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

The Pasta Project logo

  • Home
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Pasta Types
  • Italy's Regions
  • About
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Pasta Types
  • Italy's Regions
  • About Me
  • SHOP
×
Home » Specific Diets » Vegetarian

Published: Mar 18, 2021 by Jacqui

Zucchini Flower Pasta, Risotto Style


Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

If you have never made pasta risotto style this zucchini flower pasta risotto is a fabulous recipe to start with. It only has a few ingredients and doesn’t take long to make. However, in my opinion it’s a restaurant worthy dish that family and friends will be so impressed by!

zucchini flower pasta risotto style

Corallini di farro risottati con fiori di zucca

There are 3 main ways to cook pasta. You can cook it in boiling salted water and add it to your sauce and then serve or bake. If it’s fresh, you can bake it without pre-boiling. Finally, you can cook it risotto style in a pan with the sauce ingredients. Here in Italy, the latter method is called pasta risottata. This zucchini flower pasta risotto is a divine example of risotto style pasta.

zucchini flower pasta risotto style

What is pasta cooked risotto style?

The traditional method for cooking risotto in Italy is to first ‘toast’ the rice in some olive oil in which onions or garlic have already been softened. Next, add whichever other ingredients are going into the risotto (separately cooked mushrooms, asparagus etc) and then pour in a ladle of stock or broth and start cooking the rice slowly, adding more liquid a ladle at a time and stirring continuously until the rice is cooked.

ingredients for zucchini flower pasta risotto
Gather your ingredients.

In recipes with small types of pasta, pasta risotto is made almost the same way as rice risotto. Just replace the rice with pasta. With recipes that call for long pasta like spaghetti, the dried pasta is added to the pan where there’s already some liquid and is cooked in that liquid. Although more liquid is added as necessary, and the cook starts to stir the pasta only once it’s softened.

cut zucchini flowers, grated Parmigiano, stracciatella cheese and cubed zucchini in white bowls
Prepare your ingredients

Cooking pasta risotto style has become pretty popular in Italy over the last decades. However, some Italian pasta recipes have been made risotto style for a long time. For example, fregola is cooked risotto style in Sardinia and there are some other traditional pasta risottata recipes dating back to the 60s. The first that comes to mind is spaghetti all'assassina from Puglia. (a recipe I’m planning to make soon).

small cubes of zucchini in frying pan and fried rounds of zucchini on plate.
Fry the zucchini in some olive oil.

What are the advantages of cooking pasta like risotto?

There are a couple of reasons why pasta risottata has become more popular. Firstly, it’s faster and doesn’t require so many pots and pans. In the traditional method, pasta is cooked in a lot of salted water previously brought to a boil, then drained and seasoned. Pasta risotto, on the other hand, requires the pasta to be cooked directly in the sauce.

In addition, many Italians, particularly chefs, think the pasta and the ingredients blend better together. When you cook pasta like a risotto, the starch is not lost in the cooking water as happens with classic cooking. The presence of starch makes the pasta creamier and the sauce adheres better to it. The flavour of the pasta is also a little more intense.

Organic emmer wheat corallini from Girolomoni
Organic emmer wheat corallini from Girolomoni

What kinds of pasta can you use in pasta risotto?

The most popular types of pasta are small soup pasta (pastina) like orzo or the corallini I used in this zucchini flower pasta risotto. However, mid-sized short pasta such as penne or fusilli work too. Spaghetti and other similar dried pasta are also good. In fact, I have published a couple of recipes that involve cooking spaghetti risottata. One is the best spaghetti in tomato sauce ever and the other is spaghetti cooked in lemon water.

Pasta shapes that are too large are not recommended because the pasta can't be completely covered by water. And, if you add too much water, you risk getting a very liquid sauce. Fresh pasta or pasta with fast cooking times don’t work either.

ready fried zucchini cubes in frying pan.
When the zucchini is ready, set it aside.

This zucchini flower pasta risotto.

When deciding on recipes to publish here, I usually look for traditional seasonal recipes or traditional recipes for a certain type of pasta or from a particular region. I found this recipe because I had some pastina pasta called corallini to use. But, I didn’t want to make a soup AND I had just bought the first zucchini flowers this year. It seemed a tall order to find a recipe that combined both. Of course, this is a contemporary recipe. However, I am so happy to have discovered it. Totally divine!

dried corallini pasta in Dutch oven with olive oil
Toast the pasta in some heated olive oil for a couple of minutes.

The zucchini flowers.

Zucchini flowers or blossoms are in season here through the spring and summer. These edible flowers are very popular in Italy and Italians cook them in many different ways. They fill them, coat them in batter and fry or bake them…totally divine! In the South, 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’.

Other dishes with zucchini flowers include frittata, risotto and, of course, pasta! Like in this pasta risotto, recipes with pasta and zucchini flowers usually include the zucchini too, cut into small rings, cubes or slices. In addition to being tasty, these flowers are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C and B. They also contain iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium!

corallini pasta in Dutch oven with vegetable broth.
Add some vegetable broth to the pasta and start to cook it.

