Meghan Markle’s Pasta Is So Buttery and Delicious (Without the Butter)

When its creator describes a dish as “mushy,” it should probably throw up a red flag. But Meghan Markle also calls her pasta sauce “so creamy, you’d swear there’s tons of butter and oil in it.” Turns out she’s right on both counts, and either way you look at it, Meghan Markle’s Creamy Zucchini Bolognese blows the top off decadent, meatless pasta. 

Mostly because I’ve never heard anyone say “This tastes healthy” as a compliment, I’m always looking for any chance to sneak in extra veggies. I’m like SEAL Team Six about getting green things onto plates without anyone noticing—myself included. But beyond a tender zucchini bread, a treat that I’ve loved ever since I realized vegetables could be dessert, I haven’t tried many stealth squash recipes—until now. The Duchess of Sussex’s pasta provides the perfect cover.

I promise you don’t need to watch Harry and Meghan’s Netflix specials, or follow the British royals, or have any idea what food group a crumpet belongs to in order to make this dish. It cooks low and slow, is light on ingredients—just onion, zucchini, and a bouillon cube mixed with pasta, Parm, and seasonings—and it yields a sauce so velvety, I’m like, “Zucchini Who?” 

How To Cook Meghan Markle’s Creamy Zucchini Bolognese

Here’s how I made the Duchess’s dish. After sautéing my onions until they were soft, I added the zucchini, which succumbed to the heat almost immediately. If you peek inside the pot an hour in, it’s tempting to think you’re done, but the rest of the four-hour cook time allows the water to evaporate and the chicken bouillon to work its magic. Zucchini can always use a little personality in the seasoning department, so this technique is a crowning achievement. And don’t worry about blending in the seeds or skins. By the end of the braising time, you’ll barely be able to find them. 

I cooked my rigatoni just before my zucchini timer went off, boiling a minute less than the label instructions for al dente because, especially with a smoothie-textured sauce like this one, I enjoy some chew on my pasta. Since there’s no reserved pasta water here, you can make the sauce-on-noods situation as clingy as possible by draining the pasta but not rinsing it. This keeps the starches acting like glue for that luscious zucchini sauce—not to mention all the grated Parm, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes you want. 

My Additions to Meghan Markle’s Zucchini Bolognese

The juice of half a lemon comes to about 1 1/2 tablespoons, but feel free to play around with the amount to suit yourself, and season the sauce with salt and pepper to your liking. Fresh herbs are nice, too. I ripped up a few fresh, peppery basil leaves to sprinkle on top, and since I like it hot, I added extra red pepper flakes. 

Full disclosure: “Mush” is 100 percent the best way to describe this sauce. But, luckily, so is “buttery.” And once it’s all tossed together, it just might be your new favorite way to sneak in some lean, green veggies on the sly. If you’re missing the meat, you can always add ground turkey or Italian meatballs!