Easy Veggie Spaghetti
- PREP 10min
- COOK 25min
- TOTAL 35min
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.
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.