Veggie Pastas for the Win

4 Veggie Pasta Dishes That Can Be Ready in 15 Minutes

22 July 2025

On the topic of hearty, nutritious comfort food, few things beat the appeal of a quick and easy vegetarian pasta dish. Here are four flavourful picks the whole family will enjoy. 

When you’re in the thick of winter – and maybe getting home from work after the sun has set – the mind (and belly!) starts wishing for quick and easy comfort food. And the winter months require an extra dose of nutrition to boost that immune system against all the bugs flying around.

“It’s a really good idea to make some wholesome vegetable-forward meals, like a good veggie pasta, as part of your dinner plans.”

4 Cosy & Healthy Veggie Pasta Dishes, Ready in Minutes

Here are a few flavoursome veggie pasta dishes that can be ready in a wink, leaving you with more time to spend around the table or in front of the fire.

Pasta with Butter Beans in Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce

While it’s true that beans are not the first ingredient most people think of when making pasta, this recipe will change your mind. The butter beans lend a silky, moreish feel to the pasta. Added to that, they’re loaded with protein, fibre and iron – the butter bean is a true pantry superstar.

This simple, but spectacular dish comes together with the help of Ina Paarman’s Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Sauce for a satisfying dinner that can be ready in minutes.

 

Pasta with Broccoli

Ina Paarman’s Basil Pesto is the star ingredient in this quick recipe, offering you a taste of summer in the middle of winter (basil being the ultimate sun-loving herb). The combination of tender broccoli florets and crunchy pecan nuts really works well here, and then there’s that splash of lemon and a little hit of chilli to brighten the whole dish.

If you’re in the mood to push the boat out and turn this dish into a luxurious dinner, stirring through half a cup of Ina Paarman’s Four Cheese Pasta Sauce would not go amiss.

 

Penne with Baby Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes & Cream Cheese

The fact that you’ll be adding a cup of cream cheese to make this pasta sauce really tells you everything you need to know! For an indulgent veggie pasta dinner, you can’t really do better than this. Plus, with the addition of spinach and cherry tomatoes, you’ll still get a nice, heaping portion of healthy veggies.

And thanks to the use of Ina Paarman’s Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, plus a dusting of Garlic & Herb Seasoning, this dish is positively bursting with warm Italian flavours.

 

Tagliatelle with Creamy Spinach Sauce

Turns out, pasta is the perfect vehicle to smuggle some veg into your family’s diet – especially if you have picky eaters in the house. This pasta sauce is made up of a whole bunch of wilted spinach, blended into the perfect white sauce, made with Ina Paarman’s White Sauce Powder.

Top with grated Parmesan and pat yourself on the back for all those nutrients (potassium, iron and magnesium) you snuck onto the plate.

 

Tips for Expanding Your Veggie Pasta Repertoire

“Even for the novice cook, veggie pastas are a pretty safe space to experiment. With only three basic building blocks – your pasta, your vegetables, and your sauce – there’s only so much that can go wrong.”

• Choose vegetables that roast well and go silky under high heat, like eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and sweet peppers.
  
  
• Pair roasted root veg like butternut or sweet potato with chunkier pastas like penne or fusilli. Root veg tends to hold its form even when roasted over a long period, so it won’t merge as well with the kind of softer or runnier sauces served with spaghetti or tagliatelle.
  
  
• Save a tablespoon or two of the pasta water and add it to your sauce to help the pasta and the sauce fuse well.
  
  
• When in doubt (or in need of more flavour), add cheese. There’s almost not a single vegetable that does not get on well (or get better) with cheese.

 

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