My grandfather taught me this 4 ingredient classic and it is wonderfully easy

This oven baked 4-ingredient zucchini butter pasta is the kind of weeknight comfort my grandfather used to make when the garden was overflowing with zucchini and nobody wanted to fuss with a big stovetop production. He’d grate the zucchini, toss it with butter and pasta, and let the oven do the work until everything turned glossy and jammy. It’s wonderfully easy, cozy, and practical—exactly the kind of recipe you can throw together after work with a bag of pasta and a couple of zucchini on the counter.

Serve this zucchini butter pasta straight from the casserole dish with a big spoon for scooping. It’s rich and buttery, so I like to balance it with a simple green salad dressed with lemon and olive oil, or some sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper if that’s what you have. Garlic bread or a warm baguette is great for mopping up the buttery zucchini at the bottom of the dish. For drinks, a crisp white wine, sparkling water with lemon, or even iced tea works really well alongside.

Servings: 4

12 oz dried short pasta (such as penne, rotini, or fusilli)

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly butter or oil a medium ceramic casserole dish (about 9x13 inches or similar) so the pasta doesn’t stick.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the pasta and cook 3–4 minutes less than the package directions for al dente; it should still be quite firm in the center. Drain well and return the pasta to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, coarsely grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Use clean hands to gently squeeze out a bit of excess liquid over the sink—no need to wring it completely dry, just take off the watery edge so the sauce can turn jammy instead of soupy.

Add the grated zucchini, butter pieces, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt to the hot drained pasta in the pot. Toss everything together until the butter starts to melt and the zucchini is evenly mixed through the noodles. The heat from the pasta will help the butter begin to coat everything.

Transfer the pasta and zucchini mixture into the prepared ceramic casserole dish, spreading it into an even layer. Use a spoon to tuck some of the zucchini down into the pasta so it can melt into a soft, buttery layer as it bakes.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. This step lets the zucchini soften and release its juices while the pasta finishes cooking in the buttery steam.

Remove the foil, give the pasta a gentle stir to pull the soft zucchini and buttery juices up from the bottom, and spread it out again. Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the top looks glossy, the zucchini is jammy and tender, and the edges are just starting to turn golden.

Let the casserole rest on the counter for 5–10 minutes before serving so the buttery zucchini mixture thickens slightly and clings to the noodles. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed, then scoop big spoonfuls straight from the dish and serve hot.

To keep this true to the 4-ingredient spirit my grandfather used, I stick to pasta, zucchini, butter, and salt as the base, but there are a few easy tweaks you can make. For a little extra richness, you can dot the top with a few more small pieces of butter before the final uncovered bake. If you like a hint of heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes (added when you toss everything together) works well, though it does technically add a fifth ingredient. For a slightly lighter version, you can swap 1–2 tablespoons of the butter for a drizzle of olive oil. Whole wheat or chickpea pasta both work; just undercook them a bit more than usual so they don’t get too soft in the oven. If you want a more browned top, bake uncovered for an extra 5 minutes, watching closely so it doesn’t dry out. Food safety tips: Wash the zucchini well and trim off any damaged spots before grating. Use a stable cutting board and keep your fingers clear of the grater. If you prep the grated zucchini ahead of time, store it covered in the refrigerator and use within 1 day. Leftover pasta should be cooled, then refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten within 3–4 days; reheat until steaming hot all the way through before serving. If you’re packing this for lunch, keep it chilled in an insulated bag with an ice pack until you can reheat it.