Garden Veggie Marinara Pasta
This restaurant-quality pasta dish has a from-scratch sauce that comes together in a snap with tons of fresh produce and generous sprinkles of Parmesan cheese. The tastiest way to get your family eating their veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 medium sweet onion diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced small
- 1 small zucchini diced small
- 1/2 bell pepper seeded and diced small
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2-3 sprigs fresh basil plus more for serving
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed, optional
- 8 ounces pasta
- kosher salt and black pepper
- grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water and add a generous pinch of salt.
- While you wait for the water to boil, begin making the sauce. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add zucchini, bell pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes more, then add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pan. Nestle in sprigs of fresh basil, if using, and stir in the chickpeas, if using. (I usually add about 2/3 of the can and save the rest for another use, but this is just a matter of preference.) Reduce heat to low, then let the sauce simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, add pasta to the boiling water. Cook just to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- After the sauce has simmered for about 15 minutes, remove the basil sprigs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well.
- Let everything warm through for 1-2 minutes, then serve with more chopped or torn basil leaves and Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!
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Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 435 kcal, Carbohydrates: 81 g, Protein: 17 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 297 mg, Potassium: 1173 mg, Fiber: 12 g, Sugar: 17 g, Vitamin A: 6110 IU, Vitamin C: 51 mg, Calcium: 144 mg, Iron: 6 mg