Vegan One Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes

Name: Vegan One Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 10 ounces pasta (rigatoni, rotini or penne recommended); 3 ½ cups water; 1 ½ cups pasta sauce; 1 cup halved grape tomatoes; 1 cup thinly sliced white onion (about 1 small onion); 1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 cups fresh spinach; ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for spice); Salt & pepper (to taste*)

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This vegan one pot pasta with spinach and tomatoes will quickly become a go-to favorite in your kitchen: it's ready in only 30 minutes and made with 10 simple ingredients. Plus everything cooks in one pot for easy cooking and cleanup!

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About
Ingredients
Substitutions
Instructions
FAQs
Recipe
Comments

About

This recipe checks a lot of boxes: it's quick (ready in 30 minutes), simple (10 ingredients), and delicious (so many tasty flavors). It's a recipe that you'll want to save and make again & again.

A One Pot Wonder

The magic of this recipe is that it cooks in 1 pot on the stove. Everything goes into the pot and cooks together, making for an easy cooking process and flavors that mingle together.

This recipe can also be customized with what you have on hand: you can swap out the pasta noodles and vegetables for different options. Make this recipe your own by adding in more of what you love and leaving out what you don't.

Want to serve it with a side dish? Pair this one pot pasta with our Mediterranean Chickpea Salad or Easy Hummus.

Ingredients

Pasta: rigatoni, rotini or penne recommended
Pasta sauce
Grape tomatoes
White onion
Zucchini
Garlic minced
Spinach

Substitutions

Pasta: Rigatoni (this is what I use), rotini or penne pasta work best for this recipe but you could use any medium-sized noodle.
Pasta sauce: use your favorite jar of pasta sauce (I used a tomato basil flavor).
Grape tomatoes: you can substitute cherry tomatoes.
Vegetables: this recipe includes 2 cups of vegetables (tomatoes + zucchini) but you can swap these for your preferred vegetables: mushrooms (cremini/baby bella), bell peppers, or asparagus are all popular.
Red pepper flakes: red pepper flakes are optional but recommended! They give your pasta an added kick of flavor and a little spice.

Instructions

Add to pot: to a large pot or dutch oven, add the pasta and then all of the remaining ingredients except for the spinach and red pepper flakes. The water in the pot should almost completely cover the ingredients.
Boil: Turn the heat to high and bring the pot to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Simmer: reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover the pot and cook for 7 - 10 minutes more, stirring frequently to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The pasta should be cooked al dente (not mushy). Cooking times will vary depending on the type of pasta used.
Add spinach: remove the pot from the heat and gently stir in the spinach and red pepper flakes (if using). Let your past rest for 3 - 4 minutes to thicken and wilt the spinach.
Serve: serve immediately, optionally topped with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or cracked black pepper.

FAQs

How much liquid should be in my pot?

The liquid in your pot (water) should almost completely cover the ingredients. The recipe calls for 3 ½ cups of water, but depending on the size of your noodles you may want to add a little more.

How do I know if my pasta is cooked?

Your pasta should be cooked through but still slightly firm in the middle of the noodle (cooked al dente). Avoid overcooking your pasta until it is limp as it can become mushy. Refer to the package instructions of your pasta to help gauge how long it should cook for.

How can I prevent my pasta from sticking to my pot?

Stir your pasta frequently! As your pasta cooks, stir it often and scrape the bottom of your pot to make sure that it's not sticking. If you find that it's sticking too much, add more liquid (water) to the pot.

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