You should know by now that I have a "slight” obsession with chili crisp. It goes on everything from pizza to eggs to sandwiches to salads. So, to no one's surprise, I thought it would be a lovely addition to some creamy zucchini pasta.
Funny enough, this pasta actually came to life cause I accidentally bought 4 blocks of cream cheese from costco and needed to find a way to use it up. Since I’m cutting myself off from making YET another corn recipe (the obvious choice), I decided caramelized zucchini would be a close second. The zucchini gets rich and caramelized, then gets folded into a rich, tangy cream cheese sauce and brightened with lemon. Then we hit it with some chili crisp to light it the heck up and wowwww. I hope you LOVE.
creamy caramelized zucchini rigatoni with chili crisp
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
SERVES: 2-4
tools i use.
tips.
make it GF: ✅ use a gluten-free short pasta; double-check your chili crisp brand
make it DF: ❌
riff: crispy pancetta or bacon for smoky crunch, or a handful of arugula stirred in at the end for peppery bite.
why cut the zucchini two different ways? the thinner rounds sear fast and hold their shape, so they stay chunky in the final dish; the thicker rounds cook longer and get soft enough to mash right into the sauce for richness.