Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipe (for all seasons)

4.93 from 14 votes

Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipe (for all seasons)

This is one of my favorite non-meat meals. Its a light, healthy, zesty, Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipe and perfect for and season.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings (change as needed): (or 3 larger portions)

Author: Cheryl

Ingredients

8 ounce spaghettini or other pasta (225 grams) assumes moderate 2 oz per person
¼ cup Optional garnishes: chopped parsley, fresh chopped basil, grated Parmesan cheese

Vegetable Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
5 cup vegetables, diced 1-2 inches (e.g. onion, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant)
3 cloves garlic, minced (3 tsp)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can 375 ml diced tomatoes, drained - about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
½ cup olives, chopped or 3 tablespoons olive tepanade (optional)
½ teaspoon chili flakes (or to taste)
1 lemon (2 teaspoon zest, juice from ½ lemon)
4 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

BEGIN SAUCE: Heat a large saucepan to medium high. Add olive oil. Add chopped vegetables and saute about 8 minutes until tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, olives (if using), capers, lemon juice, tomatoes and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3-5 minutes.
COOK PASTA: While sauteing vegetables, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions Drain, RESERVING 1 cup of the pasta liquid. Put spaghetti back in the warm pot. Add ¼ cup of the liquid and cover. Set aside.
FINISH PASTA: Add spinach to vegetable mixture. Stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest. Add cooked pasta to vegetable mixture and stir to combine well. Add pasta water a little at a time to get the consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasonings including salt and pepper if needed.
SERVE: Transfer to a serving platter or serve straight from the pan. Add a drizzle of olive oil if desired as well as the garnishes you like. Pass extra Parmesan.

Notes

Vegetables: If using vegetables that cook very quickly such as asparagus, zucchini or snow peas, add them toward the end of sauteing the vegetables to avoid over cooking.

Make Ahead:

You can make the vegetable 'sauce' ahead, but I suggest you only add the chopped fresh spinach when you reheat it to serve so that it stays a vibrant green. Cook the pasta just before serving and add to the vegetables.
Alternatively, make the whole thing and just rewarm it on the stove with some extra pasta water or plane water. I absolutely love leftovers of this dish too!

Nutrition Values are estimates and do not contain garnishes like Parmesan cheese.