One Pot Spring Vegetable Pasta (Printable)

Vibrant pasta with asparagus, snap peas, tomatoes, and zucchini, all cooked in one pot for easy cleanup.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
02 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 cup zucchini, diced
05 - 1 cup baby spinach

→ Pasta

06 - 12 oz penne or fusilli pasta, uncooked

→ Aromatics & Flavorings

07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
09 - 2 tbsp olive oil
10 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
11 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
12 - 1/2 tsp salt
13 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Liquids

14 - 4 cups vegetable broth

→ Garnish

15 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 - 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
17 - Zest of 1 lemon

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
02 - Add asparagus, sugar snap peas, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
03 - Stir in pasta, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian herbs, salt, and black pepper. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed.
05 - Stir in baby spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and fresh basil. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan and basil if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The pasta cooks directly in the vegetable broth, absorbing all those savory flavors while creating its own creamy sauce without any heavy cream
  • Cleanup takes literally two minutes because everything happens in a single pan
  • You can swap in whatever vegetables look fresh at the market or are languishing in your fridge
02 -
  • The pasta will continue absorbing liquid even after you turn off the heat, so if the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of broth or water before serving
  • Lemon zest is different from lemon juice, zest gives you fragrant oils without acid that might make the dairy separate
  • If your broth is on the saltier side, hold back on adding extra salt until the very end
03 -
  • Save a cup of pasta cooking water before the liquid fully absorbs, you might need it to loosen the sauce
  • Room temperature vegetables cook more evenly than cold ones from the fridge

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