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An easy marinara sauce loaded up with chunky summer veggies and served over pasta. This Garden Veggie Pasta is a delicious, healthy meal the whole family will love!
Kids love anything with noodles, so pasta dishes are a great way to sneak in some extra nutrition!
This is a basic marinara recipe combined with sautéed chopped summer vegetables. If you’ve never attempted to make your own marinara sauce, you must try it – it’s so easy! I use canned crushed tomatoes for ease, and they are great year round, but you could certainly use fresh.
This Garden Veggie Pasta is the one of just a few ways I can get my son to eat zucchini (enchiladas, muffins and dessert bars are the other ways!). Give it a try today!
Table of Contents hide
1 Ingredients you need
2 How to make the recipe
3 Storage/Freezing
4 Recipe pro tips for success
5 Pasta FAQs
6 More veggie pasta recipes
7 Garden Veggie Pasta
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Tomatoes ~ I used canned tomatoes for convenience. Fresh tomatoes can be cooked down instead of using canned.
Veggies ~ With so many vegetables, like eggplant, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, and more packed into this veggie pasta recipe, it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, B vitamins, and more!
Feel free to use your favorite vegetables. Other summer veggies that would work great in this recipe: sweet corn, green beans, yellow summer squash, or green peas.
Pasta ~ Pasta not your thing? This healthy vegetable sauce would be great served over rice, baked potatoes, zoodles, or polenta.
Protein ~ Feel free to add in some white beans, chickpeas, or pan-fried tofu for an extra protein boost.
Oil-free ~ If you’re following an oil-free diet, feel free to use ¼ cup vegetable broth or water to sauté instead of olive oil.
Gluten free ~ Use gluten free noodles.
How to make the recipe
While the pasta is cooking, sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until starting to soften. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant and sauté another 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, dried basil, balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
Simmer the sauce on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the sauce over the cooked noodles. Easy and delicious!
Storage/Freezing
Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
You can also freeze this Garden Veggie Pasta in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Please note, however, the vegetables and noodles may lose some of their texture upon reheating. For best results, freeze the pasta and sauce separately.
Recipe pro tips for success
~ Use a medium shaped pasta, like penne, rotini, rigatoni, or gemelli.
~ Cook the pasta in well salted water until al-dente.
~ Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar! It adds a sweetness and depth of flavor that rounds out the sauce beautifully.
~ Bump up the protein in this veggie pasta dish by adding a can of white beans or chickpeas (drained and rinsed) or cubed baked tofu.
~ Use gluten free noodles or spiralize some zucchini for a gluten free version.
~ For an oil-free version, sauté with ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth or water instead of oil.
Pasta FAQs
Can vegans eat pasta?
Of course! Most store-bought packaged noodles are vegan, but be sur to read ingredient labels as some may contain egg.
Is pasta healthy?
Pasta can definitely be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Choose 100% whole grain pasta for added fiber and nutrients. Pairing noodles with a vegetable-heavy sauce like this Garden Veggie Pasta is always a good choice!
What is pasta primavera?
The word primavera in Italian means spring. Pasta primavera is an American dish consisting of pasta and fresh vegetables. Usually, these dishes are made with spring vegetables, but you can find a primavera recipe for any time of year. This Garden Veggie Pasta could also be called pasta primavera, but if you want a more classic version, try my Vegan Pasta Primavera.
What is the best type of pasta to use?
I like medium size pasta noodles for this dish, like penne or rotini, as they match the size of the chopped vegetables best. Longer noodles, like spaghetti or fettuccine, are a bit clunky here and smaller noodles, like orzo or ditalini, won’t hold up to the thick chunky sauce.
More veggie pasta recipes
- Cauliflower Bolognese
- Vegan Pasta Primavera
- Easy Hummus Pasta
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- Easy Mediterranean Pasta
- Roasted Fall Vegetable Pasta
- Pasta with White Beans and Kale
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback. Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Garden Veggie Pasta
An easy marinara sauce loaded up with chunky summer veggies and served over pasta. This Garden Veggie Pasta is a delicious, healthy meal the whole family will love!
