This fast and Easy Vegetarian Pasta recipe is a light and fresh meal that’s perfect when you’re short on time. This simple dish comes together in just 30 minutes and it’s perfectly weeknight friendly! This is a great meal to have on Meatless Mondays or when your budget is getting tight but you want to keep a healthy diet.
When looking at alternative ingredients for this recipe, try to think of this recipe as really a Farmer’s Market Pasta! Eggplant, yellow squash, peppers, and onions all do great in here.
The sauce isn’t really saucy at all – it’s made of chunky vegetables with just enough juices to blend well into the pasta. It’s such a light, fresh meal that’s perfect for a quick dinner!
I used mini heirloom tomatoes that I found at Trader Joe’s for this recipe, but use cherry tomatoes if they’re easier to find. Also, scope out what your farmer’s market is selling to see what other tomatoes are available. My local grocery store is now carrying a three-pack of grape tomatoes in different varieties as well.
🍅 Ingredients
This pasta is sure to be one of your favorite recipes. And the best part is it is so easy to make!
Tomatoes: While any kind of tomatoes works, I recommend using mini heirloom tomatoes. Another option is cherry tomatoes because they have wonderful sweetness and look great too.
Zucchini: I love how wholesome this pasta dish is, and part of that is due to the fresh zucchini squash. It’s so light and the perfect addition to this recipe.
Seasonings: For the seasonings, use a combination of Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make adjustments to the seasonings as you see fit.
🍲 Instructions
Step One: Prepare the pasta using the directions on the packaging.
Step Two: Clean the produce and slice the tomatoes in half. Cut the zucchini in half and again, so you end up with four long pieces. Then chop it into bite-sized pieces. Chop the fresh parsley.
Step Three: Heat the olive oil in a pan using medium-high heat.
Step Four: Place the zucchini in the hot pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the zucchini for five minutes.
Step Five: Add in the tomatoes and season again with salt and pepper. Sauté for five more minutes. This is a good time to add some chopped garlic if you want some extra flavor!
Step Six: Mash the tomatoes lightly using a potato masher. Then, add in one tablespoon of olive oil and garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and water. Stir well.
Step Seven: Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle in the parsley and cook for 3 more minutes.
Step Eight: Put the pasta on a plate and top with the tomato mixture. Add some parsley, serve, and enjoy!
📌 Expert Tips
- Use any variety of pasta. We love the result when we use Pappardelle Pasta, but other varieties work just as well.
- Don’t overcook the pasta or the meal will be mushy.
- Add in additional veggies such as mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or anything you like. This is extremely flexible.
- This recipe is vegan, but I did top our plates with some grated parmesan when serving. After taking the pictures, I added some homemade croutons that I made from ciabatta bread—such a great combination.
Recipe FAQs
It’s important always to be mindful when it comes to pasta. You don’t want to go crazy and eat too much, or it can have a negative effect. However, the parsley, tomatoes, and squash are all super healthy and filled with nutrients. Due to this meal not being coated in lots of creamy sauce, it is pretty healthy.
Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator. They should be stored in an airtight container, and it will last up to four days.
I recommend adding it to a microwave-safe plate, covering it with a paper towel, and heating it up for 30 seconds – 1 minute. Don’t overheat it or the pasta tends to dry out.
You can serve all sorts of dishes with this pasta recipe. I recommend some warm bread, steak, chicken, or a nice salad. You can also eat it by itself and make a great meal out of it.
Related Recipes
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30 Minute Vegetarian + Vegan Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Mini Heirloom Tomatoes or multicolored cherry tomatoes
- 2 Medium Zucchini Squash
- ⅓ cup Fresh Parsley loosely packed, stems removed
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil divided
- 8 oz. Dry Pasta of Choice I used Pappardelle Pasta
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- ¼ cup Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Garlic to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Wash all produce. Slice tomatoes in half. Cut Zucchini in half lengthwise, cut in half once more so there are four long pieces. Then chop into chunks similar in size to tomato halves. Roughly chop parsley.
- Heat pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil.
- Add zucchini to pan. Seasonly lightly with salt and pepper. Saute for five minutes.
- Add tomatoes to pan, season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute for an additional five minutes. If you want to use fresh chopped garlic, add it now.
- Lightly mash tomatoes with potato masher to release juices. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and water. Stir.
- Lower heat to medium low. Cook for an addition 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how juicy you want the sauce to be. If desired, add a bit more water to reach the desired consistency.
- Add parsley in final 3 minutes of cooking.
- Serve over cooked pasta. Sprinkle extra parsley over top if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
Tastes amazing for how easy it is!!