This Vegetable Pasta Recipe combines your favorite veggies with pasta in a rich, creamy sauce. No heavy cream, milk, flour, or specialty ingredients needed!
author’s note
The Creamiest Pasta Without Any Cream!
I’ve been working on a way to make a creamy pasta that feels rich and indulgent without using the usual heavy ingredients. After a few rounds of testing, I found the perfect solution: blending cooked vegetables into the sauce. It creates a silky texture that coats the pasta beautifully, and every ingredient is easy to find or already in the pantry.
Creamy pastas are a favorite in my house like Chicken Pasta, Creamy Beef and Shells, and Creamy Sausage Pasta, but we usually save them for the occasional comfort meal. This Vegetable Pasta completely changed that. It’s been on repeat for days, and my kids are happily eating loads of veggies with zero complaints.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Tip |
|---|---|
| Penne | Any short pasta works, like rotini, rigatoni, or whole-grain. |
| Cream-style sweet corn | Can’t find it? Blend thawed corn with a splash of broth until smooth. |
| Broccoli florets | Frozen florets cook right in the pot with the pasta; you don’t need an extra pan. |
| Butter | Swap in olive oil or vegan butter if you want it dairy-free. |
| Veg mix: shallots, garlic, frozen corn, carrot, red pepper | Clean out the crisper with peas, spinach, or leftover roasted veg; they all fit right in. |
| Parmesan | Keeping it vegan? Sprinkle nutritional yeast for the same savory kick. |
| Fresh basil | Flat-leaf parsley or a spoonful of pesto adds fresh herb flavor. |
Quick Tip
Looking for another kid-friendly pasta that’s not cream based? Try our Corn Pasta next!
How To Make Vegetable Pasta Recipe
- Cook pasta, drop broccoli in for the last minutes, save some pasta water, then drain.
- Blend sautéed shallots, garlic, a splash of pasta water, and cream-style corn.
- Sauté remaining veggies in butter, add the blended sauce, and let it simmer briefly.
- Toss pasta and broccoli into the sauce, loosen with pasta water, then finish with Parmesan, basil, and seasoning.
Quick Tip
Many pasta recipes use reserved pasta water, the starchy and salty water from boiling, to help create a smooth and flavorful sauce. This emulsifies the sauce and pasta, a classic Italian technique.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Roasted veg remix: fold in leftover roasted cauliflower or sweet potatoes at the end.
- Veggie noodle: use chickpea penne for extra protein in this vegetable pasta recipe.
- Spice kick: add more red pepper flakes or a spoon of pesto.
Storage
Vegetable Pasta Recipe Leftovers?
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container, in the fridge for 3–4 days.
- Reheat: Low heat on stove or microwave with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
More Recipes with Extra Veggies Snuck In:
Vegetable Pasta Recipe
This Vegetable Pasta recipe brings together your favorite veggies with pasta in a rich, creamy sauce. No heavy cream or specialty ingredients required!
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli finely chopped
- 4 cups penne pasta uncooked
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots or thinly sliced green onions
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 (14.75-ounce) can cream style sweet corn
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3/4 cup grated carrot see note 1
- 1 large red pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese see note 2
- 1/2 cup fresh basil see note 3
- Red pepper flakes for heat, optional
Instructions
- Chop fresh broccoli into small florets. If using frozen, let them stand out for a few minutes, then give a quick coarse chop. Measure and set aside.
- Set a large colander in the sink with a glass mug or liquid measuring cup in the center of the colander (as a reminder to reserve some pasta water before draining it!). Bring a large pot (5.5-quart or bigger) of water to boil. Once boiling, generously salt water to season (I add 1 tablespoon salt.) Return to a boil and add penne. Cook according to package directions, subtracting one minute. Two minutes before draining, add in chopped broccoli. Right before draining, remove 1 cup pasta water and then drain. Do not rinse.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice shallots. Add 1 tablespoon butter to a large pot or sauté pan (big enough to hold all the pasta and vegetables) over medium heat. Once melted, add shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water (just dip a measuring cup into the pot if the pasta is still boiling). Stir. Add in can of creamed corn and mix. Simmer 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently. Use a spatula to scrape all the mixture to a blender. Blend mixture until very smooth (1–2 minutes on high). See note 4.
- While mixture is blending, return the pot/pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and melt. Once melted, add frozen corn, grated carrots, and red pepper strips and cook, 3–4 minutes or until crisp tender. Scrape all the blended corn mixture into pan and mix. Reduce heat to medium and simmer to combine flavors until pasta is done cooking.
- Add drained pasta and broccoli and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss vigorously to coat. Toss and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add a little more pasta water if the mixture seems too thick. While tossing, gradually add Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue to toss until cheese is melted and sauce is thick and coats the pasta nicely. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste (I typically add 1/2 up to 1 teaspoon pepper and another pinch of salt). Mix in basil.
- Serve plates of pasta, garnished with additional basil and Parmesan if desired and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if using. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Grate large carrots on the large holes of a cheese grater. Measure and add.
Note 2: Grate a block of Parmesan on the small holes of a grater. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese. Parmesan from the can will be too salty and won’t melt into the sauce nicely.
Note 3: The basil adds so much to this recipe! I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out, but if you aren’t a fan, try flat-leaf Italian parsley instead.
Note 4: When blending, make sure to secure the lid on tightly and select the “soup” or “hot” cycle. Increase speed slowly and watch it carefully to avoid sauce exploding. Remove the lid carefully as it will likely release a burst of steam. If your blender doesn’t have a hot/soup setting, you can replace the blender lid with a folded towel and hold it in place with your hands. This will help reduce steam pressure.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth to keep the sauce creamy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 61.9g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 25.2mg | Sodium: 153mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 7.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy to try it but I’m not cooking it again ☹️
What happened?
As your sister I have to say, this is the best recipe for kids! They eat their vegetables and don’t complain once because it’s so good! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Thanks Kaiti! 🙂