One pot vegetable pasta is what you need when you want healthy-ish, loaded with veggies dinner that tastes good enough to call friends over for!
Lets just say every time I'm due for a grocery run and I see a bunch of leftover vegetables that are half used, wilting, nearing the end of their life, I make this one pot vegetable pasta. This is one of those back-pocket recipes which will come to your rescue every time you need fast dinners.
This recipe uses a ton of veggies. It's not the most elegant looking pasta dish, and it can't be called anything else. No fancy names or sauces here or even fancy hard-to-get-ingredients. It's just a throw it all in that finally tastes sooo good that you'll be thinking about it every time you decide what to make for dinner.
Quick Walk Through: One Pot Vegetable Pasta
Reasons Why You'll Love This Dish
- This recipe uses tons of veggies, which makes it very nutritious as well as kid-friendly
- Except for a bit of chopping, this pasta recipe requires very little prep
- At the end of the cooking process, you'll just have one pot to clean!
- Can be customised to suit your likes and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any short pasta works here. That's penne, rigatoni, fusilli, macaroni, ziti etc. Long strand pasta has different cooking times so it doesn't work as well.
Veggies like broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, golden corn, asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions taste really good in pasta. You can add whatever veggies you have to this one pot vegetable pasta, and it's going to turn out amazing.
Simply stirring in some cheese and allow it to cook without covering the pot is a great way to thicken the sauce in just a few minutes. Make sure to stir the pasta continuously after adding in the cheese to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Top Tips To Make The Best One Pot Veg Pasta
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan to help cook the pasta and veggies evenly.
- This pasta can easily be made vegan by either skipping the cheese entirely or using a plant-based alternative.
The only thing I'd ask you to do while making this recipe is to stick to the method and ratios as much as possible. Too much liquid, too little pasta or the other way around will not give you the right result. Because its one pot, you need exactly the same amount thats written in the recipe.
This pasta is delicious is and filling on its own. But you can serve it with some toasted garlic bread and you've a wholesome dinner ready in no time.
Watch how to make One Pot Vegetable Pasta Recipe Video
One Pot Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3-4 Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Onion medium chopped
- 1 cup Corn Kernels
- ½ cup Mushrooms quartered
- 1 Zucchini cut into half moon slices
- 3 cups Tomatoes blanched and crushed
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable Broth / Water
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
- 1 cup Broccoli florets
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian Herb seasoning mix
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 250 grams Short Pasta penne/macaroni/rigatoni
- 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot and add garlic and onions and cook on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Turn heat to high and add the corn kernels, zucchini, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and let cook on high heat. When the liquid starts boiling, reduce heat and add the broccoli, red bell pepper, pasta, herbs, pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Give it a stir, place the lid on and let it cook on a slow flame for 4-5 minutes.
- Take the lid off and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently till the pasta is done and all the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in half the shredded cheese and taste to check for the seasonings. Add more salt or pepper if required.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, cover with the lid and take off heat. The cheese will melt in the residual heat.
- Garnish with the parsley and shredded parmesan and serve hot.
Notes
- Cook tomatoes on medium heat instead of low heat. This will give it an extra charred smoky flavour.
- Use any short pasta where the cooking time on the package is 6-7 minutes. Long pasta has a different cooking time. Time it and cook it till al dente.
- If you don't have cheddar, substitute with any other cheese you like mozzarella.
Melissa says
An easy recipe with pantry staples and it turned out delicious! My 2.5 year old loved it too! thank you Richa
Anne Francis says
This recipe had lots of flavor, I will definitely make it a staple in my family. Heats great in a microwave.
Richa says
Sounds fantastic! Thank you so much Anne. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!