Quick Vegetable Pasta
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$3.61 RECIPE / $0.90 SERVING

Here’s your weekly reminder that not every meal has to be a large undertaking.

When you just throw anything you have into a pot or a skillet, you can get pretty fantastic results. However, I enjoy playing around with the elements that make up the template for these kinds of dinners.

You can simply add meat or make it vegan by swapping out one ingredient. This Quick Vegetable Pasta is one of my recent favorite “anything goes” recipes.

WHICH VEGETABLE PASTA IS MY FAVOURITE?

A quick, easy, and filling supper like this vegetable pasta is one of my all-time favorites. It’s so adaptable that measuring isn’t necessary. Whatever pasta and vegetables you like are fair game, as are the seasonings. If you don’t have a lot of time or energy, you can make it yourself.:)

THE CHOICES FOR PASTA

Quick Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Food: Quick Vegetable Pasta Recipe
Source: Inspired Taste

For this dish, you can use any sort of pasta and any quantity you like. We can use long pasta, short pasta, or even microscopic pasta like couscous or orzo.

Because I rarely consume a whole box of pasta at a time, I’ll never run out of pasta to use up in my cupboard. This is perfect.

Also, and this is going to be frowned upon by purists, I recommend cutting long pasta in half before cooking. This makes it easier to incorporate chunky items (such as veggies) into the spaghetti, making it more manageable.

So the vegetables don’t end up being pushed to the outside and there’s no spaghetti clump in the middle, you’ll be able to mix them together.

AN ABUNDANCE OF CHOICES

Vegetables are just as versatile as pasta in this dish! I’ve made this dish using frozen mixed vegetables and enjoyed it quite a lot. Vegetables can be any kind, any amount, and any combination of those.

Use as much as you like, more, less, or none at all. Today I use grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach are the vegetables, but here are some more fantastic choices:

  • kale
  • peas
  • corn
  • avocado (will give the pasta a nice creamy effect)
  • edamame
  • broccoli
  • carrots
  • zucchini
  • bell pepper
  • green beans
  • onion (red, yellow, green)

To make a successful vegetable swap, arrange the vegetables in the skillet from toughest to softest. Carrots, which take longer to soften, should be placed in the skillet first, while spinach, which cooks more quickly, should be added last to avoid overcooking.

IS YEAST A HEALTHY INGREDIENT?

As a nutrient-dense flavoring, nutritional yeast, a deactivated form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is popularly used in food preparation.

An almost-cheesy flavor and a pale yellow tint characterize this ingredient, which works nicely in sauces. Adding nutritional yeast to this spaghetti recipe significantly enhances the flavor and adds a lot of umami.

We can find nutritional yeast in the non-perishable section of the supermarket with other health goods.

Bragg’s and Bob’s Red Mill are two well-known names in the food industry, but I’ve also seen it sold by Trader Joe’s and Kroger under their own names.

QUICK VEGETABLE PASTA

This Quick Veggie Pasta is a great way to use up your kitchen scraps because “everything goes.” Make it a vegetarian or a vegan dish!”
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 lb. linguine ($0.50)
  • 4 oz. mushrooms ($0.75)
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes ($1.25)
  • 1 Tbsp. cooking oil ($0.04)
  • 4 oz. fresh spinach ($0.50)
  • 1 Tbsp. butter* ($0.09)
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
  • 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast ($0.42)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cook the pasta in a big saucepan of boiling water. Boil water (about 7 minutes), and add pasta. The pasta water should be saved, and the pasta should be drained in a strainer with the water saved.
  2. Slice the mushrooms and half the tomatoes while the water is boiling.
  3. In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms with a pinch of salt in a large skillet until they have released all of their moisture and no water is visible on the bottom of the skillet (about 5-7 minutes).
  4. At this point, you can add tomatoes and saute for an additional two minutes, or until they are just warmed through. The spinach should only be sautéed until it has wilted.
  5. Add butter and drain the pasta at the end of the cooking process. Toss until all ingredients are well-coated in butter. Turn off the heat.
  6. Garnish with garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper, then toss to coat thoroughly. Taste the pasta and make any necessary adjustments to the seasonings. For extra moistness, use a dash of pasta water while combining the pasta and salt. Serve and savor right away.

NUTRITION IN VEGETABLE PASTA

  • Serving: 1 serving
  • Calories: 301 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 48 g
  • Protein: 11 g
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Sodium: 200 mg
  • Fiber: 4 g

HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE PASTA STEP-BY-STEP

Food Quick Vegetable Pasta
Food: Quick Vegetable Pasta
Source: Inspired Taste
  1. Pasta is a good place to start, as the remainder of your dish will likely be done cooking by the time yours is ready to drain. However, you can substitute any other pasta for the linguine I used in this dish. While you’re heating up the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente (about 7 minutes). Save half cup of pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander.
  2. Slice or dice any vegetables you plan on using while the pasta water is boiling. For this recipe, I needed to slice 4 ounces of mushrooms and 1 cup of grape tomatoes, which I had on hand.
    a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil heated to medium-high Add the mushrooms and a dash of salt once the oil is heated. In order to remove any remaining water from the skillet, continue cooking the mushrooms until they have shed their moisture (5-7 minutes).
  3. Toss in the tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes. There is no need to overcook them because they will continue to cook as you add additional seasonings.
  4. Finally, add the fresh spinach and sauté for another minute or so, or until the spinach wilts.
  5. Adding 1 Tbsp of butter and the cooked and drained pasta to a skillet is all that is needed. Toss until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well-coated.
  6. Turn off the heat and season the pasta with 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 14 tsp garlic powder, around 14 tsp salt, and 14 tsp freshly cracked pepper. Toss until the seasoning coats the food evenly. Just add a dash of the leftover pasta water if the spaghetti becomes too dry.
  7. Make sure to take a final taste of the pasta and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Incorporate additional herbs and spices if you like. I also like to add crushed red pepper to my dishes.