Creamy garlic and vegetable pasta...dreamy, garlicky, buttery goodness with pasta. Yum. Okay, just to clarify, not all of my recipes are what you'd call "healthy". But to me, "healthy" isn't always only vegetables and fruits. It's all about eating well-balanced meals, listening to my body when it's full, and indulging within my own limits. And you really can't go wrong with a GOOD pasta & vegetable recipe right? So speaking of vegetarian creamy garlic pasta ...we all have pasta in our pantry. If you don't, I'm not sure how you survive. Especially during a pandemic...isn't everyone eating pasta right now??
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For some reason during my second pregnancy, pasta and I just were not on good terms. But this vegetarian creamy pasta is one pasta I will indulge in. So good. Plus, this garlic creamy pasta is such a kid-friendly pasta that my kids will eat it almost daily if I let them!
So let's get to it...what does this vegetable pasta recipe have that makes it so delicious??
📋 Ingredients
- Pasta - I used farfalle pasta but any kind will work!
- Garlic. Duh, it's in the title :).
- Milk and cream cheese to make it creamy, and dreamy.
- Butter and flour to add some thickness.
- Vegetables - I used broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms. Don't have these vegetables? Get creative! Use what you have in your fridge!
📖 Cooking the Pasta and Vegetables
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package.
- Cook the vegetables and garlic in butter in a large skillet.
- Lower the heat and move the vegetables over to the side of the skillet. On the empty side of the skillet, make the creamy garlic sauce by adding the butter and flour and combining with a whisk, and starts to turn a light brown. This flour and butter combo really adds creamy thickness to the sauce.
- SLOWLY, add the milk to the butter and flour combo and keep whisking until no lumps are visible with the liquid. Let the liquid thicken.
- Add the cream cheese for more creaminess and combine until no lumps are visible.
- Add the pasta. Combine pasta and vegetables well with the garlic sauce. Season with salt, pepper then add some cheese, basil, and whatever else your heart desires 🙂
I love pairing a good creamy garlic pasta with a salad, some bread, and seasoned olive oil on the side. If you're making this for a gathering, I'd suggest serving my Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Tart to go with the meal!
🍴 Other Dinner Ideas
- Vegetable Mexican Casserole
- Vegan Peanut Corn Curry
- Vegetable Pad Thai with Marinated Tofu
- Edamame Truffle Dumplings
- Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
🥗 More Pasta and Vegetable Recipes
- Vegetable Pasta with Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts
- Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
I hope you enjoy my Creamy Garlic Pasta - leave some love in the comments below if you tried it!
Let's talk dark green vegetables! According to MyPlate, most adults are recommended to eat 1.5 to 2 cups of dark green vegetables weekly. Dark green vegetables include bok choy, broccoli (like we used in our recipe today), collard greens, dark green leafy lettuce (and some other types of lettuce), kale, mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, and so much more! Dark green vegetables are a great source of potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and C, folate, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Don't forget to include them in your next dish 🙂 !
📖 Recipe
Creamy Garlic and Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups pasta; I used farfalle
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- ½ cup zucchini; chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms; chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 ½ cup milk; I used 1% milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Cook the vegetables and garlic in the butter for about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat and move the vegetables over to the side of the skillet. On the empty side of the skillet, melt the other tablespoon of butter and combine the flour with a whisk until it starts to turn a light brown. This flour and butter combo really adds the creamy thickness to the sauce.
- SLOWLY, add the milk to the butter and flour combo and keep whisking until no lumps are visible with the liquid. Let the liquid thicken with the vegetables for about 2-3 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Add the cream cheese for more creaminess and combine until no lumps are visible.
- Add in your pasta and mix until the pasta is well-coated with the sauce and vegetables.
- Season with salt and pepper. Optional additions: cheese, basil, or crushed red pepper.
Drool. This is comfort food with just the right amount of veggies. I love it!
It really is! Thank you!
This recipe is delish! We used broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper. I mixed in fresh basil, garlic salt, and shredded Romani cheese, and then a fresh diced tomato right before serving. Used quinoa and brown rice pasta. Turned out amazing! Thank you!
That sounds delicious! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Very healthy
And yummy 🙂