Pasta with zucchini cream and lemon-turmeric goat cheese

Name: Pasta with zucchini cream and lemon-turmeric goat cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Fusilloni pasta 11.3 oz; Zucchini to be cleaned 1.5 lbs; Fresh goat cheese 7 oz; Pine nuts 3.5 oz; Garlic 1 clove; Powdered turmeric 1 tsp; Basil to taste; Mint to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Pine nuts 5 tbsp; Lemon peel 1; Mint to taste

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Serving: 4

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Diletta Secco

Pasta with Zucchini Cream and Lemon-Turmeric Goat Cheese came out of a conversation between food creator Diletta Secco and nutritionist biologist Federica Federici on Il piatto bilanciato, a vodcast episode built around gut health. Their working premise—that the gut functions as a second brain, one that shapes overall wellbeing in ways most people underestimate—pointed toward seasonal, fiber-rich ingredients as a practical starting point.

This dish is Diletta's translation of that conversation into something you can actually cook. Zucchini forms the creamy base; fresh goat cheese brings a clean tang that sharpens against lemon; turmeric adds warmth and color to the cheese without overwhelming either. The result is light and fragrant but not thin—a plate where the health rationale and the flavor logic happen to point in exactly the same direction.

INGREDIENTS

Fusilloni pasta 11.3 oz (320 g)

Zucchini 1.5 lbs (700 g) - to be cleaned

Fresh goat cheese 7 oz (200 g)

Pine nuts 3.5 oz (100 g)

Garlic 1 clove

Powdered turmeric 1 tsp

Basil to taste

Mint to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

For garnish: Pine nuts 5 tbsp (40 g); Lemon peel 1; Mint to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Pasta with zucchini cream and lemon-turmeric goat cheese

To make the pasta with zucchini cream and lemon-turmeric goat cheese, first put a pot of water on to boil for cooking the pasta. Trim the zucchini and slice them into thin rounds 1. In a pan, flavor a drizzle of olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic 2, then add the zucchini 3.

Season with salt 4, pepper and sauté over high heat for about 8–10 minutes. In the meantime, cook the pasta al dente in the boiling salted water 5. When the zucchini are cooked, remove the garlic 6.

Transfer about two-thirds of the zucchini to a blender jug 7, leaving the rest in the pan. Add the goat cheese 8, a little salt and pepper 9.

Add the pine nuts as well 10, the basil leaves 11 and the turmeric 12.

Finally pour in a drizzle of olive oil and a ladleful of the pasta cooking water 13. Blend with an immersion blender 14 until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream 15.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it into the pan with the remaining zucchini 16, then add the goat cheese cream 17 and a ladleful of the cooking water 18.

Stir to combine everything well 19 and season with mint leaves 20. Plate immediately 21.

Garnish with pine nuts to taste 22, grated lemon zest 23 and a few extra mint leaves. Your pasta with zucchini cream and lemon-turmeric goat cheese is ready to be served 34!