Creamy Vegetable Pasta with Late Summer Veggies
Make a restaurant-quality meal in less than 30 minutes with this Creamy Vegetable Pasta. Loaded with peak-season veggies and drenched in a savory cream sauce, your weeknight dinners just got tastier.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 384kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta penne, rigatoni, or orecchiette
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 small yellow squash diced
- 1 ear of corn kernels cut off
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes optional
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh basil for topping
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Toss in zucchini, squash, corn, bell pepper, and tomatoes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook 5–6 minutes until veggies are just tender but still vibrant.
- Lower the heat and stir in the cream and Parmesan. Simmer for 2 minutes, then add lemon juice and zest.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss everything together, adding a splash of pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Top with fresh basil, more Parmesan, and an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired
Notes
Storage Directions: Keep leftovers in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you’re going to freeze the leftovers, store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw the pasta in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Recipe Success Tips
- Reserve some of the hot pasta water. Adding a little bit of the pasta water to the sauce can help thin it out if it’s getting too thick. The pasta starch also makes the sauce velvety and smooth. So, reserve at least half a cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook the noodles until “al dente,” or until tender but lightly firm. The exact cooking time will depend on the type of pasta used, so refer to the package directions for the range of cooking times and start checking the pasta on the shorter end of the range for the best texture.
- Chop the veggies into the same size. This ensures each vegetable can cook evenly and get equally tender. You can also sauté the vegetables in batches if the pan gets too crowded.
- Gradually add in the heavy cream. Pouring the cream slowly into the skillet with the mixed vegetables will keep the sauce smooth and prevent it from separating, curdling, or turning grainy.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1031IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg