As much as I genuinely love tomato sauce for its role in such delicious foods as pizza and spaghetti, I’ve never really loved tomatoes on their own. I’ve tried all of the different varieties delivered in our local farm box, taste-tested tomatoes grown by my parents in their backyard, and I had finally decided that they just weren’t my thing.
And then I roasted them, and all of my anti-tomato defenses came crashing down. I started to daydream about all the ways that I could eat roasted tomatoes — toast! sandwiches! eggs! It is with that level of excitement that I share this delicious creamy vegetable pasta recipe with you and suggest that even professed tomato haters will love it.
INGREDIENTS
ROASTED TOMATOES
- TOMATOES: Romas work great, but use whatever you have!
- OIL: Avocado oil or olive oil, but canola/vegetable oil will work just fine
- MINCED GARLIC: Pre-minced or freshly minced
- SEASONINGS: Salt, pepper, thyme, basil, red pepper flakes
- WHITE VINEGAR
PASTA + SAUCE
- PASTA: We used campanelle for it’s size and sturdiness. Shapes such as farfalle, rotini, or medium-large shells will work best, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. For extra protein and fiber, use whole wheat pasta.
- BUTTER
- FLOUR
- MILK
- SEASONINGS: Thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper
- PEAS: Frozen or canned (if using canned, be sure to drain them before using)
- SPINACH: Spinach or baby spinach that’s bought pre-washed in a bag is easy to use, but you can also use bundled spinach (just chop off most of the length of the stems). No matter how you buy your spinach, you’ll want to roughly chop it with a sharp knife or kitchen shears; this makes it quicker to wilt and a bit easier to chew.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY VEGETABLE PASTA
Step 1: PREPARING THE TOMATOES
Preheat the oven to 450. First, wash the tomatoes and then quarter them (cut them in half lengthwise and then cut each half again, lengthwise). Next, roughly chop each quarter into three pieces and put all of the pieces into a medium mixing bowl. To the mixing bowl of tomatoes, add in the oil, vinegar, and minced garlic and stir. In a separate small bowl, combine the spices and stir to mix them together. Add the spices to the bowl with the tomatoes and stir well to coat the tomatoes.
Step 2: ROASTING THE TOMATOES
Spread the tomatoes out, as much as possible, on a large baking sheet, and bake in 450 oven for 24-28 minutes, or until they are crisping and maybe just a little bit black around the edges. Set aside. NOTE: do NOT grease the baking sheet or use any sort of foil/parchment paper/silicon baking mat. The tomatoes must be roasted directly on the pan in order to really get crispy and delicious!
Step 3: THE PASTA
Fill a large pot with water and put it to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in the dry pasta and cook per the instructions on the pasta packaging, draining when it’s fully cooked. Set aside.
Step 4: THE SAUCE
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Allow the flour and butter to cook together for 1-2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Slowly add the milk, whisking the mixture to get rid of any clumps. Stir in the thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until the texture is mostly smooth. Turn up the heat to medium high to encourage thickening, stirring frequently. Once you notice the sauce beginning to thicken, continue to stir and allow it to thicken for another 4-5 minutes, until it’s roughly the consistency of a gravy. Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 5: COMBINING IT ALL
Add the roasted tomatoes and the sauce to the pasta and stir. Once the sauce and the tomatoes are fully incorporated in with the pasta, add the peas and the spinach and stir for 2-3 minutes until the peas are heated through and the spinach is wilted. Enjoy!
ALLERGY GUIDE
Gluten Free: substitute a gluten free flour blend for the all purpose flour (make sure that it contains xanthan gum, which will help the sauce to thicken). Substitute gluten free pasta.
Dairy Free: Use a dairy free butter alternative for the dairy butter and a mild-flavored non-dairy milk, such as oat milk.
FAQS & TIPS
What other vegetables could I use in this recipe?
Feel free to swap in other greens (kale, etc) for the spinach. In place of (or in addition to) the peas, you could use corn or diced carrots or really any cooked vegetable that is diced into smallish pieces.
What protein would be good in this creamy vegetable pasta?
Try adding in diced or shredded chicken or ground Italian sausage for a good protein boost.
Don't I need to use cream to create a thick sauce?
Nope! Just cook the butter/flour/milk combination as instructed, making sure to give it enough time and enough heat to really thicken. When the sauce is thickening, the burner should be turned up to medium-high (and you should be stirring very frequently to prevent burning). If it’s not thickening, just continue to inch up the heat and to stir.
Storage & Reheating
This creamy veggie pasta will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave or for 5-10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.
Pro Tip: If you’re short on time but still want to enjoy some deliciousness, simply roast the tomatoes and toss them with some plain pasta, parmesan, and salt/pepper. These tomatoes are just that good.
The roasted tomatoes in this recipe were inspired by these Quick Oven Roasted Tomatoes made by The Mediterranean Dish
Delicious Creamy Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
TOMATOES
- 9 Roma tomatoes (or 2 lbs), washed
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons basil
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
PASTA + SAUCE
- 1 pound pasta (farfalle, rotini, etc)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- ¾ teaspoon thyme
- 1 ¼ teaspoons basil
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups frozen or canned peas
- 1 cup roughly chopped spinach
Instructions
TOMATOES
- Preheat the oven to 450. Quarter the tomatoes by cutting them in half lengthwise and then cutting each half again, lengthwise. Roughly chop each quarter into three pieces and put all of the pieces into a medium mixing bowl. To the mixing bowl of tomatoes, add in the oil, vinegar, and minced garlic and stir. In a separate small bowl, combine the spices and stir to mix them together. Add the spices to the bowl with the tomatoes and stir well to coat the tomatoes.
- Spread the tomatoes out on a large UNGREASED baking sheet, and bake in 450 oven for 24-28 minutes, or until they are crisping around the edges. Set aside. NOTE: do NOT grease the baking sheet or use any sort of foil/parchment paper/silicon baking mat. The tomatoes must be roasted directly on the pan in order to crisp up.
PASTA + SAUCE
- Put a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook per instructions on the pasta packaging, draining when it’s fully cooked. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour to make a paste. Allow flour and butter to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Slowly add milk to the butter and flour paste, whisking the mixture to get rid of any clumps. Stir in the thyme, basil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until the texture is mostly smooth. Turn up the heat to medium high to encourage thickening, stirring frequently. Once sauce begins to thicken, continue to stir and allow it to thicken for another 4-5 minutes, until it’s roughly the consistency of a gravy. Remove pan from heat.
- Add the roasted tomatoes and the sauce to the pasta and stir to combine. Once sauce and tomatoes are fully incorporated into pasta, add peas and spinach and stir for 2-3 minutes until the peas are heated through and the spinach is wilted. Enjoy!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Leave us a comment below or tag @casual.greens on Instagram!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Leave us a comment below or tag @casual.greens on Instagram!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Leave us a comment below or tag @casual.greens on Instagram!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Leave us a comment below or tag @casual.greens on Instagram!
