A meatless Monday dinner is definitely in order for me this week.
I had a fabulous time at the lake with my girls for our annual boat day this weekend! We cruised around, floated in the lake on noodles for a long time, sipping our drinks, and ate dinner on the porch, overlooking the water.
Lots of sunshine and swimming. Lots of good conversation and laughter. And lots of food and drinks.
And now I need to recover. With healthy, healing foods that are still delicious and comforting.
And easy. And fast.
Sounds like a tall order, but this one-pot vegetarian spaghetti absolutely delivers.
I love an easy one-pot pasta recipe for a weeknight meal. I make lots of different versions and this is one of my favorites for being super light but also so creamy and very decadent feeling.
(My other one-pot pasta includes my one-pot creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with peas and my 15-minute turkey noodle soup is also made all in one pot.)
In this veggie version though, the noodles soak up the flavor from the vegetable broth and tomatoes and it makes them so rich.
The mushrooms bring a meaty quality to the dish — and give it some heft — and the fresh spinach just brightens it all up.
All kinds of deliciousness right here!
One updated note of something I’ve more recently learned…
Some Parmesan cheese isn’t technically considered vegetarian because it’s made using animal rennet during part of the process. However, there are Italian-style hard cheeses and Parmesan-like cheeses made from vegetable rennet that is available in some stores.
You can also use nutritional yeast, which would make this recipe vegan as well, as noted below. Or leave off the cheese altogether.
So there’s your lesson for the day.
NOTES ON THIS ONE-POT VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI:
- You can definitely add any extra veggies you have on hand: peppers, zucchini, and broccoli would all be lovely. Add them in at the same time as the onions and mushrooms and sauté everything together until it’s slightly tender.
- If you want to make this recipe vegan, just substitute nutritional yeast or your favorite vegan cheese in place of the Parmesan.
- Not vegan or vegetarian? You can stir in some cooked, shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken with the spinach at the end to warm it through. (If you have a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian, this can be a great way to make it a dish for both.)
- You can substitute cremini or portobello mushrooms for the regular button mushrooms if you prefer.
- You could also stir in 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese if you want super cheesy pasta.
Here’s to a healthy, happy week, friends!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out some of my other vegetarian recipes, like my southwest vegetarian quinoa skillet and my veggie burger scramble (aka, the lazy way to make veggie burgers!)
P.P.S. Be sure to check out my NEW VIDEO below for this recipe and see how easy it is to make. Plus, I give you some of my ideas for substitutions!