Quick and easy vegetable pasta made with a lemon garlic sauce, pasta, and loads of fresh veggies. Use your favorite combo or whatever you bring out of your summer garden.
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I have been stuck in a very bad habit with our meals for a long time. I always thought you needed a hearty protein source with every dinner. Each night I stressed over having some kind of meat in our dish. Whether it was chicken, red meat, pork or seafood I would go out of my way to make sure we had one of those options in our dinner.
We have been trying to break out of that habit and have a meal at least once a week that was full of fresh veggies and free of meat. Does anyone else do #meatlessmonday? However, it doesn’t usually fall on a Monday but I have been incorporating more meatless, or vegetarian, meals into our rotation.
Ingredients
This quick and easy garden vegetable pasta is one of my go to meals.
I can use all kinds of veggies, sometimes just what I have on hand. It's light, fresh, and makes so much that we have plenty for a few lunches. Not going to lie my kids do not like this dinner. They struggle with cooked veggies so I usually will keep some aside and they just eat a bowl of pasta with a side of raw veggies. I’m not going to complain though
This is one of my favorite dishes during summer as well. When the garden is bursting with all kinds of great fresh food. Some of our go-to choices are:
- Carrots
- Red peppers
- Onions
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Cherry Tomatoes
One of the biggest reasons these are my favorite is because in the summer I can go out to my garden and get just about all of these things and dinner is served! No grocery shopping!
You can also change it up based on the season and what fresh veggies are available.
Tips and Notes
This dish is made with a reduction sauce with chicken (or vegetable) stock, garlic, and lemon. It’s light and really enhances the flavor of all the various vegetables.
Be mindful of the order your cook your veggie in. The things that take the longest should be cooked first.
Add the spices in (minus the fresh parsley) in after the onions are done. This gives the spices a chance to cook into the other veggies as you add them in.
How to Make
While the pasta is cooking start cooking the veggies:
1. Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil into a large skillet.
2. Add onions and cook for a few minutes until soft.
3. Then add in all the spices (minus the parsley) so that it can cook with each veggies addition.
4. Add in carrots and bell peppers and cook until they start to turn soft.
5. Then add in broccoli and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
6. Add in zucchini and cook until they are soft, about another 4-5 minutes.
7. Add in the cherry tomatoes cook for about two minutes.
8. Remove all the veggies from the pan and set them aside.
9. In a now-empty skillet add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
10. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
11. Add in 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock along with the lemon juice.
12. Bring to a simmer and cook until it reduces down to half.
13. Then add the pasta and fresh parsley into the skillet and toss.
14. Dump all the veggies back in and toss bringing everything up to temp.
15. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
If you are a cab lover like myself make yourself a fresh loaf of sourdough bread.
Variation
If you would still like to add a protein my friend over at theduvallhomestead.com suggested making it with some grilled salmon. That would be the perfect complement to this dish.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below or include me on social media @dirt.dough
Recipe
Garden Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz Penne Pasta
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion Diced
- 1 Red Pepper Diced
- 2 Large Carrots Peeled and Diced
- 1 Head of Broccoli Chopped
- 2 Zucchini Diced
- 10 oz Cherry Tomatoes Halved
- 2 tablespoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- Juice from 1 Lemon, About 2 Tablespoons
- ¼ Cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese for Serving
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted, boiling water until cooked all the way. Drain and set aside.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil into a large skillet and add the onions. Cook until soft about 5 minutes.
- Add in all the spices (minus the parsley)
- Add in carrots and peppers and cook until they start to turn soft. About another 4-5 minutes
- Add in broccoli and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in zucchini and cook until soft. Another 3-4 minutes. Zucchini cooks fast so watch it closely.
- Add in cherry tomatoes for a few minutes.
- Remove all the veggies fro the pan and set aside.
- In a now empty skillet add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add in 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock along with the lemon juice.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until it reduces down to half.
- Then add the pasta and fresh parsley into the skillet and toss
- Dump all the veggies back in and toss and bring everything up to temp.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Yum! I love recipes where I can use lots of produce straight from the garden! I make meatless meals several times a week since I am vegetarian (my family is not).
My kid wouldn't like this either, but I know I would! I'll definitely need to make this when my garden bounty comes in.
My daughter will at least try it but not my son. Yes i love just making it with what ever we harvest that day.
This looks so good. And if you wanted to add meat, a grilled salmon would be perfect. We are definitely making this!
That is a great idea! We love salmon.