This Vegetarian One Pot Pasta has quickly found its way to my weekly rotation. It’s a perfect weeknight meal because it’s ready in under an hour, loaded with fiber-filled vegetables, and absolutely delicious. I eat pasta at least two nights per week because it’s easy, satisfying, and versatile.

Pasta

I use rigatoni for this recipe because it’s bite-sized shape makes it easy to gather the perfect bite balanced with every element of the dish every time. Other pasta shapes that will compliment this recipe well include:

  • penne
  • cavatappi
  • farfalle
  • fusilli

Most short pastas will work well for this recipe, but I recommend avoiding noodles like spaghetti or linguine. Also, keep an eye on cook time if substituting a different pasta shape and taste as you go!

Veggies

I utilize baby bella mushrooms, spinach, carrots, celery, onion, and canned tomatoes. I chose these vegetables because I think they are the best ones for the job. However, if you don’t like mushrooms, feel free to skip them. If you have kale on hand instead of spinach, swap it out. If you have some sad vegetables on the verge of being tossed, they may fit in here! Use your best judgement based on your taste preferences, but additional vegetables that may be successful in this dish include: zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, or fresh tomatoes.

Meat

This is a vegetarian dish, and I utilize my favorite ground meat substitute, which is Trader Joe’s Beefless Ground Beef. It can be found in the refrigerated deli section at TJ’s near the tofu and other vegan/vegetarian substitutes. If you don’t have a TJ’s near you…well, I’m sorry to hear that. Here are some other meat alternatives that will be great for this recipe!

  • Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Hungry Planet, or Lightlife ground meat alternative that require cooking. Simply brown this meat alternative in your sauté pan before moving forward with the recipe as written.
  • Crumbled tofu. Press the tofu for five minutes to release excess moisture, then pat dry. Crumble by hand and follow the recipe as written, adding the tofu when the beefless ground is added.
  • Crumbled Seitan or meatless crumbles like Morning Star, Gardein. Simply follow the recipe as written, adding this alternative in place of the beefless ground beef.

Alternatively, skip the meat or meat alternative all together!

Gluten

If you are gluten-free, you can still use this recipe. Here are my tips!

  • Be gentle. In my experience, gluten-free pastas are more fragile and tend to break easily. This recipe requires regular stirring for even cooking and to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom, so be gentle during these steps to avoid splitting your rigatoni!
  • Time! Your gluten-free pasta, depending on the type of pasta you use will likely cook faster than regular pasta. Taste as you go to ensure you don’t end up with mush.

Let’s get cooking!

This Vegetarian One Pot Pasta has quickly found its way to my weekly rotation. It's a perfect weeknight meal because it's ready in under an hour, loaded with fiber-filled vegetables, and absolutely delicious. I eat pasta at least two nights per week because it's easy, satisfying, and versatile.

Vegetarian One Pot Pasta

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

This Vegetarian One Pot Pasta has quickly found its way to my weekly rotation. It's a perfect weeknight meal because it's ready in under an hour, loaded with fiber-filled vegetables, and absolutely delicious. I eat pasta at least two nights per week because it's easy, satisfying, and versatile.

Ingredients

  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 large Carrot
  • ½ large onion
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes
  • 12 oz beefless ground
  • ½ lb rigatoni
  • 5 oz baby bella mushrooms
  • 2 cup spinach
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Prepare veggies. Slice onion into thin wedges, removing the papery outer layers and root. Slice baby bella mushrooms, slice carrots into thin disks, and slice celery into thin half-moons, removing the white base and leaves.
  2. Preheat a large sauté pan with olive oil to medium-low heat. Once preheated, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softened.
  3. Once tender, add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the onions are translucent, and the mushrooms, carrots, and celery are tender, about 5-6 additional minutes. Add the basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and stir. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. Increase the heat to medium, and add the beefless ground. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. 
  5. Add canned tomatoes, rigatoni, spinach, and water. Stir to combine completely, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook, stirring every 3 minutes, for 22-25 minutes, or until al dente. Enjoy hot!
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1/4 recipe (about 2 1/2 cups)
Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 5gCarbohydrates 63gFiber 9gSugar 10gProtein 18g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

© Maddie Augustin
Category: The Main Gig
This Vegetarian One Pot Pasta has quickly found its way to my weekly rotation. It's a perfect weeknight meal because it's ready in under an hour, loaded with fiber-filled vegetables, and absolutely delicious. I eat pasta at least two nights per week because it's easy, satisfying, and versatile.This Vegetarian One Pot Pasta has quickly found its way to my weekly rotation. It's a perfect weeknight meal because it's ready in under an hour, loaded with fiber-filled vegetables, and absolutely delicious. I eat pasta at least two nights per week because it's easy, satisfying, and versatile.