Easy Veggie Spaghetti
- PREP 10min
- COOK 25min
- TOTAL 35min
Quick and easy vegetable spaghetti with lots of veggies and a simple tomato sauce made completely from scratch. For vegan spaghetti, skip the cheese and serve with a little nutritional yeast scattered on top. The sauce can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
You Will Need
12 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (140 grams) chopped onion
2 medium zucchini, chopped (1/2 pound)
2 medium yellow squash, chopped (1/2 pound)
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
One (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 heaping cup)
2 to 3 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional, see notes
5 cups (1/2 pound) spinach leaves
Handful fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for serving
Directions
Make Sauce
Heat olive oil in a wide skillet with sides over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent; 3 to 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of salt then cook, stirring occasionally until softened but still with some crunch; 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute. (When making this sauce, we usually end up using between 1 and 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt.)
Add the roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and mushroom powder. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by half; about 10 minutes. As the sauce cooks, use a spoon to break up the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces for a chunky sauce.
Cook Pasta
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then cook pasta according to package directions.
To Finish
Take the sauce off of the heat, and then stir in the spinach and basil. Taste then adjust with additional salt if needed. Toss in the cooked pasta, and then leave for a minute so that the pasta absorbs some of the sauce and the spinach wilts. Toss again, and then serve with parmesan or nutritional yeast sprinkled on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Mushroom Powder: You can buy it online or make it yourself–here’s our mushroom powder recipe!
- Alternatives to mushroom powder: Mushroom powder adds a rich umami flavor to the sauce. If you do not have any and the pasta sauce seems like it needs a little extra “something, something,” try a dash of soy sauce. If you are open to it, fish sauce is also an excellent flavor enhancer. You can also chop mushrooms and add them to the pan along with the onions.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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