Learn the magical secret to making pasta in a delicious cream sauce with half the calories of alfredo..and all in one pot! This Creamy One Pot Pasta with Spring Vegetables will be your your go-to recipe for springtime.
This recipe manages to eliminate the one possible drawback of making pasta — dirtying a second pot! Cooking the pasta with its sauce creates incredible flavor and a miraculously creamy sauce without tons of added butter, flour or heavy cream.
Instead of boiling the pasta in water, this Creamy One Pot Pasta simmers in a mixture of garlic-infused milk and broth. The cooking technique similar to risotto (fast fact: risotto is NOT a dish — its a cooking technique!). The starch from the pasta acts as a natural thickener as it cooks in the broth and milk, resulting in a creamy, Alfredo-like texture without all the fat (and very little clean up).
Once the sauce has cooked down, you simply toss in a mix of spring veggies, lemon juice and a healthy dose of parmesan cheese. And you’re done. For this version, I used a mix of grated carrot, baby spinach, fresh basil and frozen peas, mainly because those are all things my kids will eat. You could change it up as you like based on your family’s preference (or whats in your fridge). If you’d like a bit more protein, this would be delicious with grilled chicken, shrimp or canned garbanzo beans.
This was one of those meals that everyone in our house ate without complaining, which can feel like a miracle on many nights. I predict we’ll be eating this often in the coming months.
Creamy One Pot Pasta with Spring Vegetables
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound (16 ounces) whole grain bow tie pasta (white pasta will also work)
3 cups best quality chicken broth
2 cups reduced or low fat milk (skim/fat free milk may curdle)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
Juice of one lemon
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add pasta, broth, milk and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring often.
- Once simmering, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking and stirring until pasta is cooked to al dente and liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency, about 10 – 12 minutes. If liquid absorbs before pasta is cooked, add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid.
- Add cheese, carrots, peas and spinach, stirring to combine, and cook for 2 minutes more, until veggies are heated through.
- Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil and, if desired, additional parmesan cheese.
