Video Cheesy vegetarian pasta dish

This luxurious creamy veggie pasta is made in just one pot – the pasta is cooked right in with the sauce! An easy, crowd-pleasing dinner.

Just when I thought cheesy pasta couldn’t get any better… I made this one pot creamy veggie pasta. That’s right – it’s all made in just one saucepan, including all those vegetables, and the creamy, cheesy sauce! This is a real winner for busy evenings when you just need something hearty and satisfying on the table quickly.

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Portion of creamy veggie pasta in a bowl with garlic bread.

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One pot pasta

Have you ever tried making a one pot pasta dish?

I don’t just mean boiling the pasta, then draining it and adding a sauce that you’ve prepared separately – I mean a dish that’s truly all cooked in one pan, all at the same time.

With this one pot veggie pasta, the pasta cooks right there in the sauce, making it extra thick and creamy. Even the vegetables are cooked in the same pot, meaning you only have one pan to focus on.

Uncooked pasta and vegetables in a saucepan.

Creamy veggie pasta

It’s really easy to make. Start by adding all of the ingredients to a large saucepan.

Obviously you’ll need some pasta, along with whatever vegetables you feel like adding. I used fresh orange pepper and mushrooms, as well as some frozen peas and sweetcorn.

Peas and sweetcorn are two vegetables that I often use frozen – they’re so easy to throw into all sorts of meals, and I can use as much as I want, rather than having to get through a whole tin in one go. So handy.

Of course, you can use whatever combination of fresh or frozen veg you fancy! See below for some more ideas.

Uncooked pasta and vegetables in a saucepan with milk.

Cooking pasta in a creamy sauce

Next, add the liquid.

The pasta is boiled in a mixture of milk and vegetable stock – it makes everything super creamy, and forms the basis for that cheesy sauce. As the pasta cooks, it releases its starch into the milk, thickening it up to give a glossy sauce.

I added plenty of dried herbs, and the vegetables also help to make the sauce nice and tasty as it cooks!

Since you’re not going to drain any of the liquid away, you’re also keeping hold of any goodness that’s been released from the vegetables as they cook. Usually this precious liquid is just tipped down the sink, but this time you’re keeping all that lovely nutrition and flavour.

Creamy vegetable pasta cooked in a saucepan.

Cheesy pasta

The final ingredient is a good handful of grated cheese. Obviously.

Since the sauce is otherwise really simple, I’d recommend using a cheese with lots of flavour – I used a nice mature cheddar. Something milder like mozzarella will still be delicious, but will definitely bring less flavour to the dish.

Easy, crowd-pleasing dinner

I’m really not sure what could be more satisfying than a big bowl of cheesy pasta. This creamy veggie pasta is such a people-pleaser – especially since the vegetables are really easy to switch up depending on what veggies your family enjoys most.

I served some garlic bread on the side (any excuse), but a simple salad would be great too, if you want to keep things a bit lighter.

What other vegetables could I use?

You can mix up the vegetables however you like – anything that will be fully cooked in around 15 minutes is perfect.

If you want to use vegetables that cook more quickly, like broccoli or asparagus, just add them a few minutes later. Nobody likes soggy broccoli!

A few other ideas:

fresh spinach (add along with the cheese) or frozen spinach (add at the start)
fresh cherry tomatoes (add along with the cheese)
cauliflower florets
carrots (chop them fairly small!)
kale or cabbage
onion or leek
tinned beans or chickpeas
a frozen veggie mixture

Basically, whatever vegetables you add to this creamy veggie pasta, you’ll end up with a tasty mixture that goes beautifully with that luscious sauce.