4.85 from 32 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 313kcal
Author: Jenn Sebestyen
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne or pasta noodle of choice (gluten free, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 ½ cups diced eggplant about ½ of an average sized eggplant
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced (or color of choice)
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons [dried basil]
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garnishes, optional
- torn fresh basil
- sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to package directions in well-salted water.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until starting to soften.
Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant and sauté another 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, dried basil, balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
Simmer the sauce on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the sauce over cooked noodles.
Notes
*Fresh tomatoes can be cooked down instead of using canned.
*Feel free to use your favorite vegetables. Other summer veggies that would work great in this recipe: sweet corn, green beans, yellow summer squash, or green peas.
*Pasta not your thing? Serve the sauce over rice, baked potatoes, zoodles, or polenta instead.
*Feel free to add in some white beans, chickpeas, or pan-fried tofu for an extra protein boost.
*If you’re following an oil-free diet, feel free to use ¼ cup vegetable broth or water to sauté instead of olive oil.
*If you’re following a gluten free diet, use gluten free noodles.
*Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 668mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 11mg
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Expert Introduction
I am an experienced and passionate chef with a deep understanding of culinary arts, nutrition, and recipe development. I have spent years honing my skills in the kitchen, experimenting with various ingredients, and creating delicious and healthy meals for individuals and families. My expertise extends to understanding the nutritional value of different ingredients, their flavor profiles, and how they can be combined to create satisfying and nutritious dishes.
Garden Veggie Pasta Overview
The article "Garden Veggie Pasta" presents a delightful and nutritious recipe for a pasta dish that features a homemade marinara sauce combined with a variety of summer vegetables. The dish is designed to be a healthy and flavorful option that appeals to both adults and children. It emphasizes the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients and provides flexibility for substitutions to accommodate various dietary preferences and requirements.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The recipe calls for a combination of canned tomatoes and a variety of summer vegetables, including zucchini, eggplant, carrots, and bell peppers. It highlights the nutritional benefits of these vegetables, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. The article also suggests the possibility of incorporating other summer vegetables, such as sweet corn, green beans, yellow summer squash, or green peas, to suit individual preferences.
The flexibility of the recipe is further demonstrated through its accommodation of dietary needs, such as gluten-free and oil-free options. It provides guidance on using gluten-free noodles and substituting olive oil with vegetable broth or water for those following an oil-free diet.
Recipe Preparation
The preparation of the Garden Veggie Pasta involves sautéing the vegetables, combining them with crushed tomatoes, and allowing the sauce to simmer to develop its flavors. The recipe emphasizes the importance of using well-salted water to cook the pasta and highlights the addition of balsamic vinegar to enhance the sweetness and depth of flavor in the sauce.
Storage and Freezing
The article provides practical tips for storing and freezing leftovers, acknowledging the potential changes in texture upon reheating. It advises storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and offers guidance on freezing the pasta and sauce separately for optimal results.
Recipe Pro Tips
The pro tips provided in the article offer valuable insights for achieving success with the recipe, such as using medium-shaped pasta, not skipping the balsamic vinegar for flavor enhancement, and suggesting options for increasing the protein content of the dish by incorporating white beans, chickpeas, or tofu.
Pasta FAQs
The article addresses common questions related to pasta, including its suitability for vegan diets, its place in a healthy diet when consumed in moderation, and an explanation of pasta primavera. It also provides recommendations for the best type of pasta to use in the recipe, emphasizing the importance of selecting medium-sized noodles that complement the chopped vegetables.
More Veggie Pasta Recipes
The article concludes by offering a collection of additional veggie pasta recipes, showcasing the versatility and creativity of incorporating vegetables into pasta-based dishes. This demonstrates a commitment to providing a wide range of options for individuals seeking nutritious and flavorful meal ideas.
In summary, the "Garden Veggie Pasta" article highlights a well-crafted recipe that celebrates the abundance of summer vegetables, offers practical advice for ingredient substitutions and dietary preferences, and provides comprehensive guidance for successful preparation and storage.
