Here’s a quick little one pot pasta I’ve been making lately with my leftover veggies. You can literally add in whatever you have on hand and it creates a tasty one pot meal with tons of color, flavor, and texture. It may not be revolutionary, but I think sometimes it helps to see what quick meals other people are making and this One Pot Veggie Pasta is my latest go-to quick fix. :)
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Use Your Leftovers
As far as one pot pasta goes, this recipe isn’t that revolutionary, but I love it for one main reason—it’s perfect for using up leftovers. Got two carrots left? Or maybe a half of a bell pepper. A handful of mushrooms? How about that partial bag of broccoli florets hiding the back of your freezer? They can all go in this super quick one pot pasta! The more colors and textures the merrier.
Use Your Favorite Sauce
Convenience is the name of the game with this quick weeknight pasta dish, so I used a jar of pasta sauce instead of making my own this time around. You can literally use any red pasta sauce, as long as it’s one you know you like. …Actually, I bet you could also turn this into a really tasty alfredo! *jots down notes for testing next week*
How Are the Leftovers?
As with any leftover pasta dish, the rotini does get a little softer as it is stored in the refrigerator. Personally, that has never bothered me or stopped me from eating leftover pasta, but if you’re sensitive to textures, you might not enjoy the leftovers of this pasta.
Success with One Pot Pasta Recipes
Learning how to cook a one pot pasta can take a little practice. It’s all about observing and adjusting. The goal is to have the pasta simmer in a small amount of liquid so that by the time the pasta is tender, there is only a small amount of saucy liquid left in the bottom of the pot. You need to simmer with the lid on (to hold in the steam) and stir occasionally. Every time you stir, check the pasta texture and the amount of liquid left in the pot. If the pasta is almost tender and there is still a lot of liquid, let it simmer without a lid. If the liquid is almost gone but the pasta is not tender, add a splash more water. Here are some more tips for cooking one pot pastas:
- Use a pot with a thick bottom. Thin-bottomed pots will create hot and cold spots that tend to cook the pasta unevenly.
- Use a burner close in size to the bottom of the pot. If the burner is too small the outer edges will not simmer and the pasta will cook unevenly.
- Make sure the broth is simmering the whole time. If it stops simmering, the pasta will stop cooking and will become mushy.
One Pot Veggie Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.28)
- 2 carrots ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.49)
- 1 zucchini ($0.90)
- 1 red bell pepper ($1.50)
- 1/2 lb. rotini (not cooked) ($0.50)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 24 oz. pasta sauce ($1.49)
- 4 oz. mozzarella, shredded (optional) ($0.83)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, dice the onion, and slice the carrots. Add the garlic, onion, and carrots to a large pot with the olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- While the vegetables are sautéing, slice the mushrooms. Once sliced, add them to the pot with the other vegetables and continue sautéing.
- While the rest of the vegetables are sautéing, dice the zucchini and bell pepper.
- Once the bell pepper and zucchini are diced, add them to the pot along with the rotini, basil, oregano, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine. It's okay if the broth doesn't fully submerge the pasta.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil.
- Once the broth reaches a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally and always replacing the lid, for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Once the pasta is tender, add the pasta sauce to the pot and stir to combine. Top with the shredded cheese then place the lid back on the pot. Let the pasta heat for a few minutes, or just until the cheese is melted. Serve hot!
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Garlic Press
- Chef’s Knife
Nutrition
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How to Make One Pot Veggie Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Mince two cloves of garlic, dice one yellow onion, and slice 2 carrots. Add the garlic, onion, and carrots to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft.
While the garlic, onion, and carrots are sautéing, slice 8oz. mushrooms (or you can buy pre-sliced). Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and continue to sauté while you chop the rest of the vegetables. Chop one zucchini and one red bell pepper.
Add the chopped zucchini and bell pepper to the pot along with 8oz. rotini (not cooked), ½ tsp basil, ½ tsp oregano, and 2 cups vegetable broth.
Stir everything together. Don’t worry about the pasta not being fully submerged in the broth. I promise it still works. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring the broth to a boil. When it reaches a full boil, give everything a quick stir, put the lid back on top, and turn the heat down to medium-low.
