On those nights when making dinner feels like too much, I find that a one pot recipe goes a long way to making things feel more manageable, and this recipe just couldn’t be simpler. Exhale… you have found a winner.
This Pasta is my Summer Hero…
Allow me to make my case.
- You can use any veggies in this recipe. Just chop up enough veggies to half-fill your saute pan / shallow casserole dish, and you’re good to go. I have made this dish many times with many different veggies and it’s always good. (What you’re seeing here in this post is my favorite combo – your favorite might be totally different and that is OK!)
- It’s an easy recipe to commit to memory. And when you do, the effort required feels even less because there’s no stopping to check the recipe. You just have to remember the amount of pasta, vegetable stock and cream. You can then fill it out however you wish.
- The whole dish cooks in one pot. And this works out well because capellini / angel hair cooks really fast, so the veggies aren’t immersed in liquid for very long (they are still tender or even al dente – not mushy).
- Almost every ingredient can be skipped or swapped. Honestly, the pasta is the only make or break ingredient here. The rest is entirely negotiable. I’ll break it down a little more in the next section…
If you are loving this way of making pasta, this One Pot Angel Hair Pomodoro should be next on your list for the summer! Year round, my One Pot Pasta with Cheesy Lentil Sauce is a reader favorite made with pantry ingredients!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
You have a LOT of flexibility with this recipe.
- The ONLY thing that is critical here is that you use angel hair / capellini pasta. This type of pasta is thinner than spaghetti and cooks fast, usually 3-5 minutes. That means your veggies aren’t going to turn mushy from cooking in liquid for 12 minutes as they would with other types of pasta. IF you really want to make this with normal spaghetti, I would pre-saute your veggies for less time, expect to simmer it for about 12 minutes, and check in on the liquid ratios from time to time while it cooks (you might need more stock).
- My favorite vegetables to include are broccolini (tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, red pepper, fresh corn (kernels scraped off a cob), zucchini, spinach and cherry tomatoes. You don’t need to use all of these – in fact using all of them means you’re only using a small batch of each of them, so it might be more practical to use fewer if you have bigger hauls!
- Since we’re using a mix of veggies, it’s hard to give you an exact quantity of vegetables to use (they will all have different weight/volume ratios), and actually there’s plenty of flexibility with this too. As a guide I recommend using just enough veggies to to come halfway up the side of your saute pan when raw. (Don’t worry, they will shrink down when cooked, making space for the pasta.)
- My choice of cheese is pecorino but any Italian hard cheese (generic, parmesan, asiago, etc) will work fine. Feel free to experiment with something else but strong and salty is best.
- No cream? This will still be great. Swap in some whole milk, or just an extra 1/4 cup of vegetable stock.
- I like to add lemon zest to this dish but it’s totally optional.
- My dried herbs of choice are thyme and tarragon and my fresh herbs of choice are parsley and chives but please change this up to suit your own preferences or what you have available!
The Best Pan for One Pot Pasta
- When you’re making one pot pasta with a long shape like angel hair or spaghetti, you want a nice wide saute pan or shallow casserole dish. The pan pictured is a 30 centimetre (3.2 litre) / 12 inch (3.5 quart) Le Creuset which is perfect.
- If it’s not wide enough, you will need to break your pasta noodles in half to get them in.
- The pan needs to have a lid, since the pasta will cook covered.
More Dinner Ideas for Your Summer Veggie Haul
Creamy Angel Hair Primavera – One Pot Recipe!
An easy one pot cappellini (angel hair) pasta recipe full of spring and summer veggies – this recipe is super flexible so you can use whatever you've got available! It all comes together in one pot and cooks super fast for a quick and easy midweek meal.
Ingredients
- olive oil , for cooking
- 2 shallots (or 1/2 large red onion), thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- mixed vegetables for sauteing- I like to use of broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), red pepper, asparagus. zucchini (courgette) and corn (chopped fresh from the cob)., see notes for guidance on quantity
- 1 cup (150 g) fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
- 9 oz (250 g) dried angel hair pasta
- 3 cups (700 ml) vegetable or meatless chicken style stock
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1-2 handfuls spinach, kale or other leafy greens
- 1 cup (100 g) pecorino cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a wide shallow casserole dish or saute pan, heat a layer of olive oil and saute the shallots and other vegetables for 5-6 minutes. We want the shallots to be soft, and tougher greens like asparagus and broccoli should be bright green and starting to soften.olive oil, 2 shallots (or 1/2 large red onion), mixed vegetables for sauteing- I like to use of broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), red pepper, asparagus. zucchini (courgette) and corn (chopped fresh from the cob).
- Add the dried herbs and garlic, saute for a few moments until fragrant.1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, 3 cloves garlic
- Place the dried pasta, tomatoes and lemon zest over the top of the veggies and pour the vegetable stock and cream over the top. Use a spatula to press down on the pasta, and move some of the veggies from the bottom of the top, to make sure the pasta is immersed in liquid.1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, 9 oz dried angel hair pasta, 3 cups vegetable or meatless chicken style stock, 1 lemon, 1/2 cup heavy (double) cream
- Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes* or until the pasta is cooked through. Then add the cheese and greens to the pan. Stir until the cheese is melted through and the greens are wilted. *As the pasta cooks, lift the lid to stir it regularly and break up any clumps of pasta that are forming. Assess the liquid levels as you go, and adding more stock if the pan dries up before the pasta is cooked. You want it to still be fairly liquidy by the time the pasta is finished cooking – it will thicken up surprisingly fast.1-2 handfuls spinach, kale or other leafy greens, 1 cup pecorino cheese
- Serve immediately. Because the sauce will thicken up very quickly, it's important not to let this sit out for too long.
Notes
Quantity of vegetables – As a guide I recommend using just enough veggies to to come halfway up the side of your saute pan when raw. (Don’t worry, they will shrink down when cooked, making space for the pasta.) Less is fine too, and if you have less veggies for sauteing you could consider adding more tomatoes and/or fresh greens.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, be sure to add some milk or water before reheating to loosen it back up again.