30 MINUTE ONE POT VEGGIE PARMESAN
If you’re like me, you stockpile pasta to have on hand for a quick and easy pantry meal. And when you have veggies that need used up, all you need is a big pot, a jar of pasta sauce, and you have a 30 minute, one pot VEGGIE PARMESAN dinner, ready to satisfy even the heartiest of eaters!
This is yummy, full of protein from a nontraditional Chickpea Pasta (though whole wheat or any small pasta will do), as well as lots of cancer fighting veggies, including onion, garlic, broccoli, and energy-revving mushrooms that keep the mitochondria of your cells healthy!
What’s not to love about fast, easy, nutrient dense one pot meals?!?!
Let’s get cooking!
- PASTA HACK #1: Substitute CHICKPEA PASTA for traditional white pasta! Chickpea pasta provides 25% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein!
- PASTA HACK #2: Cook PASTA and SAUCE in ONE POT!
Here’s how:
30 MINUTE ONE POT VEGGIE PARMESAN
INGREDIENTS
- 1 container baby portobello mushrooms
- 1-2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz chickpea penne
- 24 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce (no sugar added)
- water to fill empty marinara sauce jar
- 1 cup vegan mozarella, feta, or parm cheese (I used a mix)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- additional dried Italian seasoning, optional
- fresh parsley and/or basil, minced for garnish
- To a large pot or skillet (I used a large, 12″ nonstick pot), add a drizzle of olive oil and heat over MED-HIGH heat.
- Add broccoli and onion, season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cook about 5 minutes, until broccoli and onion are tender but not wilted. Add garlic in the last 30 seconds.
- Saute until fragrant and remove to a plate.
- Pour marinara sauce into pot then fill up empty sauce jar with water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a strong simmer.
- Add pasta, stir, then cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, adding mushrooms halfway through. Cook pasta and mushrooms in the sauce until pasta is cooked al dente (tender). Add more water or sauce if the mixture becomes too “dry.”
- Sprinkle with cheese, cover and allow cheese to melt a bit (I used 1/2 cup vegan mozarella, and 1/2 cup vegan parmesan, with vegan feta crumbles.) Lightly toss to incorporate cheese OR leave on top for serving. I like the cheese to be incorporate a bit with light tossing.
- Sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning if desired, and garnish with fresh basil.
*Inspired and adapted from The Chunky Chef’s One Pot Chicken Parmesan