I love this easy veggie spaghetti recipe! It tastes incredible and comes with over 1½ pounds of vegetables. This vegetarian pasta is very good and I can eat it honestly every day.
I absolutely love this vegetarian pasta sauce because it’s 100% from scratch, so you know exactly what’s going on in the pan. Seriously, my whole family swallowed it (even my youngest son)! I keep going back to it, especially when I need a simple weekday dinner.
The best part is that you can throw any veggies into the refrigerator. This is a great way to consume these odds and end up in a vegetarian drawer. For more vegetarian pasta recipes, I love this easy vegetable pasta, this vegetable pasta baking, or if you want a low carb option, try my Zucchini Pasta Pasta!
Key Ingredients
- pasta: I used spaghetti in our photos and videos, but any pasta shape would work. You can even substitute your favorite gluten-free or whole wheat pasta if you prefer. Or, for something different, you can use the sauce and make vegetable lasagna rolls to use the lasagna noodles!
- vegetable: I added over 1½ pounds of vegetables to this pasta recipe and loved the combination of zucchini, yellow pumpkin, roasted red peppers and spinach. Other vegetables work, such as peas, corn, cauliflower and cabbage.
- Onion, garlic and tomato sauce: These provide our basic flavor for vegetable pasta sauce.
- Canned whole tomatoes: I love the canned whole tomatoes for this recipe. After adding them to the pan, I crushed them with a spoon to make them into a thick sauce. Broken tomatoes are also an option. You can also use light-colored, peeled fresh tomatoes (the tips of peeled fresh tomatoes are found in this recipe for red pasta sauce).
- Basil: I love the fresh basil in this sauce, but other herbs work too (parsley and mint add different flavors, but are very good).
- Mushroom powder: OK, now this is optional, but for the best and most delicious vegetarian pasta I highly recommend using homemade mushroom powder. It adds a rich umami flavor to the sauce and is a secret weapon when making meat-free recipes. I also use it when making mushroom pasta and spaghetti meat sauce. You can also buy it from professional food stores, spice stores and online.
How to Make Vegetarian Pasta
My family loves this vegetarian pasta (even my little ones). We’ll start from scratch, but don’t worry, it’s easy to be quick!
First, you will make a vegetable sauce. Cook the onion in olive oil until tender, then stir in garlic, spices and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce will change from bright red to orange, which is when you throw all the delicious veggies away.
Next, add a large can of tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to crush them into a thick sauce. Add a little salt, and if there is one, add some mushroom powder (highly recommended). Then, let your sauce cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
You can cook pasta while the sauce is wiping. When the pasta is cooked, your sauce should be ready and you can Throw in some spinach, fresh basil and cooked pasta. I like to offer this vegetarian spaghetti with plenty of parmesan cheese, but you can use a more vegan cheese or nutritious yeast instead.
Relaxed vegetarian pasta
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We love this quick and easy vegetable pasta with over 1.5 pounds of vegetables and a simple tomato sauce made entirely from scratch. For vegetarian spaghetti, skip the cheese and sprinkle some nutritious yeast on top. You can make sauce up to four days in advance.
Make 4 to 6 servings (make 6 cups of sauce)
Watch us make recipes
You will need
12 oz (340g) pasta or preferred pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (140g) chopped onion
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 medium yellow pumpkins, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, about 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper slices
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 (28 oz) can fully peel tomatoes
A (12 oz) jar of roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 1 cup
2 to 3 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional
5 cups (226 grams) spinach leaves
A few fresh basil leaves, and more for edible
Salt and fresh black pepper
Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
direction
- Make Vegetable Pasta Sauce
1Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender for 3 to 5 minutes.
2Add the zucchini, yellow pumpkin, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and plenty of salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, but still with some crunch, 5 to 8 minutes.
3Stir the tomato sauce and cook for another minute.
4Add roasted red peppers, tomatoes and mushroom powder. Cook on slow heat and cook until the liquid thickens and reduces in half, about 10 minutes. When the sauce cooks, use a spoon to divide the whole tomato into smaller pieces to match the thick sauce.
- Make vegetarian noodles
1While the sauce is wiping, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the direction of the packaging.
2Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the spinach and basil. Taste and adjust as needed with extra salt.
3Throw in the cooked pasta and leave for a minute so that the pasta absorbs some of the sauce and spinach. Toss again, then just like Parmesan or nutritional yeast sprinkled on it.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: The remaining vegetarian spaghetti lasts for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also make the sauce and store it in the refrigerator for 4 days before throwing it with the pasta. Freeze the seasonings for up to 3 months. Melt overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat and toss with freshly cooked pasta.
- Seasoning: Tomato seasoning usually requires a lot of salt. If you taste the sauce and the flavor doesn’t pop up, you may need more salt. When making this vegetable tomato sauce, I use 1 to 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt.
- 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 have seen it in professional stores, spice stores and online).
- Mushroom powder alternatives: Try a little soy sauce or fish sauce, or chop mushrooms and add them to the pan with the onion.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1/6 of the recipe (2 oz pasta)
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Calories
372
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Total fat
11.4g
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Saturated fat
1.6 g
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cholesterol
0mg
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sodium
798.2mg
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carbohydrate
56.9g
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Dietary fiber
8.9 grams
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Total sugar
7G
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protein
14.5g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
