Incredibly tasty and flavorful, this vegetarian recipe will have even the meat eaters drooling.
A veggie loaded pasta like this is, in my opinion, best from late Winter to Fall when the days are sunny and the weather isn’t crazy cold, and can easily be made vegan or non-vegetarian.
This took about 30 minutes total, with prep and vegetable roasting, and it isn’t difficult at all. There is a tiny bit of interpretation, but it is a good start for beginners.
Please note that I am not a trained cook or even experienced in writing recipes. This is just what I do to make this dish for our little family of two.
I would love any suggestions you may have!
On to the foods!
I made enough for 3 servings because this recipe needs to be eaten immediately and doesn’t save well.
Ingredients
Roasted Veggies
- 1Tbs – Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
- about 1/4 lb – Broccoli (I used a 1/4 bag of frozen defrosted)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (cut into 1/4in pieces)
Pasta
- 2-3 servings – Thick Spaghetti or Linguine (whole wheat pasta is good too)
- 1/2 tsp – Red Pepper Flakes (add more or less for preference, we like spice)
- Salt (for pasta water and to taste)
- Black Pepper to taste
- Olive Oil
- 1/4 White/Yellow Onion minced or 1 shallot
- Baby Spinach
- 2 Tbs Minced Garlic (or to preference)
- Butter/Olive Oil Spread/Margarine to taste
Preference Alterations
The butter is optional, but I find makes it creamier in the end (we use olive oil spread).
I think carrots and asparagus could be a nice addition to the roasted veggies.
The recipe we based this on used balsamic vinegar too, but we just used more red pepper flakes and garlic.
Steps
- Roast the Veggies
Preheat oven to 400° F. Place veggies (cut into bite size pieces) on a foil/parchment paper lined baking sheet. Toss with 1-2 Tbs olive oil, until evenly coated. Spread evenly on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven until broccoli is soft (almost caramelized) but don’t let anything char. Rotate veggies partway through. We roasted the veggies for about 25 minutes. - Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to preferred texture. Save about 1/3 cup of pasta water for later. - Spinach Mixture
While pasta is boiling, pour 2 Tbs olive oil into a nonstick wok or other saute pan. When oil is hot, add minced onion and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes) stirring frequently; don’t let them char or brown. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute or so before slowly adding in handfuls of spinach stirring continuously. Cook until wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat and add black pepper. - Assembly
In a large mixing bowl (and I mean large) mix drained pasta with spinach mixture, roasted veggies (I did half in the pasta and half on the side), salt to taste, and butter or alternative. Add in pasta water slowly and adjust seasonings to taste.
Top with Parmesan and/or sesame seeds or serve as is. - Serve Immediately
Preference Alterations
To make this recipe vegan, substitute the butter or leave it out entirely.
You can use fresh or frozen veggies (just defrost them first).
You can make it more spicy by adding your pepper of preference to the spinach mixture (cook with onion) or add cayenne at the end.
This would go great with some jalapeno poppers on the side or some garlic bread. Also would be nice topped with a bit of lemon juice or fresh cherry tomatoes.
To make less spicy, remove the red peppers and add something more savory or sweet at the end of assembly like sesame oil, soy sauce, or teriyaki sauce.
If you prefer meat in your meals, add some grilled chicken or beef when cooking the onions before the spinach. Some turkey sausage would also be good with these flavors.
This is a recipe I adjusted from Cookie and Kate‘s. It was easy enough that my fella was able to help me, and it didn’t take a crazy amount of time.
Overall, this recipe was easy, fun, and delicious. The amount of spice with the sweetness of the bell peppers and savory of the broccoli is just perfect. I think I will try to add some sesame oil next time.
We also didn’t feel hungry immediately after dinner like we usually do, so that is also a bonus!
If you try this recipe please share your pictures with us!
If you have any suggested alterations, please let us know!
-Knight of Cups ❤
~Pragmaster, your visit and support is appreciated beyond possible demonstration. Your feedback and support is valuable to us. Nevertheless, you are the Pragmaster of our Pragmastery, so do feel free to share your opinions and experiences.
Stay pragmatic and spread positivity!
~The opinions and beliefs of our writers do not reflect upon Pragmastery as a whole. Our writers have the freedom to share their subjective opinions in a respectful and considerate manner. The individual author of each post is responsible for fact checking and representation of discourses.
If you would like to discuss a concern or report harmful content, please contact us using our Correspondence page. If an author’s content is not to your liking, please feel free to browse our other authors’ pieces to find a more suitable read for your personal taste, or kindly agree to disagree by clicking off of this site. Please do not waste your time expressing your opinion in an overly negative or inconsiderate manner, for those comments will be removed from the site.
~Any and all content on this site is the creative and intellectual work of our authors. The distribution and reuse of any content on this site without permission is strictly prohibited. If you would like to share a piece with credit to the author, please contact us using our Correspondence page. Do not steal steal the work of our writers or use their work as your own. If you are unaware of the specific definition of plagiarism, we have linked some resources for your convenience.
Pragmastery 