This creamy veggie pasta is full of nutritious baked veggies, goat cheese and lots of parmesan. Perfect for a slam dunk comfort meal to feed the family while getting nutritious veggies into your diet.
Who doesn't love veggies covered in cheese? If you aren't a goat cheese lover, you can swap the goat cheese for cream cheese and have an equally amazing pasta dish! This recipe is easy and customizable.
Why You Need To Make This Creamy Veggie Pasta
This creamy veggie pasta is addictively good. It is rich in flavor, full of umami from the shiitakes and you can easily customize it if you don't like any of the veggies or the goat cheese. This pasta travels well so feel free to meal prep it for the week. This recipe is husband and kid approved! I also love to whip it up when I entertain becaseu it takes minimal effort.
Ingredients Needed For Creamy Veggie Pasta
Goat Cheese (Chèvre). I love goat cheese, but you can use cream cheese in place of the goat cheese if you prefer. The goat cheese gives a nice tangy, creamy goodness to this creamy veggie pasta.
Pasta. Any shape will work for this recipe. I prefer shells or rotini.
Garlic. Fresh cloves are always the best for flavor vs jarred minced garlic.
Oil. I like to use a high quality olive oil that is neutral in flavor.
Seasonings. Italian, salt, pepper to flavor the sauce and bring everything together.
Spinach. Fresh baby spinach. You can also use frozen spinach, either will work great.
Cherry Tomatoes. These add a pop of color and a nice flavor to the pasta. They get nice and blistered.
Frozen Peas. These add texture, color and nutrients to this pasta. I throw them into the dish frozen before baking.
Mushrooms (optional). I love shiitake mushrooms for this recipe but any will work, baby bella are the next best!
Parmesan. I like to use high quality shaved parmesan for this recipe, it melts into the sauce nicely and gives a nice gooey cheesy flavor. Parmesan is nutty salty and extremely good.
How To Make Creamy Veggie Pasta
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400º measure out all your ingredients. In a dutch oven, or oven safe dish (9x9) or similar, layer olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, mushrooms and frozen peas. You can leave the peas frozen, they will cook. Next, mix all the veggies in the olive oil. Make a little room in the center in the middle of the dish and add in the goat cheese or cream cheese. Pour the milk over everything. Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Step 2: Make your pasta according to package. Once that is finished, drain and set aside until veggies are done baking.
Step 3: Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish, carefully mix a bit then add in parmesan. Mix well and serve immediately.
Tips For Creamy Parmesan Veggie Pasta
Cream Cheese will work great!
Yes, I love to use a shaped pasta, but spaghetti will also work.
Yes, You can skip any of veggies you don't like or replace them with something else. Zucchini, broccoli, or kale would all be great alternatives.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
Make this pasta ahead of time. This pasta can be made ahead by getting all the ingredients ready in the skillet and then bake the pasta once you are ready to serve it. You can also make it completely and microwave it to reheat and melt everything together again.
Storage tips. Keep this pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, lay it out on the counter for an hour and then place it into a sauce pan on medium/low heat to reheat.
Other Recipes To Try
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Creamy Veggie Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large oven safe skillet or 9x9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked pasta *see notes
- 2 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms baby bella or shiitake
- 4-6 oz goats chèvre *see notes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk *see notes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup saved parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º measure out all your ingredients. In a 4 quart cast iron, or oven safe dish, layer olive oil, tomatoes, minced garlic, spinach, mushrooms and frozen peas. You can leave the peas frozen, they will cook. Next, mix all the veggies in the olive oil. Make a little room in the center in the middle of the cast iron dish and add in the log of goat cheese or cream cheese. Pour the milk over everything. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, uncovered. Be sure to check on the veggies, you may want to stir them a little halfway through the bake time to be sure they are moist and baking even. If the goat cheese gets a little browned on top, do not worry it will be great!
- Make your pasta according to package. Once that is finished, drain and set aside until veggies are done baking.
- Add the cooked pasta to the baking dish, carefully mix a bit then add in parmesan. Mix well and serve immediately.
Matt
Perfect for meal prepping lunches. So satisfying and delicious.
Sarah
So so so good! Can't believe how healthy this pasta is!
Jeanette
This recipe uses super healthy ingredients! It's a must try!