Let the pasta and vegetables simmer, stirring occasionally and always replacing the lid, until the pasta is tender and there is very little liquid left on the bottom of the pot.
Add a 24 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce and stir to combine.
Top the pasta with 4 oz. shredded mozzarella. Place the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit for about 2 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted.
And then it’s done! I garnished with a little chopped parsley to make it pretty, but it’s totally unnecessary for flavor.
Enjoy!
I used pre-sliced baby Bella mushrooms and carrots chips to save time. I added sundried tomatoes in oil at the same time that the pasta sauce went in. Delicious! Husband also loved it. This is going into the rotation for sure.
This looks wonderful, and I’m doing the prep for it now! I was wondering, though, if you’d ever thrown some sundried tomatoes in or would that alter the flavor profile too much? I have some sun-dried tomatoes banging about in my fridge and I’m trying to use them up before too long. Thanks!
I think that would be lovely!
Is it alright to use all frozen vegetables? I am so exited to try this!
I’m sure that would still be delicious!
Absolutely KILLER! An immediate all-time favorite! The only edits I made were to dice the carrots like others suggested so that they cooked/softened more quickly, did a little extra garlic, and added a little cayenne. Absolutely phenomenal!!
Super easy, and the rotini is delicious cooked this way. Adding this to our regular rotation. Your recipes are always a hit here, thanks!
I made this exactly to the recipe. It is delectable! The veggies and pasta are cooked to the perfect texture. Not too hard; not too soft or mushy. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt after adding the pasta sauce which really made the seasonings burst in flavor. No question that I’m a fan and will add this to my rotating menu. Thanks for sharing!
Great recipe! We’ll certainly be eating this again. How much is a serving? Thanks!
Thank you! If there’s a certain serving size to note, it will be located next to the serving amount in the recipe card. For this recipe, it’s just 4 equal servings, there’s no measurement amount provided. :)
I used whole wheat pasta, which seemed to hold up better on day 2!
This was a hit with my family. I used Italian seasoning as we had no basil. I also sautéed the veggies longer so they would be cooked enough. As mentioned you do need to watch it and add small amounts of hot water until pasta is done. Will make this again. Thanks for a different twist[no pun intended] for a pasta side dish.
SO GOOD
Wow!! This one is a forever keeper recipe. The whole family loved it. I decided to sautée everything in a lemon-infused olive oil that I forgot I had, and holy cow it lent a brightness to all the flavors. Served with shaved Parmesan. Can’t wait to make this again, thanks as always.
Very good. I used brown rice pasta. Next time I am going to try adding 1/2 cup more of the broth. There were some noodles that weren’t cooked after 20 minutes (step 6) but it was still delicious!
Hello! Is it alright to omit the dried basil, or are there any substitutes for it? Thank you!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was a great success. We all loved it, including the picky eaters and our vegan daughter. Thank you so much. Very easy and healthy.
This tasted lovely, but the carrots need to go MUCH longer if you use whole carrots and cut them into slices.
Agreed, I diced all the veggies except the mushrooms, and they cooked more easily.
I did this last night and it was excellent. Just really tasty and easy. I will do this again!
I liked this recipe a lot. I was drawn to it from your IG post where Beth said it uses up items in the fridge. I’m trying really hard not to waste any food and I’m also insanely stressed, so I’m not cooking very much. I had some open pasta sauce, some caramelized onions and bell peppers, and some spinach that needed using. I added extra garlic and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. I used Jovial gluten free Farfalle pasta because I have celiac. I didn’t add the caramelized peppers and onions until near the end and I only used 1/2 the amount of pasta sauce that it called for, adding the spinach at the same time. So I think this is a really healthy alternative to macaroni and cheese or other cheese pasta and very comforting. It was very easy with just one pot. My Sicilian grandmothers are probably rolling over in their graves at the one-pot method but I have switched to one pot pasta entirely. Thanks for the recipe.
Could you use a chickpea or lentil pasta?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with alternative pastas, so I’m not sure how they’ll hold up, if they need a different amount of liquid, or a different cooktime.
