!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 08, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Zucchini flowers are Ahmazing Amanda! I hope you succeed in finding some!

      Reply
  3. Beth says

    August 07, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    I was drooling just reading the title! The flavors in this lovely pasta dish are exquisite! I have to come up with some zucchini flowers! Saffron is so gorgeous with this! Yum!!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 08, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Thank you dearest Beth! Yes, this recipe has some wonderful flavours. I love it! Hope you find some zucchini flowers and get to try it!

      Reply
  4. Katie Crenshaw | A Fork's Tale says

    August 07, 2018 at 2:43 pm

    I never knew that you could eat zucchini flowers. They sound delicious! I can’t wait to try them. This recipe looks fantastic.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 08, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Grazie Katie! Zucchini flowers are a big thing here in Italy! Very popular. Hope you’ll get to try them!

      Reply
  5. Linda | Simply Healthyish says

    August 07, 2018 at 8:01 am

    Wow! This pasta sounds so elegant and love the combination you have in this bowl. And that color looks stunning too.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Thanks so much Linda! Yes, this is a really beautiful pasta recipe that tastes divine too!

      Reply
  6. [email protected] says

    August 05, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    What bra flavors!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:32 am

      Grazie Patrick!

      Reply
  7. Heidy L. McCallum says

    August 05, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    This is an awesome recipe, I love how you explain everything. Very intriguing post and I love this recipe. What part of Italy are you residing in if you don’t mind me asking? My family is from Bellosguardo. It’s a very small town.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:37 am

      Thanks so much Heidy! I live just outside Verona in the hills behind Soave. A very beautiful part of Northern Italy. I had to look up Bellosguardo, as I didn’t know it. In Campania, right? Wonderful scenery there! In fact, that’s what Bellosguardo means, beautiful views!

      Reply
  8. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    August 05, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    This looks so summery! I’ve never tried zucchini flowers, but would love to! This and some bread and vino and I’m set for a delicious Sunday supper 🙂

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:39 am

      Grazie Dawn! Yes, this is a lovely summer dish! Zucchini flowers are delish. Hope you get to try them one day!

      Reply
  9. camila says

    August 05, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    Looks amazing! Zucchini flowers are some of my favorite things about summer!! Delicious summer pasta

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:40 am

      Thanks so much dear Camila! Zucchini flowers are among my favourite summer eats too!!

      Reply
  10. Ramona says

    August 05, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    I love soo much the sound of this recipe – not easy to get the courgette flowers over here but I love and use regularly the baby courgettes – they sooooo goood!! Yumm, yumm. Recipe saved!

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      August 09, 2018 at 7:42 am

      Grazie cara Ramona! Zucchini flowers can be a bit of an expensive delicacy in some places and difficult to find, unless you grow your own zucchini!! But, I agree baby courgettes are soo good!

      Reply
  11. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says

    August 05, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    This is so lovely!! What a great use for zucchini flowers and the saffron is such a lovely unexpected addition. Can’t wait to try.

    Reply
  12. Neli Howard says

    August 05, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    Oh my! That looks so tender. This is really very tasty! Perfectly! Thanks for the recipe! I want to try it!

    Reply
  13. Emma says

    August 05, 2018 at 9:49 am

    What a wonderful dish. We grow our own zucchini but for some reason this year weve had no male flowers and so no pollination! We have to eat our zucchini while they are still small and before they abort. This looks like the perfect way to eat them.

    Reply
  14. Stephanie Simmons says

    August 05, 2018 at 3:31 am

    This looks like such a fun healthy summer meal! I love zucchini flowers – need to try to get my hands on some before the season is over!

    Reply
  15. Alexis says

    August 04, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    I love pasta and veggies, this dish is absolutely gorgeous!

    Reply
  16. Arjhon says

    August 04, 2018 at 10:06 am

    The addition of courgette flowers in cooking is a new thing to me. This is so interesting, thanks for this idea. Definitely trying this recipe.

    Reply
  17. Michelle says

    August 03, 2018 at 11:12 pm

    This looks really tasty, who doesn’t love a good courgette in pasta, I like the flavor profile you put together!

    Reply
  18. Sondria says

    August 02, 2018 at 9:07 pm

    I’ve never had zucchini flowers. I’m going to have to grow them next year just so I can try this recipe, I’ve always wanted to try them.

    Reply
  19. Gloria says

    August 02, 2018 at 12:40 am

    I have yet to try zucchini flowers. Such a gourmet item…and it looks amazing. I am on the hunt for these. Maybe I will be lucky to find some at the Farmer’s Market on the weekend. This would be a great dish to serve to guests.

    Reply
  20. Kelly Anthony says

    August 01, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    I’ve never cooked with zucchini flowers and I can’t wait to try this recipe out.

    Reply
  21. Stine Mari says

    August 01, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    One thing I actually liked when I was in Albania this Summer, was in fact filled zucchini flowers battered and then fried. So, so tasty! I’ve been wanting to make them at home, but I can’t seem to find zucchini flowers here. But if I do, I will definitely try to make your recipe too, I think it looks divine, and I love the addition of saffron!

    Reply
  22. Helena says

    July 25, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Zucchini flowers are my favourite! I love to use them as much as possible and whenever they are in season. They are incredible!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where… Read More

Top Italian Food Blog

3rd place in Top 50 Italian Food Blogs Awards by Feedspot

Italian Food Blogs

Follow Me

Tags

Abruzzo baked pasta calabria Campania dried pasta Emilia Romagna fresh pasta fusilli gnocchi homemade pasta lamb lasagna lasagne Lazio Le Marche Liguria linguine meat pasta mushrooms Northern Italy orecchiette paccheri pancetta pesto porcini Puglia quick and easy ragu Ravioli ricotta saffron Sardinia sausage seafood Sicily Southern Italy spaghetti tagliatelle tagliolini Trentino-Alto Adige tuna Tuscany vegan vegetarian Veneto

Visit My Shop

In my weekly newsletters, I write about my life in Italy, Italian places, traditions and culture, as well as other foods not just pasta! As a Pasta Project subscriber you'll also get a FREE recipe e-book series! Plus links to the latest recipes and posts.

So, sign up now and get the first recipe e-books to download!

Privacy Policy

Footer

  • Legal disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright & Disclaimer/ Terms of Use

Copyright © 2022 The Pasta Project on the Brunch Pro Theme