Creamy Vegetable Pasta

Featuring 7 different vegetables, this budget-friendly recipe makes 12 servings so you can cook in bulk and freeze some portions.
Creamy vegetable pasta
25 min prep
60 min cook
12 serves
1.5 serves of veg
  • 1 small zucchini, chopped
  • 2 small tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 red capsicum, chopped
  • 1 small sweet potato, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 4 florets of cauliflower, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
  • 2 tsp mixed herbs
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 ¼ cups chunky pasta sauce (350g)*
  • 1 cup reduced-fat milk (250ml)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½ tsp salt-reduced chicken stock powder*
  • ½ cup light sour cream
  • 750g dried penne pasta*
  • 2 cups reduced fat cheese, grated

 

*To make gluten free, replace penne pasta with gluten free pasta and check the products are ‘gluten free’.

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Add zucchini, capsicum, sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower and tomatoes to trays, top with olive oil, garlic and herbs. Roast for 1 hour or until cooked through and soft, remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water (as per packet instructions approximately 8-10 minutes) until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  4. While the pasta cooks, add roasted vegetables to a large bowl, using a stick blender blend them with the milk, stock, chunky pasta sauce and sour cream, until smooth.
  5. Stir the pasta through the sauce and top with the grated cheese.

Serving Suggestion: Vegetables can be swapped for other vegetables you may have on hand such as broccoli, peas, corn, pumpkin or onion. Sour cream can be swapped for cottage cheese. Chicken stock powder and water can be swapped for 1.5L of salt-reduced chicken or vegetable liquid stock.

If you don’t have access to a stick blender you could use a food processor or blender to prepare the sauce, however, ensure that the vegetables have cooled prior to blending.

Storage: Creamy vegetable pasta can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 days or freeze in individual portions for 3 months.

Kids in the kitchen tips: Depending on your child’s age and skill, they can help measure and count the ingredients, select which vegetables to include in the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top of each bowl.

Important

When preparing this recipe:

  • Double check the food label ingredient list for any allergens each time you purchase it.
  • Prevent any allergen contamination during preparation, cooking, and serving with proper hygiene and avoiding cross-contact with allergens.

Nutritional Facts

Serving size: 266g Per serving Per 100g
Energy (kJ) 1574 591
Fat (g) 9.5 3.6
Saturated fat (g) 5.1 1.9
Carbohydrates (g) 54.2 20.3
Sugars (g) 8.4 3.2
Fibre (g) 4.5 1.7
Protein (g) 16.0 6.0
Sodium (mg) 290.4 108.7

Acknowledgement

Recipe adapted from Queensland Association of School Tuckshops Recipe of the Year 2024 winner, Bay View State School, and reproduced with permission (from 70 serves to 12 serves).

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