Consider this your weekly reminder that not every meal requires elaborate preparation. Occasionally, by simply throwing together whatever ingredients you have on hand in a pot or skillet, you can achieve fantastic results. While I typically adhere to a loose framework for these kinds of meals, I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients to fit into the template. Lately, my go-to “anything goes” recipe is this Quick Veggie Pasta, which can be easily modified by incorporating meat or making it vegan with a simple ingredient substitution. It’s incredibly versatile!
Why I Love This Vegetable Pasta
This meal is my ultimate go-to when I want something quick, effortless, and incredibly satisfying. It’s incredibly versatile, allowing you to use any pasta and vegetable you have on hand, and even experiment with different seasonings. It’s a straightforward yet delicious dish that requires minimal effort to whip up. 🙂
Pasta Options
Feel free to use any kind of pasta you have on hand for this recipe, regardless of the quantity. Whether it’s long pasta, short pasta, or even smaller options like couscous or orzo, they all work perfectly. This is particularly convenient for me since I seldom use an entire box of pasta in one go, leaving me with various small portions of pasta in my pantry that I need to utilize.
Although this next tip may go against traditional beliefs, I recommend breaking long pasta in half before cooking. By doing so, it becomes easier to incorporate chunky ingredients like vegetables into the pasta. This way, you will be able to mix them together evenly instead of having the vegetables all pushed to the outer edges of the skillet while the pasta clumps in the center.
Vegatble Options
Similar to the variety of pasta options, you have endless choices when it comes to the vegetables you can use in this dish! I have personally tried using frozen mixed vegetables and it turned out delicious. The best part is, you can adjust the amount of vegetables to your preference – add more, less, or as much as you desire. In today’s recipe, I used grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, but there are many other fantastic options available as well.
To successfully replace the vegetables, remember to introduce them into the skillet based on their texture, starting from the hardest to the softest. Begin by adding the hard vegetables, such as carrots, which require more time to soften. This allows them to cook thoroughly. Lastly, include the soft vegetables, like spinach, towards the end to prevent them from being overcooked.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast, derived from deactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae, serves as a highly nutritious seasoning for food. With its light, flakey texture and yellow color, it effortlessly blends into sauces, offering a savory and almost cheesy taste. In this pasta dish, the nutritional yeast takes the spotlight by enriching the flavor profile and providing an abundance of umami.
Nutritional yeast is typically located in the grocery store alongside other non-refrigerated health foods. Major grocery stores often carry well-known brands such as Bragg’s and Bob’s Red Mill. Additionally, some stores offer their own name brand of nutritional yeast, including Trader Joe’s and Kroger.
Curious to explore different ways of incorporating nutritional yeast? Take a look at our nutritional yeast archives for more inspiration.
Looking for quick pasta dishes? Explore our collection of Quick Pasta Recipes!
How to Make Quick Veggie Pasta – Step by Step Photos
To ensure everything is ready at the same time, begin by cooking the pasta. For this recipe, I opted for ½ lb. of linguine, but feel free to choose your preferred type. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and let it cook until tender (approximately 7 minutes). Before draining the pasta in a colander, save around 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
As you wait for the pasta water to reach boiling point, take the opportunity to prepare your vegetables. In my case, I had some leftover mushrooms and tomatoes that needed to be used, so I sliced up 4 ounces of mushrooms and halved approximately one cup of grape tomatoes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté the mushrooms until they have released their moisture and no water is pooling on the skillet’s bottom (approximately 5-7 minutes).
Include the tomatoes and sauté them for a few additional minutes. Remember, they will keep cooking when you introduce other ingredients, so there’s no need to thoroughly cook them at this stage.
Lastly, incorporate the fresh spinach and cook for an additional minute or until it becomes wilted.
Combine the cooked and drained pasta with 1 Tbsp butter in the skillet. Stir until the butter is melted and the entire mixture is evenly coated in butter.
First, switch off the heat and proceed to season the veggie pasta. Use 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder, approximately a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper. Ensure that the seasoning evenly covers all the pasta by tossing it. In case the pasta becomes dry, simply add a splash of the pasta water that was set aside.
Ensure that you taste the veggie pasta one last time and modify the seasonings according to your preferences. Feel free to experiment with additional herbs and spices as well! Personally, I highly recommend crushed red pepper as a delightful extra.
