I love this easy vegetable spaghetti recipe! With over 1 ½ pounds of vegetables, this veggie pasta is so good that I could honestly eat it every day.
I absolutely love this vegetarian pasta sauce because it’s 100% from scratch, so you know exactly what’s going into the pan. Seriously, my whole family devours it (even my young son)! I’m constantly coming back to it, especially when I need a simple weeknight dinner.
And the best part is that you can throw in whatever veggies are hanging in your fridge. It’s a great way to use up those odds and ends in the veggie drawer.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: I used spaghetti in our photos and video, but any shape of pasta will do. You can even substitute your favorite gluten-free or whole-grain pasta if you’d like to. Or, for something different, you can use the sauce and make veggie lasagna roll ups, which use lasagna noodles!
- Vegetables: I add over 1 ½ pounds of veggies to this veggie pasta recipe and love a combination of zucchini, yellow squash, jarred roasted red peppers, and spinach. Other veggies work, like peas, corn, cauliflower, and cabbage.
- Onion, garlic, and tomato paste: These provide our base flavor for the vegetable pasta sauce.
- Canned whole tomatoes: I love canned whole tomatoes for this recipe. After adding them to the pot, I crush them with a spoon so they turn into a chunky sauce. Crushed tomatoes are also an option. You can also use blanched, peeled fresh tomatoes (tips for peeling fresh tomatoes are found in this recipe for red pasta sauce).
- Basil: I love fresh basil in this sauce, but other herbs work, too (parsley and mint add a different flavor but are excellent).
- Mushroom powder: Okay, now this one is optional, but for the best, most flavorful veggie pasta, I highly recommend using homemade mushroom powder. It adds a rich umami flavor to the sauce and is our secret weapon when making meatless recipes. I also use it when making mushroom pasta and spaghetti with meat sauce. You can also buy it from specialty food stores, spice shops, and online.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make My Fresh Veggie Pasta
Tip 1: Make the vegetable sauce. Cook the onions in olive oil until they are soft, then stir in the garlic, spices, and tomato paste. The tomato paste will turn from bright red to burnt orange, and that’s when you’ll toss in all your delicious veggies.
Tip 2: Break the tomatoes up with a spoon. Add a large can of tomatoes to the cooked vegetables and use a wooden spoon to break them into a chunky sauce.
Tip 3: Season really well. I always add a good pinch of salt and, if I have it, some mushroom powder (highly recommended). Then, let your sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tip 4: Cook the pasta while the sauce simmers. When the pasta is done, the sauce should be ready too. Stir in fresh spinach and basil, then toss in the cooked pasta until well coated. I love serving this veggie spaghetti with a generous handful of parmesan cheese, but you can use a vegetarian-friendly cheese or nutritional yeast instead.
More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
Easy Veggie Spaghetti
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My family loves this vegetable pasta (even my little one). It has over 1 ½ pounds of vegetables and a simple tomato sauce made completely from scratch. For vegan spaghetti, skip the cheese and serve with some nutritional yeast sprinkled on top. You can make the sauce up to 4 days in advance.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
12 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice (340g)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (140g)
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium yellow squash, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced, about 1 tablespoon
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
One (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into ½-inch pieces, about 1 cup
2 to 3 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional
5 cups spinach leaves (226g)
Handful of fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for serving
Directions
1Cook onion: Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet with sides over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2Add the veggies: Add the zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but still with some crunch, 5 to 8 minutes.
3Make vegetable pasta sauce: Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute. Add the roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and mushroom powder. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half, about 10 minutes. As the sauce cooks, use a spoon to break the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces for a chunky sauce.
4Cook pasta: While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then cook pasta according to package directions.
5To finish: Take the sauce off of the heat, and then stir in the spinach and basil. Taste then adjust with additional salt if needed. Toss in the cooked pasta, and then leave for a minute so that the pasta absorbs some of the sauce and the spinach wilts. Toss again, and then serve with parmesan or nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Leftover veggie spaghetti lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also make the sauce and store it in the refrigerator for 4 days before tossing it with the pasta. Freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating and tossing with freshly cooked pasta.
