One Pot Vegetable Pasta

A quick Vegetable Pasta that’s made with less pasta and more veggies that tastes so amazing, no one realises it’s a healthy pasta recipe!!! It’s a vegetarian pasta loaded with a whole head of broccoli, corn, zucchinis, capsicum/peppers and onion, and smothered in a garlic herb tomato sauce.

All made in one pot – from scratch, in 20 minutes. *Fist pump!*

There’s a time for making vegetable pasta the proper way – roasting veggies until beautifully caramelised, making a pasta sauce, cooking the pasta, then bringing it all together at the end. It’ll take close to an hour, and it’s totally fabulous.

This one pot vegetarian pasta is for all those other times. A complete meal that covers all bases – tons of veggies, light on the pasta, minimal prep, just one pot to clean and absolutely delish. (The cheese helps… 😉)

CHOOSE YOUR OWN VEGGIES & PASTA

This is a terrific versatile vegetarian pasta that you can make your own using your vegetables of choice. I’ve used a whole head of broccoli, the icy remains of frozen corn, 2 zucchinis nearing the end of their life and a capsicum/bell pepper. All vegetables I happened to have (albeit I then had to go out and buy them again to make the video 😂)

You can also choose your own pasta. This recipe will work with any short pasta – macaroni, spirals, penne, ziti (which is what I’ve used).

Jeez, I’m being flexible today, aren’t I! I figure after all the rules I set out in Friday’s Chocolate Mousse, I was due for a nice and easy “use what you want” recipe today. 😂

Though having said that, while this vegetable pasta is adaptable to whatever vegetables and short pasta you want, the liquid quantities and cook times are not as flexible so please do follow the recipe.

A 20 MINUTE QUICK HEALTHY DINNER

This recipe has a nice flow to it. I start off by chopping the garlic and onion, then get that on the stove to cook slowly on a low heat so it becomes sweet and becomes an amazing flavour base for this quick healthy dinner.

In between leisurely stirring the onion every now and then, I chop the other vegetables, pop open cans and measure out the herbs and spices so it’s all ready to go into the pot by the time the onion is done.

Once the pasta is in, it takes a mere 10 minutes to finish cooking. Much longer than this and you’ll end up with soggy pasta, so basically, this has to be a quick 20 minutes recipe otherwise your pasta is overcooked! 😂

I know I’m talking up how this is a healthy Vegetable Pasta recipe but when you watch the video, you’re going to see me toss in a nice handful of cheese that’s stirred through the pasta, then a bit more to melt on top.

There’s no denying cheese makes this even tastier, but for a healthier option, opt for some parmesan instead.

Excluding the cheese, this pasta is a mere 378 calories per serving – and it’s a generous serving size, this recipe makes a big pot full!

Either way, you’re going to be yscoffing this down. Added bonus: it’s great Couch Food.  (Definition: food you can eat on the couch without taking your eyes off the TV 🙌🏻) – Nagi x

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Sometimes it’s nice to have a visual, so watch me make this Vegetable Pasta!

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One Pot Vegetable Pasta

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Recipe video above. A quick healthy dinner with more veg and less pasta, all made in one pot! For a lower cal option, skip the cheese and serve with parmesan sprinkled on top. Workflow: Get the onion cooking while you prep the other ingredients.

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes

Total Time:20 minutes

Servings:5

Hover over "Servings" value to reveal recipe scaler

Author:Nagi

Course:Mains

Cuisine:Western

Keyword:One Pot Pasta, Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 2 zucchinis* , halved lengthwise and cut into sliced 0.8cm / 1/3" slices
• 1 red capsicum/bell pepper* , halved and sliced
• 1 cup corn* (frozen or canned)
• 1 broccoli* , broken into bite size florets
• 250g/ 0.5lb ziti/penne , or other short pasta (Note 1)
• 800 g / 28 oz crushed tomato
• 1.5 cups / 375 ml vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Italian herb mix (or other dried herbs)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes, adjust spiciness to taste)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

Optional:

• 1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice (Cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack etc)

To serve:

• Finely chopped parsley (optional)
• Parmesan (if not using cheese)

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic and onion - cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
• Turn heat up to medium high, add zucchini and capsicum. Cook 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT pasta and broccoli. Stir until tomato paste dissolves.
• When liquid starts bubbling, lower heat to medium, add pasta and stir. Top with broccoli, push in.
• Place lid on and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove lid. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is almost cooked through and most of the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta.
• Stir through half the cheese (if using). Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Top with remaining cheese, put lid on. Leave for 1 minute until cheese is melted and pasta is perfectly cooked.
• Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. Don't leave leftovers in the pot, residual heat will overcook the pasta so transfer into a serving dish.

Recipe Notes:

* These vegetables can be switched with vegetables of choice - use 7 to 8 cups in total, chopped or sliced. Cook cauliflower and broccolini in the same way the broccoli is cooked in this recipe ie placed on top of the pasta so it steams first before stirring through.

1. Pasta - any short pasta can be used: penne, ziti, macaroni, spirals.

Pasta cook times may need adjustment. If undercooked to your taste and liquid has reduced down, just add a touch of water. Most important is to ensure you don't overcook the pasta! Mushy pasta is not pleasant!

2. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings excluding the cheese which is optional. Cheese adds 120 calories per serve. If cheese is omitted, serve with parmesan instead. 

Nutrition Facts

One Pot Vegetable Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 378 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Sodium 1273mg 53%

Potassium 1459mg 42%

Total Carbohydrates 72g 24%

Dietary Fiber 11g 44%

Sugars 16g

Protein 15g 30%

Vitamin A 45.2%

Vitamin C 215.3%

Calcium 16.4%

Iron 27.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 72g (24%)Protein: 15g (30%)Fat: 5g (8%)Sodium: 1273mg (53%)Potassium: 1459mg (42%)Fiber: 11g (44%)Sugar: 16gVitamin A: 45.2%Vitamin C: 215.3%Calcium: 16.4%Iron: 27.2%

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