25 Italian Dinner Recipes with Zucchini

Zucchini is one of the most versatile ingredients in Italian cuisine, especially in the warmer months when it's at its peak. From quick pasta dishes to baked casseroles and light vegetarian meals, these easy weeknight dinner recipes with zucchini will bring tons of flavor to your table.

Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight pasta or a cozy baked dish, these zucchini recipes will help you make the most of this humble vegetable. Take advantage of this cheap vegetable when is at its peak seasonality, to make filling and comforting meals with lower carbs and more fiber.

For more inspiration, check out also these 15 Easy Zucchini Pasta Recipes.

Jump to:

• 🥒 Why Zucchini Is So Popular in Italian Cooking
• 🍝 Pasta & Risotto
• Creamy Zucchini Pasta
• Pasta with Zucchini, Pistachios, and Mortadella
• Creamy Pasta with Zucchini and Burrata
• Parmesan Zucchini Risotto
• Pasta with Creamy Mint Zucchini sauce and Shrimps
• One Pan Salmon Orzo With Artichokes & Zucchini
• Zucchini Pasta Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing
• 🥘 Baked & Comfort Dishes
• Creamy Seafood Lasagna (with zucchini)
• Cheesy Mushroom and Zucchini Pesto Pasta Bake
• Cheesy Mushroom and Zucchini Quiche
• White Lasagna with Wild Mushroom and Zucchini
• Creamy Pesto Chicken and Zucchini Lasagna
• Chicken Zucchini Casserole
• Zucchini Lasagna with Meat Sauce
• Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
• 🥗 Light & Simple Dinners
• Tuna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Tuna Zucchini Cakes with Garlic Tomato Sauce
• Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ground Chicken
• Zucchini Basil Soup
• Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Zucchini
• Italian Beef Zucchini Boats
• Scarpaccia (Italian zucchini flatbread)
• Grilled Zucchini Pizza
• Zucchini Roll Ups (aka Zucchini Rollatini)
• Courgette Galette with Garlic Butter and Feta
• 🧑‍🍳 Tips for Cooking Zucchini

🥒 Why Zucchini Is So Popular in Italian Cooking

• 🥗 Light yet satisfying - perfect for balanced meals
• 🌿 Seasonal and abundant - widely used in spring and summer
• 🍝 Perfect for pasta dishes - blends easily into sauces or sautés
• 🧀 Pairs well with cheese - especially ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan
• ⏱️ Quick to cook - ideal for fast, easy dinners

🍝 Pasta & Risotto

Creamy Zucchini Pasta

A simple pasta with sautéed zucchini and a creamy parmesan sauce for a quick and comforting dinner.

Pasta with Zucchini, Pistachios, and Mortadella

A unique and flavorful combination with creamy zucchini, crunchy pistachios, and savory mortadella.

Creamy Pasta with Zucchini and Burrata

Light and refreshing, this pasta combines zucchini with a creamy sauce and Burrata on top.

Parmesan Zucchini Risotto

A classic creamy risotto made with Carnaroli rice and tender zucchini and a flavorful Parmesan cream.

Pasta with Creamy Mint Zucchini sauce and Shrimps

A creamy blended sauce of zucchini and mint paired with flavorful shrimps to coat this big paccheri pasta.

One Pan Salmon Orzo With Artichokes & Zucchini

This One Pan Creamy Lemon Salmon Orzo is a quick, flavorful, and satisfying meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. It's ready in just 30 minutes! With flaky salmon fillets, tender orzo, and a luscious lemony sauce, this dish is packed with bright Mediterranean flavors. The best part? Everything cooks in just one pan for easy cleanup!

Zucchini Pasta Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing

This Zucchini Pasta Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing takes about 10 minutes to put together. Made with sliced fresh zucchini and tossed in a lemony dijon dressing, this vegan and Mediterranean diet friendly dish is perfect as a side or as a main dish.

🥘 Baked & Comfort Dishes

Creamy Seafood Lasagna (with zucchini)

A delicious seafood lasagna with sautèed zucchini that's easy to make thanks to the frozen seafood mix.

Cheesy Mushroom and Zucchini Pesto Pasta Bake

A cheesy pasta bake with lots of veggies and flavor, with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and a creamy pesto bechamel.

Cheesy Mushroom and Zucchini Quiche

A flavorful and cheesy quiche filled with veggies that's perfect for a weeknight dinner for the whole family.

White Lasagna with Wild Mushroom and Zucchini

A white lasagna full of flavor and veggies with wild mushrooms and zucchini for a delicious combo that the whole family will like.

Creamy Pesto Chicken and Zucchini Lasagna

Chicken Zucchini Casserole

This delicious Chicken Zucchini Casserole recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner. Packed with chicken, veggies and topped with stuffing, it's a comforting and satisfying meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Zucchini Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Zucchini replaces pasta in this cheesy, protein-packed lasagna with meat sauce, A blood-sugar-friendly comfort food that delivers 32g of protein per serving and the layered richness of the real thing.

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

This Zucchini Casserole is pure comfort-layered rounds of tender zucchini baked in a rich cheddar cheese sauce and topped with crisp, buttery panko. It's the kind of side dish that steals the spotlight, with just the right balance of creamy, cheesy, and crunchy. Serve it up for summer dinners, holiday spreads, or anytime you want to use up leftover zucchini.

🥗 Light & Simple Dinners

Tuna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Zucchini filled with a savory tuna mixture and baked until tender. A classic Italian staple for summer dinners.

Tuna Zucchini Cakes with Garlic Tomato Sauce

Super easy fritters with canned tuna and shredded zucchini for a light dinner or lunch.

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ground Chicken

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Ground Chicken are a simple, healthy and flavorful dish that is low-carb, keto friendly and perfect for a family meal. They are very easy to make and are packed with ground meat and vegetables: onions, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes.

Zucchini Basil Soup

Like a lot of my favorite recipes, this Zucchini Basil Soup started with a counter full of summer zucchini and no clear plan. One batch later, it earned a permanent spot in my warm-weather rotation! It's creamy, bright with fresh basil and lemon, and comes together in under 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Zucchini

These Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Zucchini are a favorite easy dinners! It's low-carb and quick enough for weeknights.

Italian Beef Zucchini Boats

Zucchini boats are a wonderful way to use up all the gorgeous zucchini growing in the garden. This recipe features hollowed out zucchini halves stuffed with Italian beef mixture and lots of Mozzarella cheese on top. It's a perfect end of summer dish that's light but quite filling. 

Scarpaccia (Italian zucchini flatbread)

Scarpaccia is a crispy treat that's a cross between a pancake, foccacia, pizza and quiche. Zucchini takes center stage in this flatbread. And like so many other Italian recipes, it's great for a vegan, gluten-free and oil-free lifestyle. Sure, the original is made with wheat flour, olive oil and sometimes a sprinkle of Parmesan, but these ingredients can easily be substituted. In this recipe I use millet flour, tapioca starch and an optional spoonful of (chickpea) miso for a cheesy flavour.

Grilled Zucchini Pizza

Zucchini Roll Ups (aka Zucchini Rollatini)

Zucchini Roll Ups (aka Zucchini Rollatini) are filled with a savory cheese mixture and topped with marinara sauce similar to stuffed shells but with just 10g net carbs per serving.

Courgette Galette with Garlic Butter and Feta

A rustic and homely dish at its heart, this quick courgette galette is made with simple ingredients: tender, flaky, and rich pastry slathered with lemony herbed feta cheese, fresh courgettes, and a drizzle of garlic butter.