One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta: The Ultimate Hassle-Free Comfort Dinner

One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta

Introduction

One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta is the ultimate answer for busy weeknight dinners, offering hearty comfort and irresistible flavor without a pile of dirty dishes. This recipe delivers tender pasta, crisp vegetables, and a luscious cream sauce—all cooked together in just one pot. Both convenient and satisfying, it’s a meal that even picky eaters will love and home cooks will appreciate for its simplicity.

Why You’ll Love This One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta

What makes this dish so special? It’s the combination of al dente pasta, vibrant, fresh vegetables, and velvety cream sauce, all brought together in a single pan. Each bite bursts with flavor and color, and the ease of clean-up makes it a top choice for family meals, casual entertaining, or meal prep. There’s no need for multiple pots or side dishes—everything you need for a complete, balanced meal is right here.

Easy, Customizable Veggie Goodness

You can use any combination of vegetables you have on hand, making this dish highly versatile. Broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and spinach are all fantastic options. The key is cutting the veggies into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly and absorb the creamy sauce. For a little extra flavor, add a sprinkle of fresh basil or a squeeze of lemon before serving.

Creamy & Delicious Sauce—No Fuss

The secret to the creamy sauce is simmering pasta right alongside the vegetables in a mixture of vegetable broth and cream, which lets the starch from the pasta naturally thicken the sauce. For a little extra richness, you can mix in Parmesan or a dollop of cream cheese. Stir everything together until the sauce clings to each noodle and veggie, making every mouthful satisfying and luscious.

Serving Ideas for a Complete Meal

Serve your One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a side of crusty bread, or a quick green salad for extra freshness. For added protein, toss in cooked chickpeas or shredded rotisserie chicken at the end. It’s a flexible recipe that easily adapts to your dietary preferences and what you have on hand.

Nutritional Information and Serving Size

This recipe makes about 4 generous servings and is packed with fiber and vitamins thanks to the medley of vegetables. The creamy sauce, made with a blend of cream and broth, delivers satisfying richness while keeping the calorie count moderate—about 400 calories per serving, depending on vegetable and cheese choices.

One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta (Recap)

Comforting, flavorful, and easy to make, this one pot pasta dish is a dinner winner for any night of the week. You’ll love its creamy sauce, vibrant veggies, and hassle-free clean up.

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta (penne, fusilli, or similar)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sliced bell peppers (red or yellow)
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
2 cups baby spinach
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream (or half & half)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: juice of 1/2 lemon, fresh basil for garnish

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save this recipe to automatically generate an organized shopping list with all ingredients sorted by store section—perfect for efficient grocery trips and meal planning.

CookifyAI meal planning interface

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Stir in the broccoli, bell peppers, and carrots. Sauté for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened.
  3. Add the dry pasta, cherry tomatoes, vegetable broth, cream, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  4. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Stir in the Parmesan and spinach. Continue cooking uncovered for 2–3 minutes, until the spinach wilts and the sauce thickens to your liking.
  6. Optional: Stir in lemon juice or top with fresh basil before serving for a bright, fresh finish. Enjoy hot!

Weekly Meal Planning

This One Pot Creamy Veggie Pasta recipe is a dream for weekly meal prep. Save and schedule this recipe to plan your week—CookifyAI automatically organizes smart shopping lists and combines ingredients across all planned recipes.

Planning Benefits:

  • Automatically adds up total ingredient quantities across all scheduled meals
  • Sorts shopping lists by store sections for quicker, easier grocery runs
  • Helps avoid duplicate purchases and missing items
  • Simplifies batch cooking and saves time all week

Pro tip: When planning your week, schedule several recipes at once to see ingredient overlap! CookifyAI calculates what you need for the whole week—making shopping and prep smoother and reducing food waste.

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Enjoy a hearty, wholesome, and low-mess meal that makes busy evenings delicious and stress-free!

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