What pasta can you use?

As I mentioned above, small pastina pasta is great for making pasta risotto. Italians mostly use these pastas in soups, particularly broths and minestrone. There are about 30 types of pastina in Italy! Some are pretty small, others a little bigger. I used corallini for this zucchini flower pasta risotto. But, you can use other types. I think orzo (risoni) would work very well too.

Corallini are tiny little pasta tubes. There’s a bigger version called coralli. The name means corals and refers to a female ornament that was common among the people of the Mediterranean, where coral fishing was practiced in the past. The simplest coral bead was a small tube!

cooked zucchini cubes in Dutch oven with the corallini pasta
Add the cooked zucchini cubes to the pasta.

Lots of companies make corallini pasta. The one I used is quite special because it’s made from organic emmer wheat (farro in Italian). Emmer is an antique grain said to be the ancestor of spelt. It’s high in fibre protein and nutrients. My pasta came from one of my favourite organic pasta makers, Girolomoni. I got it when I visited them last year.

This company is unique in the world of Italian pasta. Firstly, they make only organic pasta with 100% Italian durum wheat flour or heritage/antique grains. In fact, they were one of the first companies to do so. Secondly, they are actually a cooperative rather than a privately owned company. You can read more about Girolomoni in my post about my visit.

zucchini flowers in Dutch oven with cooked pasta and zucchini.
Put the zucchini flowers into the pot and mix them in.

Other ingredients in this pasta risotto

Apart from the pasta, zucchini and zucchini flowers, this recipe has very few ingredients. No garlic or onions, just some vegetable broth, butter, Parmigiano and stracciatella. The latter is a creamy stretched fresh curd cheese. It’s usually mixed with cream and used to make the delicious centre of burrata. Here, we can buy fresh stracciatella on its own. If you don’t have this cheese you can use other creamy cheeses such a fresh ricotta or burrata.

butter and grated parmigiano cheese in Dutch oven with zucchini flower pasta risotto.
Add the butter and Parmigiano and mix everything together well.

I was so impressed with this recipe, my hubby too. It is very delicate but creamy and just divine. Definitely a dish I will be making for guests as soon as we are free of covid restrictions and able to invite friends and family again! I’m sure if you try this zucchini flower pasta risotto, you’ll love it as much as we do.

zucchini flower pasta risotto style
Serve with stracciatella, zucchini rounds and zucchini flowers.

Let me know what you think.

If you do try this zucchini flower pasta risotto, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Save this recipe for later?

If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

Zucchini flower pasta risotto style

Other pasta recipes to impress your guests with!

  1. Smoked trout carbonara
  2. Pasta with prosciutto and poppy seeds
  3. Poached salmon and asparagus lasagna
  4. Homemade baked fish ravioli
Zucchini flower pasta risotto style

Zucchini Flower Pasta, Risotto Style

Jacqui
This easy to make risotto style pasta with zucchini flowers and zucchini is creamy and delicate and perfect for when you have guests.
5 from 20 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Servings 4
Calories 620 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g corallini pasta (10oz) or other small pasta like orzo
  • 2-3 zucchini
  • 8 zucchini flowers
  • 500 ml vegetable broth 2 cups (you may need less)
  • 50 g butter (2oz) unsalted
  • 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano grated (2oz) vegetarians should use cheese made without animal rennet.
  • 200 g fresh stracciatella (7oz) or fresh ricotta
  • salt to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Instructions
 

Prepare the ingredients

  • Wash the zucchini and cut into small cubes. I made some zucchini rounds for decoration. Cut the flowers in half and remove the stamens. Cream the Stracciatella using a immersion blender

Cook the zucchini

  • Sauté the zucchini rounds and then the cubes in a frying pan with olive oil. Place the rounds on kitchen paper to absorb some of the oil.

Cook the pasta

  • Put 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a deep pan and toast the corallini pasta for a few moments. Add some hot vegetable broth a little at a time and cook the pasta. You will need to keep stirring and adding more broth as necessary (same as making a risotto) until the pasta is almost cooked.
  • Then add the zucchini cubes to the pasta and mix together.

Finish and serve

  • When the pasta is ready take off the heat and mix in some zucchini flowers. Then mix in in the butter and Parmigiano. Plate and serve with a tablespoon of creamed stracciatelle on top plus some uncooked zucchini flowers and the zucchini rounds.
Prevent your screen from going dark

Notes

I used corallini for this zucchini flower pasta risotto. But, you can use other types. I think orzo (risoni) would work very well too.
If you don’t have stracciatella cheese you can use other creamy cheeses such a fresh ricotta or burrata.
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. The pasta will become softer but it still tastes good. I baked my leftovers with some grated Parmigiano cheese and pieces of butter on top and it was so delicious!

Nutrition

Calories: 620kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 21gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 832mgPotassium: 490mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1093IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 286mgIron: 2mg
Keyword corallini, pasta risotto, pastina, risotto style, zucchini, zucchini flowers
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Want to know more about my life in Italy? Why not subscribe to my newsletter? New subscribers get a free series of recipe e-books too!

