Easy Pasta (customizable)
Pasta is one of my favorite simple meals. You can do very little and the result can still be surprisingly impressive!

If you keep some pasta in stock, along with some frozen veggies, I think you have yourself a near complete meal there! Also, Italians have been known to add beans to pasta, so don't hold back with your protein options! Use this meal as a way to clean out the fridge and/or pantry.

I like to sneak in cooked leafy greens into my pasta whenever I have them around to try to make up for people telling me not to eat so much pasta :)

Some combos I like:

Lemon, Garlic & Peas: Fresh sliced garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice combined with pasta and cooked frozen peas.

Mushroom & Spinach: Sauteed mushrooms, spinach, garlic, olive oil, salt and red pepper tossed with your fave pasta.

Sausage & Greens: Homemade or packaged vegan sausage sauteed with greens (kale, spinach, chard, etc.), garlic and olive oil tossed with your favorite pasta, of course!
Ingredients
Veggies (pick combos you like/have in your kitchen)
  • mushrooms
  • squash
  • onions
  • tomatoes
  • bell pepper
  • spinach
  • kale
  • broccoli
  • frozen peas
  • sweet potato
Pasta (what you like or what goes with the dish you have in mind)
  • shape you like: fusilli, bowtie, linguini, penne, etc.
  • type you like: regular, whole wheat, corn, quinoa, etc.
Spices (and other flavoring agents you might be into - I often start with garlic and olive oil and end with salt)
  • rosemary
  • oregano
  • thyme
  • garlic powder
  • fresh garlic
  • red pepper flakes
  • capers
  • olives
  • lemon juice
  • nutritional yeast
  • salt
  • olive oil
  • veggie broth
Protein
  • vegan sausage
  • tempeh (crumble it into your saute or cube it)
  • tofu
  • chickpeas
  • cannelli beans
  • nuts (toast them and top your pasta with them!)
  • other beans you like
Etc.
  • What do you already have? Add it in! Handful of pine nuts? Bit of fresh basil? Some homemade vegan parmesan?
Instructions
  1. Put pasta water on to boil.
  2. Meanwhile, sauté up the veggies you have. Warm some oil in a pan over medium heat. I usually use olive oil for this but you can use some veggie broth if you are looking to cut down on your oil or nothing at all if you have a non-stick pan. Add in the veggies and sauté until cooked through.
  3. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. You can reserve a bit of the cooking water if you think your pasta dish might benefit from a bit more liquid.
  4. One all veggies and pasta are cooked, toss them together, along with any reserved pasta water you might want to use.
  5. Top with extra red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice or... anything you want to give it that extra yum!
Recipe by Plenty Vegan at https://plentyvegan.com/plenty-vegan-plan-resources/cooking/simple-vegan-meals/dinner/