@Tailor, I used the Banza chickpea cavatappi pasta (my favorite!) and only cooked it for about 9 minutes. I know the box says to drain and rinse it, but I just followed Beth’s recipe and it worked great! It was pretty saucy, so next time I would probably only use about 20 ounces, but it was still delish!
Thanks for letting us know how it turned out!
Hi! Would this work with whole wheat pasta??
I used whole wheat and it came out great.
Whole wheat pasta sometimes needs a little extra water and cooking time, but other than that you could do this with WW pasta. :)
I really do appreciate recipes with photos showing each step. It’s great for beginners. I made this last night and got thumb up from my local food critic a.k.a my husband. For those who don’t like mushrooms, just like me. I found a good recipe without them https://topfood.club/en/reczeptyi/main-dishes/pasta/quick-and-easy-pasta-recipes/pasta-with-eggplant.html
Super easy, healthy (?–it has more veggies than my usual pastas, so I’m counting it), and filling :) I could have used less sauce but I learned for next time!
I LOVE this recipe! Super easy yet healthy and filling. I’m a grad student and work so I love nutritious, affordable, easy meals like this. Def one of my favorites and new go-tos. Thank you!
This looks great! How do you think this would work with tortellini? Would it be better to just cook that separately since it takes so much less time than dried pasta?
I’m not sure about that. That’s definitely something I’d want to test first before offering a suggestion. :)
What brand of tomato sauce do you use? I’ve not found a jar tomato sauce that I absolutely love!
Thanks!
I don’t remember which brand, in particular, I used for this because I’m not really picky about red sauce so I usually just buy whatever is available without giving it a thought. 😅
Try Rao’s. It can be pricy but it’s the best. And, in a pinch, I also use Prego Farmer’s Market sauces. Really good, too!
Seconding this, Rao’s is usually great.
This was great! It’s really easy to adapt according to what veggies you have on hand. The part that takes the longest is peeling and chopping the veggies. This is a great prep-ahead meal for a fast weeknight dinner. And only one pot to wash! Thanks for sharing.
This is basically my long-time go-to when I have some zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, or what-have-you to use up! Nice to see it’s working for others, too. 🙂
This was good! I can’t do dairy so I had my family just add their cheese once it was served up. I also added some leftover green beans and tomatoes that I had roasted the other day. Good recipe! Thanks!
There are some surprisingly tasty mock cheeses out there, should you want in on that “cheesy” goodness. There are even easy recipe demos on YT if you want to make your own.
This was soooo good! I used the Jovial brand gluten free fusilli pasta and it worked perfectly. Definitely making this one again, thank you!
Fantastic! Another BudgetBytes recipe that is good as written and easily changed. We made the recipe as written except we used dried garli and onion. Can’t wait to make it again and try different veggies. The leftovers were delicious too! Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
What a great base recipe! I used GF pasta for me, zucchini, onion, and black beans since my partner is vegetarian. It’s such an easy recipe to tweak to one’s preferences! I added lots of dried herbs, no need to measure. Can’t wait to eat it for lunch at work tomorrow :-)
Oh my gosh, this is sooooo good!
Beth could this be frozen and reheated? Mom asking for a college kid. 😉
I think it would freeze so-so. I’m not very picky about texture changes so I freeze pasta dishes all the time. :) But some people don’t like how pasta gets soft when you reheat it.
Steps to make the pasta is not difficult it seems. but there’s something i want to ask,
if dice one yellow onion is replaced with green onion, is it possible? and can it be made without using paprika, because I don’t like peppers, hix.
Thanx before 😀
Yes, you can do that. :)
Very tasty and easy recipe! I used chickpea spaghetti rather than the rotini, which also worked out well.
The ingredients for this is very similar to a family favourite, but we add a can of kidney beans too. I’m excited to try cooking it one pot style. Any advice on when to add the kidney beans?
I would probably just add them when you add the pasta and broth. :)
Oh my god this was so good. I used parmesan instead of mozzarella and left out the garlic and onions because I used a roasted garlic pasta sauce with plenty of both. Came out perfect.