- Salting to taste: Tomato sauces usually need quite a bit of salt. If you taste the sauce and the flavor does not pop, it probably needs more salt. I use between 1 and 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt when making this vegetable tomato sauce.
- Mushroom powder: I love it and highly recommend adding it to your spice cabinet! It adds a rich umami flavor to the sauce (and other dishes). Here is our homemade mushroom powder recipe, or you can buy it (I’ve seen it in specialty stores, spice shops, and online).
- Substitutes for mushroom powder: Try a dash of soy sauce or fish sauce, or chop mushrooms and add them to the pan along with the onions.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
This recipe was a huge hit with my family. My younger son & wife are vegetarians visiting us from out of state, so we decided to all go “veggie” for the weekend. Six of us all but completely consumed the entire batch! (Just enough left-overs for lunch for my wife and me!). I followed the recipe precisely and it was easy and straightforward. (I cook my pasta using a recipe I found online called Amish Butter Noodles. I highly recommend it. Adds amazing umami to the pasta. Instead of boiling in salted water, I use a medium concentrate stock of Better Than Bouillon Safritto & Better Than Bouillon Roasted Onion. For the 1st time, I made my own “mushroom powder” using dried chantrelles. However, to be perfectly honest, there were so many other wonderful flavors to this dish, I’m not sure I could appreciate the addition of the mushroom. Regardless, this reecipe is wonderful & I look forward to making it again (even if just for us carnivores!).
I made this tonight for dinner. It was fantastic and I am not a huge fan of zuchini & squash! I will be making it again and serving for others.
That’s wonderful, Karmen! Thanks for coming back and letting us know.
Always look forward to your recipes and apart from the sweets I have tried most of them. Doing good guys
This is absolutley delicious!! We have made this several times and it is always a winner!!! Absolutely 5 star dish!
So happy you gave the recipe a try, Margaret! Thanks for coming back.
This is my easy go to Spaghetti when I am in a pinch for dinner and yes it cleans out the fridge lol. It is tasty too I add 2 tablespoons red wine and wow it is delicious and a definite time saver. Goes good with garlic bread too
Can I use frozen veggies for this or do they need to be fresh ?!
Frozen will definitely work! If using frozen spinach, thaw and wring it out first.
Is this halal?
Hi Sophia, While veggie spaghetti is often Halal, it really depends on the exact ingredients! Check all labels carefully – and any cheese used. When in doubt, look for a Halal logo on packaged items.
absolutely delicious! i love this recipe! thank you! 🙂
Very good .I did not add mushroom powder but otherwise floowed the receipe given turned out really yummy
This was delicious! I subbed kale for spinach. Super easy to make!
Delicious – easy to make. Used chopped canned tomatoes instead, didn’t have the mushroom add,or the basil. Still yum. Will make often.
Glad it worked well for you, Kathy!
This was a delicious dinner. Now, I hate when people leave a review where they change everything about the recipe, but I had to make a few substitutions. I did not have any zucchini, but I did have a big pile of baby Bella mushroom so I chopped them up And use that instead of the zucchini. I also chopped up a carrot which I added along with the onions. It actually kind of looked like a vegetable meat sauce. Everything else I followed the recipe and the taste was great. Thank you
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, even with your substitutions. It sounds like you got creative with what you had on hand, and it paid off! Thanks for sharing your experience! We love hearing how people adapt my recipes to their own tastes and kitchens.
Love this. I added some pineapple chunks as well for some sweetness
Really tasty
Excellent recipe……. I just used up other veg. sitting in the fridge as well, e.g. handful of broad beans. Didnt have many peppers so added a large pinch of chilli flakes. No fresh basil, so chucked in frozen leaves. Worked just as well. Thank you!
Can’t wait to trey this recipe for my toddler. Would it still taste good if I blended everything together and then mix the pasta with it?
That’s a great idea! I think you should be fine.
This recipe is amazing and so simple. I’m not a fan of mushrooms, so I substituted the powder with a bit of Worcestershire sauce for that umami. It turned out perfectly and my vegetarian friend was a huge fan too!
