Vegetable Pasta

Vegetable Pasta is an amazing combination of your favorite veggies tossed pasta and slathered in the ultimate creamy sauce that is secretly healthy. No heavy cream, milk, flour, or specialty ingredients are needed to get this level of creaminess!

Is Vegetable Pasta Healthy?

While healthy means something different for everyone and can vary from person to person, Vegetable Pasta is the most healthful creamy recipe I’ve ever shared. 

This recipe is luxuriously creamy and feels totally indulgent, but we’re using VEGETABLES to make the cream base, not the usual ingredients. That’s right — a can of veggies is responsible for the creaminess and it’s really kind of sheer wizardry how this all works out! And no: you don’t need to stop by a special store or purchase anything off the internet — you can find every ingredient easily in the store, or maybe even in your pantry right now!

Vegetable Pasta FAQs

Kid-Friendly: Check!

In fact, I couldn’t be more excited to share this recipe with you all today, because it has totally revolutionized pasta eating around my home! While my whole family adores a good creamy pasta, we typically try to enjoy these types of meals every now and again rather than an every-night type of event. This Chicken Pasta, Creamy Beef and Shells, Creamy Sausage Pasta, or Creamy Sausage and Mushroom Rigatoni are some of the family’s all-time favorite recipes, but only show up on the table every few weeks or when we have company over. You know, in the name of balance and trying to fit some roasted vegetables in sometimes.

But Vegetable Pasta has been on the table for about a week straight, and I’m not sure when that’s going to change. We’re getting the kids to eat loads of veggies and not even a single complaint from the whole lot.

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Looking for another kid-friendly pasta that’s not cream based? Try our Corn Pasta next!

How To Make Vegetable Pasta

Okay, okay, I’ve hinted at the “secret” to the ultra-creamy sauce and now it’s time to break it down.

We’re using: canned creamed corn! Mix it with some sautéed shallots and a little bit of pasta water (water the pasta gets cooked in) and give it all a whirl in the blender. And this is the wizardry that becomes the cream sauce for this pasta. Yes, really. And it’s delicious!

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A lot of pasta recipes call for “reserved pasta water” which simply means you’ll pull water out from the pot where the pasta and broccoli are boiling in. Yes, pasta water looks a bit less than appetizing, but it’s filled with leftover starch from the boiling pasta and plenty of salt — just what we need for this pasta dish with veggies! The final step of tossing the hot pasta and broccoli with the creamed corn sauce, and this reserved pasta water is one of the “secrets” to Italian pasta. It’s called emulsifying and that’s how you get a luxuriously smooth and incredibly flavorful sauce.

Let’s Chat Creamed Corn

If you aren’t familiar, creamed corn (which is also called cream-style corn) is a canned ingredient and doesn’t have any actual cream in it. So what’s up with that name? About half of the fresh corn kernels are pureed (or “creamed)” and the other half are left whole. The two are mixed together to create creamed corn (or cream-style corn).

Another great thing about this recipe — you don’t need fresh or in-season vegetables to still enjoy loads of flavor! Canned corn and frozen veggies — it’s all going to work great in this creamy Vegetable Pasta.

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We use creamed corn in this popular Chicken Corn Chowder and Thanksgiving favorite Corn Casserole!

Different Ideas For Vegetable Pasta

• Vegetable Pasta Bake: This Tortellini Casserole may be more up your alley! It’s a medley of veggies with tortellini and a cream sauce. Everything gets tossed together and baked!
• Roasted Vegetable Pasta: If you’ve got some leftover roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted green beans, or nearly any other roasted vegetable, it will be delicious in this recipe! Give the leftovers a quick coarse chop (if needed) and toss it in with the pasta at the end. The roasted veggies will warm through nicely and you’ll have even more veggies packed in — score! Alternatively, leave out the carrot, bell pepper, and frozen corn and instead roast whatever veggies you’ve got on hand. Again, toss these in with the pasta at the end.
  • For a summer roasted vegetable pasta variation, try a combination of green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and corn!
• Pasta Made From Vegetables: To amp up the nutrition even more, you can use vegetable pasta noodles instead of regular. Here is a list of a nutritionist’s favorite pasta to use that are made with veggies, lentils, chickpeas, etc. (Replace the penne in this recipe with one of those alternatives.)

