Creamy Vegetable Pasta (One Pot!)

Name: 🥣 Creamy Vegetable Pasta
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoon cooking oil; 1/2 medium yellow onion (chopped); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2-3 cups chicken broth/stock; 8 ounce shell pasta ((macaroni or orecchiette work too)); 10 ounce frozen vegetable mix ((peas, green beans, corn, carrots)); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 3 ounce sour cream; 1/2 cup milk or cream; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

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Our One Pot Creamy Vegetable Pasta is the ultimate comfort food...the perfect balance of cheese and vegetables! This dish is sure to please your kiddos. And the best news of all- it can be made in 28 minutes or less! Try it out tonight!

pasta with veggies and cheese sauce in spoon

Jump to:

👍 Why We Love This Creamy Vegetable Pasta
🛒 Ingredients
👩🏾‍🍳 Instructions
✔️ Tips for the Best Creamy Vegetable Pasta
🥖 Serving and Side Suggestions
🧊 Storing Leftovers
❓FAQs
👶🏾 Tips for Picky Eaters
🧶 Crafts for this Recipe
🍽 Other Quick Pasta Dishes
🥣 Creamy Vegetable Pasta

👍 Why We Love This Creamy Vegetable Pasta

Comfort food- Our creamy vegetable pasta is belly-warming and the ultimate comfort food for the whole family.

Basic Ingredients- You are likely to have many of the ingredients in your panty or fridge/freezer.

Quick- Like all of our recipes, this creamy vegetable pasta can be made in 28 minutes or less.

Veggies! This pasta dish is packed with veggies in a savory cheese sauce, so kids will get important nutrients while enjoying the creamy flavor of this dish.

ONE pot! You'll only need ONE pot for this dish. Minimal mess, minimal cleanup!

If you love creamy pasta and rice dishes, be sure to also checkout our delicious Creamy Chicken Pea Skillet with Rice recipe!

🛒 Ingredients

Notes on Ingredients:

Pasta- Small pasta (i.e. shells, macaroni or orecchiette) work great for this dish.

Onion & garlic- We think this adds a nice flavor, but skip or use onion and garlic powder if you are short on time.

Broth- We recommend Better than Bouillon. It's a condensed stock that comes in a tiny jar. Three benefits: (1) cuts back on space in the fridge, (2) saves money, (3) less waste/recycling on your conscience. The product comes in lots of flavors (chicken, beef, mushroom, etc.), with some varieties available in vegetarian, low sodium and organic.

Sour cream, milk, cheese- These dairy ingredients give the pasta its creamy texture and flavor, but feel free to choose lite versions if you want a lighter meal.

Mixed frozen veggies- We like a mixture of peas, green beans, corn and carrots, but many types of frozen veggies will work. Broccoli florets are also a great option.

👩🏾‍🍳 Instructions

Cook onion and garlic in oil
Add broth, bring to a boil, and cook noodles
Stir in remaining ingredients (veggies, seasoning, cheese, sour cream and milk) and cook for 5-10 minutes.

adding pasta to onion and garlic and broth

🥄 Kids Steps:

Help chop onion and garlic. We’re big fans of these Curious Chef kid-safe knives.
Taste pasta to see if done. Kids love this job!
Stir in frozen veggies. Our kids liked seeing how the veggies added color.

✔️ Tips for the Best Creamy Vegetable Pasta

Make sure there is enough broth to just cover the pasta. Feel free to add more as needed.
Be careful not to overcook the pasta so that it doesn't become mushy. We recommend smaller pastas which are less likely to stick to the pan and tend to cook more evenly.
If you want to add protein, chicken is an extremely delicious addition to this dish!

🥖 Serving and Side Suggestions

Serve this Creamy Veggie Pasta by itself or alongside your favorite protein or sandwich. Panko Crusted Pork Chops or Turkey Burger Sliders work especially well. A simple side salad, baguette for toasted garlic bread are also wonderful sides for this dish.

🧊 Storing Leftovers

For best results, store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and reheat in the microwave.

This creamy vegetable pasta also freezes nicely in an air tight container. We recommend cooking your pasta separate from the sauce if you plan to freeze this dish. That way, the pasta won't be mushy from having absorbed the sauce.

❓FAQs

Can I use whole wheat pasta for this dish?

Yes, whole wheat pasta works well. We just recommend a small whole-wheat pasta.

What are the best frozen vegetables for this dish?

We like a frozen veggie mix of peas, green beans, corn and carrots, but many types of frozen veggies will work, including broccoli florets.

Can I eat this pasta cold?

It is not recommended that you eat this pasta cold, as the sauce hardens when refrigerated.

How can I make this dish gluten-free?

To make this dish gluten-free, simply use a gluten-free pasta. We like Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta (just be careful not to overcook cause it can get mushy) and Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa Fusilli Pasta. Another option is rice noodles. You should also double check the ingredients in the chicken broth you're using. Some broths and stocks contain gluten or traces of gluten.

👶🏾 Tips for Picky Eaters

Kids pick the noodles. Let your kids select the pasta. Any small pasta with grooves works really well, i.e. shells, macaroni, orecchiette, farfalle (bowtie), rotini, etc.

Make a face! Some kids can't handle sauces with potentially unidentifiable ingredients. To ease this, have fun and make a face on their plate with the food. I made eyes and nose with dollops of the sauce mixture, and then used the pasta to make a mouth and eyebrows.

Kids pick a side! Rolls, a side salad, carrot sticks, celery sticks (peeled), and/or sliced cucumbers are all great options!

🧶 Crafts for this Recipe

Need a craft to keep kids busy while you cook? We've got you! Use extra dry shell pasta to make Play Food Mac and Cheese or this adorable Falling Leaves Tree Craft.