Sometimes when I want a quick and healthy dinner, this creamy veggie pasta is my go to. It is incredibly easy to make, loaded with fresh vegetables, and tastes great! The tomato cream sauce isn't overwhelmingly decadent but enough to make it feel special. Plus it's vegetarian!
Other great pasta recipes to try
As for the choice of vegetables I prefer onion, red pepper, and zucchini because they all hold up well when mixed in with the spaghetti. I am not a big fan of mushy vegetables, and by adding the veggies at different times they can all be cooked properly. Onion, then pepper, then zucchini. This recipe is of course very adaptable to whatever you have around at the time, some good substitutions would be cauliflower, eggplant, spinach, or cherry tomatoes.
For the sauce, I like to use a really classic Italian tomato cream sauce with white wine. The addition of the wine adds that extra little sense of mystery making people wonder why the sauce is so good. It also helps deglaze the pan after Sautéing the onions and peppers, which brings in more lovely flavors. I can't help but add in a few pinches of red pepper flakes, but if prefer it less spicy feel free to omit entirely. Just don't forget the parmesan cheese!
What to serve with creamy veggie pasta
Creamy Veggie Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 onion, (diced)
- 1 red pepper, (sliced thinly)
- 2 zucchinis, (sliced thinly)
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine, (chardonnay works well)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt, (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, (or more to taste)
- fresh parsley, (for serving)
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to boil and cook your spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain, and set cooked spaghetti aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, bring a large saute pan or fry pan to medium heat and add the olive oil, a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes, onions, and peppers and saute for 7-8 minutes until the peppers are just tender. Then, add the sliced zucchinis and cook for additional 3-4 minutes until the zucchini is tender.
- Next, add the tomato paste and white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping any brown bits off the bottom. Add the reserved pasta water, heavy cream, and cooked spaghetti. Season with another pinch of salt. Stir until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta, about 2-3 minutes.
- To finish, turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust for salt. Serve with some fresh parsley.
Video
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Andrea says
Yummy and so easy