This Zucchini Pasta with veggies is the prefect quick pasta dish to make during the summer months, when fresh garden veggies are at their peak. This is a very simple and easy recipe for when you need dinner on the table in 15 minutes!
For this vegetable pasta, I was inspired by the simplicity of a famous Italian dish called Pasta a la Puttanesca. Unlike Puttanesca, this recipe is completely vegetarian. The light sauce is made by sauteing the fresh vegetables with onions, garlic, tomatoes and spices and mixing it with a little bit of the pasta water.
Veggie Pasta Ingredients
This is one of those recipes you can customized any way you want. Use the veggies of your choice or what is available at the market (or in your garden). This recipe can be made with any short pasta – penne, farfalle, ziti, rigatoni as well as long pasta like spaghetti.
- Zucchini
- Yellow Squash
- Bell Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Basil
- Kalamata Olives
- Capers
- Pasta
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Spices: Italian seasoning, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and ground black pepper
How To Make Pasta with Zucchini and Veggies
- First, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water.
- While the pasta cooks, saute the garlic in olive oil over low heat. We want the oil to get infused with the flavor of garlic so low heat is a must.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and saute the onions, bell peppers, zucchini and squash. Add the seasonings and cook until the onions become soft and translucent. The veggies will only be partially cooked at this point.
- Add the tomatoes, olives, capers and red pepper flakes. Combine and allow to cook for about 5 -7 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking pasta water.
- Return the drained pasta to the cooking pot and add the veggie mixture, a bit of the pasta water and fresh basil. Toss and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Vegetable Pasta Recipe Tips
- Something I always do when I cook pasta is to reserve some of the cooking liquid (aka pasta water). With it, you can make a little bit of a sauce without having to use marinara, heavy cream or butter as a base.
- This meatless pasta recipe can be made with any vegetable of your choice. You need about 5- 6 cups of chopped or sliced veggies.
- You can use canned chopped or crushed tomatoes if you prefer.
- Pasta with vegetables is a great way to use up all those veggies in the fridge that are about to go bad.
- Cook the pasta in salted water. That is the only way to boost the flavor of plain pasta.
- I prefer to use pitted Kalamata olives packed in water (instead of oil).
Check Out These Easy Dinner Ideas
- Pizza Pasta (One Pot)
Pasta with Zucchini and Garden Veggies
Pasta with Zucchini and garden veggies is a delicious vegetable pasta recipe loaded with flavor! This simple veggie pasta is smothered in a light tomato sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 – 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, sliced and cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 large zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into chunks
- 1 large yellow squash, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes, chopped into chunks
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped , (I prefer to get the ones packed in water)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 12 ounces short pasta, such as Farfalle (bowties) or penne
- Torn basil leaves
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt and 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, start cooking the vegetables.
- In a medium sauté pan over low heat, add the olive oil and the chopped garlic. Let the garlic simmer in low heat for a few minutes stirring occasionally. You want the garlic to slowly infuse the oil while making sure it doesn’t turn brown.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the onion, red bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash. Add the Italian seasoning, dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are partially cooked. Add the chopped tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers and red pepper flakes. Mix gently, cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Drain pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Return the pasta to the pot and add the cooked vegetable mix, the basil and a bit of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix to combine. Add parmesan cheese and adjust seasoning. The cooking liquid helps to create a sauce so your pasta is not dry. Serve and top with more Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- This recipe can be made with any vegetable of your choice. You need about 5- 6 cups of chopped or sliced veggies.
- You can use canned chopped or crushed tomatoes if you prefer.
Nutrition
Calories: 336 kcal, Carbohydrates: 50 g, Protein: 12 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 6 mg, Sodium: 393 mg, Potassium: 471 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 1202 IU, Vitamin C: 44 mg, Calcium: 147 mg, Iron: 2 mg
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