Girolomoni pasta is sold in USA by Stonewall Kitchen under the brand name Montebello. (affiliate link)

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of my newly published autumn/winter pasta recipes cookbook?


More Vegetarian

  • Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese buckwheat pasta dish.
    Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese Italian Buckwheat Pasta.
  • Italian homemade cheesy potato gnocchi.
    Italian Homemade Cheesy Potato Gnocchi
  • Spaghetti all'assassina assassin's spaghetti.
    Authentic Spaghetti all’Assassina Spicy Charred Pasta Recipe.
  • Spaghetti alla Nerano with fried zucchini.
    Spaghetti alla Nerano (fried zucchini pasta recipe).

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 20 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Tell us what you think Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




  1. Chef Dennis says

    April 17, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    You had me at Zucchini flower! What a delicious pasta recipe

    Reply
  2. Lathiya says

    April 10, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    Zucchini flower pasta sounds interesting. This looks delicious and will be perfect for weekend dinners

    Reply
  3. Kushigalu says

    April 05, 2021 at 7:14 am

    Never cooked zucchini flowers. What an interesting version of pasta recipe. I would love to give this a try!!

    Reply
  4. Julie says

    April 04, 2021 at 8:14 pm

    Oh my goodness! This simply is gorgeous! I've always wanted to try risotto at home and this is such a great place to start. Such a tasty dinner.

    Reply
  5. Amy Liu Dong says

    April 04, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    Wow! We can never go wrong with Pasta, it's like everybody loves it. This Pasta recipe will definitely be an instant favorite. From the presentation, it looks so delicious and very enticing.

    Reply
  6. Jere Cassidy says

    April 04, 2021 at 6:36 am

    This is an interesting technique for cooking pasta and it looks delicious. We use to eat fried pumpkin blossoms. I love how pretty the zucchini flowers are on this dish.

    Reply
  7. Jamie says

    April 04, 2021 at 4:28 am

    I can't wait until the summer when I can pick some zucchini flowers from my garden and make this recipe! Saving for later!

    Reply
  8. Robin says

    April 04, 2021 at 3:48 am

    I just started making pasta risottata last year. I'm so happy I made the switch and tried this wonderful dish. Fantastic!

    Reply
  9. Marta says

    April 03, 2021 at 5:28 pm

    The creamy sauce had great flavor and the zucchini flowers added a very delicate look to the delicious dish. Cooking the pasta along with the sauce was a great time (and dirty dish) saver.

    Reply
  10. Linda says

    April 03, 2021 at 7:11 am

    I have never cooked with zucchini flower but this looks so beautiful and perfect for Spring or Summer

    Reply
  11. Stine Mari says

    April 02, 2021 at 11:48 am

    I tried a similar thing in Albania a few years ago and I absolutely LOVED it. But I can't find zucchini flowers here, so I have literally planted zucchinis for this sole reason. Can't wait to make this recipe!

    Reply
  12. Natalia says

    April 02, 2021 at 10:20 am

    I have never cooked with zucchini flower, the presentation of the dish looks impressive! Will certainly give your recipe a go!

    Reply
  13. Natalie says

    April 01, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    This looks so delicate and delicious. I would love to have this for dinner any time. I just saved this recipe and will make it soon. Can't wait.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      April 02, 2021 at 8:29 am

      I'm sure you'll love this recipe Natalie. Do let me know what you think when you try it!

      Reply
  14. Lesli Schwartz says

    March 30, 2021 at 11:41 pm

    That pastini pasta is so darn cute! I love that you used zucchini flower in this pasta. Such a pretty dish!

    Reply
  15. Leslie says

    March 30, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    This is not a traditional pasta recipe that I have seen before. I just LOVE the creativity in this! So perfect!!

    Reply
  16. Toni says

    March 19, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    I love how tasty this is!! Such a delicious meal my family loved!

    Reply
  17. Jo says

    March 19, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    This is fantastic! Such a great mix of textures and flavors, everyone in the family loves it!

    Reply
  18. Bintu | Budget Delicious says

    March 19, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    This looks so good! We love trying new pasta dishes and this is incredible.

    Reply
  19. Kay says

    March 19, 2021 at 1:00 pm

    We used orzo pasta and ricotta cheese as suggested, it came out perfectly!

    Reply
  20. Alice | SkinnySpatula says

    March 19, 2021 at 12:22 pm

    This truly looks restaurant-worthy! I've never cooked zucchini flowers myself, but I should really try and get my hands on some to try this recipe.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Close up of Jacqui

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…

More about me →

TOP ITALIAN FOOD BLOG

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

Italian Food Blogs

FEATURED IN

A few website logos showing where the pasta project has been featured in: Insider, Wikipedia, Food52, Buzzfeed, The Guardian, Parade

FOLLOW ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

VISIT MY SHOP

Shop Icon

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!

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Legal Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Web Stories

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Contact

  • Copyright & Disclaimer/ Terms of Use

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 The Pasta Project

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.