Variations, Continued

• Vegetable Pasta Salad: Craving cold pasta and veggies instead? We love a good veggie-packed pasta salad. Try some of our favorites: Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, or this Italian Pasta Salad.
• Pasta With Vegetables and Tomato Sauce: If you’re looking for more of a tomato-based sauce with pasta and veggies, this Bruschetta Pasta or One-Pot Spaghetti may just be the thing you’re looking for.
• Pasta with Mixed Vegetables: If you’ve got a mixed vegetable medley lingering in your freezer, replace the carrot, corn, and bell pepper with three cups of those mixed vegetables instead!

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How long are frozen vegetables good past the expiration date? According to Insider, unopened frozen vegetables can keep for 8-10 months past their printed date!

More Recipes Where We’ve Snuck In Extra Veggies:

• Turkey Sloppy Joes with mushrooms, peppers, carrots, and onion
• Asian Pork Tacos with cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms
• Vegetable Noodle Soup with sweet corn and peas
• Spaghetti Bolognese with onions, carrots, and celery
• Ground Turkey Stir Fry with cabbage, carrots, zucchini, and green onions

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Vegetable Pasta

5 from 5 votes

- Review this recipe

Vegetable Pasta is an amazing combination of your favorite veggies tossed with pasta and slathered in the ultimate creamy sauce that is secretly healthy -- no heavy cream, milk, flour, or speciality ingredients needed to get this level of creaminess!

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

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Vegetable Pasta

5 from 5 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Vegetable Pasta is an amazing combination of your favorite veggies tossed with pasta and slathered in the ultimate creamy sauce that is secretly healthy -- no heavy cream, milk, flour, or speciality ingredients needed to get this level of creaminess!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Vegetarian

Keyword vegetable pasta

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 servings

Chelsea Lords

Calories 397kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $9.24

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups penne pasta uncooked
• ▢ 3 cups broccoli, finely chopped
• ▢ Fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
• ▢ 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (or thinly sliced green onions)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 1 can (14.25 oz.) creamed corn
• ▢ 1 cup frozen corn
• ▢ 3/4 cup grated carrots Note 1
• ▢ 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Note 2
• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh basil Note 3
• ▢ Optional: red pepper flakes (for heat), fresh lemon juice/zest if desired

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• PREP: Chop fresh broccoli into small florets. If using frozen, let them stand out for a few minutes and then give a quick coarse chop. Measure and set aside.
• PASTA AND BROCCOLI: Set a large colander in the sink with a glass mug or liquid measuring cup in the center of the colander. (This is so you don't forget to reserve some pasta water before draining the pasta!) Bring a large pot (5.5-quart or bigger) of water to boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water (I add 1 tablespoon fine sea salt.) Return to a boil and then add in the penne. Cook according to package directions, subtracting one minute. Two minutes before draining, add in the chopped broccoli. Right before draining, remove 1 cup of pasta water and then drain. Do not rinse.
• SAUCE: Meanwhile, thinly slice the shallots or green onions. Add 1 tablespoon of the 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 for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid from the pasta (just dip a measuring cup into the pot if the pasta is still boiling). Stir. Finally, add in the full can of creamed corn and mix. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the mixture from the pot to a blender. Blend mixture until very smooth (~1-2 minutes on high). See Note 4.
• SAUCE CONT.: While the mixture is blending, return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and melt. Once melted, add in 1 cup frozen corn, grated carrots, and red pepper strips and cook, for 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. Scrape every bit of the blended corn mixture into pan and mix. Reduce heat to medium and simmer to combine flavors until pasta is done cooking.
• TOSS: Add drained pasta and broccoli and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and toss vigorously to coat. Toss and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add a little more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too thick. While tossing, gradually add in the 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 the basil and serve.
• SERVE: Serve plates of pasta, garnishing with additional basil and Parmesan if desired and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if using. Enjoy immediately!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Carrots: Grate large carrots on the large holes of a cheese grater. Measure and add.

Note 2: Parmesan cheese: 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: Basil: 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: Blending: 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 out or over. 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 compensate by replacing the blender lid with a folded towel and holding it in place with your hands. This will help reduce steam pressure. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 61.9g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 25.2mg | Sodium: 153mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 7.3g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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