This was amazing. This is my second time making it. First time was right on the recipe. This time I changed up veggies a bit and it was equally good. I made your mushroom powder a month ago and use it frequently. Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I love everyone I’ve tried. Keep up the great work.
This makes me so happy, Carol! I’m so happy you’ve made the mushroom powder (isn’t it good!). Thanks for coming back!
I’m going to try this recipe right now and I can’t wait to try it!! I going to make a pineapple coleslaw and Texas 5 cheese garlic bread to go with it!! yummy! I don’t have mushroom powder so I’m going to use soy sauce but I will be going to trader Joe’s to get some soon because they have the best and ONLY sweet and spicy jalapenos!! to die for!! thanks for recipe!! I can’t wait to take a pic and hashtag it for you all!!
That’s so exciting! I’m also so happy you plan to try out mushroom powder soon. So tasty!
5 STARS. Delicious and easy. Have made several times and highly recommend!
Amazing!! It’s always wonderful to hear when recipes become go-to dishes. Thanks for your support!
Another winner. I wasn’t happy with my previous veggie spaghetti recipe and wanted to try something new. Well, my previous recipe is now in the bin. This was absolutely delicious and will now be my go-to spaghetti dinner.
Stuck to the recipe pretty closely but used more squash since the ones I bought were large. Used 1 ½ jars of peppers since I increased the squash. Doubled the red pepper flakes & garlic because I like spicy and it was just the perfect amount for me. Skipped the mushroom power since nobody carries it in the smaller town I live in. But still was wonderful. I think buy some mushrooms just dehydrate them myself since I have a convection oven which should do the job I think.
This was delicious. Just a perfect combo of fresh veggies and flavors. Won’t change anything next time I make this
Wonderful! Thanks for coming back and sharing.
This was so fresh, delicious and satisfying. Will definitely be making again and again
That’s what we love to hear, Karla!
I’ve made this recipe many times. It continues to get better each time I make it. Sweet potatoes is an awesome addition.
This is truly an easy and delicious dish. I have made it many times and it always tastes great. My husband, who is reluctantly eating plant based, also loves this dish.
Hi Cindy, Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review. We are so happy that your family loves the recipe 🙂
Made this 2 nights ago and was delicious. Made almost to recipe (I can’t help tinkering 😊), just replaced squash with mushrooms and added extra garlic. Think the mushroom powder really makes it, which I made to your recipe adding onion and garlic powders (ingenious and easy to make). Made half the amount and was enough for 3 meals. Thank you for this delicious recipe, will be a regular on our menu.
Love the subs and we are so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
We have gone vegan and in our 70s the change is rough but this recipe is totally delicious!! We didn’t miss the meat and have another meal recipe!
Wonderful. This recipe has so much flavor, you really don’t need the meat! Glad you found us.
The best spaghetti I’ve ever made. I’m in my late 30’s. I didn’t have mushroom powder so I used 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp fish sauce, because that’s what I had on hand. Also, instead of paste and canned tomatoes, I simply used a jar of Rao’s marinara. Literally the best!
Ok,so we were shocked by how good this is! I’ve tried other veggie spaghetti they were ok, but wouldn’t cook them again. But this one has become a regular meal for us. We all love it!! Which is unusual… Thank you!!
The vegetarian spaghetti will it be OK if I add tofu to it? What do you think about that?
Hi Brendan, Tofu sounds great. I’s crumble firm or extra firm tofu or use a box grater to grate the tofu into small bits.
This recipe is a winner! So easy and so tasty. Used fresh red pepper,fresh mushrooms and crumbled some feta chunks on top. Divine!
As I would be the only one eating the vege pasta can I freeze the leftovers
Of course. It should last about 3 months.
Looks like a nice dish, making it tomorrow for veggie friends and family. Could I add chilli or pesto to the recipe?
Thanks, Mandy! Pesto would be tasty!
This is amazing base primavera with options fir all kinds of veggies! Have done straight from the recipe adding more veggies as well as using all veggies in fridge before a trip and even leftover ricotta! Thanks for the recipe! Delicious!
loveed it