Creamy Vegetable Pasta
Creamy Vegetable Pasta is an easy, vegetable filled pasta dish that is on the table in under 30 minutes! This is a delicious vegetarian meal that everyone will love.
My family loves when it's pasta night in our house. The kids favorite is either buttered noodles (so easy I don't even need a recipe!), Boursin Pasta, or my Million Dollar Baked Spaghetti, but really they're happy whenever their plate is full of noodles.
My new favorite is this recipe for Creamy Vegetable Pasta. It's full of vegetables, so you know I'm happy about that, and it's rich and creamy from the addition of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Best yet, it's a breeze to whip up and is great for using up vegetables on their last leg that are in my fridge.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Filled with vegetables. Just like my Lemon Broccoli Pesto Pasta, this pasta dish is filled with onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes, making it packed with nutrition.
- Flexible recipe. You can adapt this recipe to whatever vegetables you prefer.
- Quick and easy. This recipe only requires a little bit of veggie chopping and the rest comes together super quick.
- Crowd pleaser. This is a creamy pasta recipe that everyone will like!
Ingredients
Vegetables - I use my favorite veggies including onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini in this recipe. I have also used other vegetables, which I have noted in the variations section below.
Garlic - fresh garlic gives this pasta delicious flavor.
Italian Seasoning - classic dried Italian herbs add a punch of flavor to this pasta.
Heavy Cream - this is what makes the pasta so yummy and creamy!
Parmesan Cheese - adds some delicious cheesy flavor and helps to thicken the sauce.
Butter - used to sauté the veggies.
Spaghetti Pasta
Refer to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients.
Variations
Switch up the Vegetables. You can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have and love in this creamy vegetable pasta dish. Anything from corn, spinach, kale, and peppers to squash, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Use a Different Cheese. If you don't have Parmesan, you could use Asiago, Gruyere, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, or really any hard shredded cheese that you like. I think adding a soft cheese like goat cheese or feta would also work, but I have not tried it myself.
Add a little spice! If you like things spicy, add some (start with ¼ tsp) red pepper flakes or diced jalapeño for a little heat.
Add some meat. If you want to add a little protein, you could add meatballs, chicken, shrimp or tofu! Or check out my Instant Pot Sausage Rigatoni for a delicious meat-filled pasta.
Step by Step Instructions
Photo 1. Heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion, zucchini, and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook for7-10 minutes, until vegetables have started to soften.
Photo 2. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and tomatoes.
Photo 3. Cook another 5 minutes, until the veggies are all softened.
Photo 4. Add the cream to the vegetables and stir to combine.
Photo 5. Add the Parmesan cheese to the vegetables.
Photo 6. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes to slightly thicken the sauce. It will thicken more the longer it cooks.
Photo 7. Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet.
Photo 8. Stir in the noodles. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
You can, although the pasta might not be quite as creamy, half and half will definitely still lend creaminess to the pasta. I would not substitute milk.
There are so many options when it comes to vegetable pasta. This recipe uses tomatoes, zucchini, onion, and mushroom. Other great options would be summer squash, carrots, spinach, kale, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers.
You can. Simply add some broth or water to the pasta while heating it up to make it creamy again.
Definitely! This vegetable pasta would be delicious with chicken, shrimp, or tofu!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Creamy Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small onion red or yellow
- 1 zucchini diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 16 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- While the water is heating and the noodles are cooking, start the rest of the dish.
- Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 7-10 minutes, until the vegetables have started to soften.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes, and cook another 5-7 minutes. I like to put a lid on it to sort of steam the vegetables.
- Add the cream and cheese to the vegetables, stirring to combine. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. It will thicken as it cooks.
- Add the pasta noodles to the sauce and stir well to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Add some broth, water, or cream to the pasta when reheating, to make it creamy again.
- You can use any type of pasta noodle that you like.
