Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet
Fun fact about me: when I was a kid, it seemed like I won nearly every contest or drawing I entered. I had the best luck! Random drawings? I won them.
Coloring contests in the newspaper? I rocked those Crayolas. Reading contests? I read the most books. Contests to sell the most boxes of Girl Scout cookies? I went straight to the rich people’s houses in the neighborhood.
I even won “guess how many ____ are in this ___” contests. I distinctly remember the movie theater having a contest to guess how many gum balls or something were in a big jar.
I guessed closest, and thus received an Adult XL size “Honey I Blew Up The Kid” t-shirt. Perfect for a nine-year-old girl, yes?
I must have worn out my luck as a child, because I don’t win any random drawings anymore. But luckily, I’ve been able to take my cooking skills and win some skills contests with them. I received the beautiful Le Creuset cast iron skillet pictured in these photos for winning a Whole Foods Market recipe contest.
Every time I use the skillet, a huge sense of pride washes over me. I won this beautiful skillet! It wasn’t a random drawing, I won because people thought I created the best orange chicken recipe.
What better way to show my skillet some love than create a meal cooked entirely in it? I must confess that I rarely make one-pot meals, aside from my Skillet Mac and Cheese, but I’m pretty proud of this Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet.
It’s full of veggies like broccoli, carrots and peas, and nice and filling thanks to whole wheat pasta. A creamy marinara sauce pulls everything together in this simple and healthy one-pot dinner!
Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large bunch broccoli, finely chopped
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
- 8 ounces whole wheat spiral pasta
- 2-1/2 cups water, plus additional if needed
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- In large high-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Add shallots, carrots and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to bowl; set aside.
- Add marinara, pasta and water to skillet; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 15 to 17 minutes or until pasta is tender, adding more water by 1/4-cupfuls if necessary, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in peas, half-and-half, red pepper flakes and reserved vegetables; cook 1 minute or until vegetables are heated through. Serve pasta garnished with Parmesan cheese and parsley.
MORE GREAT PASTA RECIPES:
- One Pan Sausage & Tortellini – my family eats this on repeat all winter!
- Rigatoni Bolognese Recipe – a restaurant quality pasta right at home.
- Creamy Salmon Pasta – one of the most popular recipes on this site!
- Salmon Pesto Pasta – an herby twist on salmon pasta.
- Healthiest Pasta Sauce – great for Meatless Monday.
- Mushroom & Lentil Ragu – a hearty vegetarian sauce over spaghetti.
- Minestrone Pasta Sauté with Ricotta – perfect for a cold winter night.
- Butternut Squash Noodles – a healthier take on pasta.
Hi,
This looks so amazing, I was just wondering if it can be frozen. So if I make it for dinner on a Friday night I can make extras for lunch the next week?
Hi Jennifer! Thanks so much for stopping by. Do you freeze pasta often? I find it has a different texture after I freeze it and thaw it again, unfortunately. Also, cream sauces don’t normally do too well in the freezer. Not sure I can recommend this one for freezing, but if you do end up trying it, please let me know how it turns out.
I, too, love all of those yummy veggies that you incorporated into this one-pot dish! It sounds divine!
Thanks Nancy! At first when the skillet arrived, I was like “what IS this color?” But now I really love it. It’s sort of blue…sort of grey…a hint of green maybe.
Wahoo! Yay for you winning this beautiful le creuset skillet. That colour is amazing! And it’s so much better to win stuff based on merit instead of luck, right (although I’ll take anything free, no matter what the reason!). Girl, this creamy pasta dish looks divine. It’s the perfect meal in my opinion – one pot, carby, saucy…I’m drooling!
I used to win those coloring contests as a kid too. I would outline in colored pencils and color with the crayons. I rocked them. I love your method for cooking the pasta. Never tried it before, but I want to now!
Susan, I’m pretty sure I had the same coloring strategy! I LOVED colored pencils. I even had these Crayola “watercolor pencils,” where you dipped the tips in water and they were sort of like a watercolor-y colored pencil. I mean, as much as a Crayola could be, I guess 😉
I love that you added veggies to the mix here, it makes it a complete and comforting meal!
Thanks Sophia! Lately, instead of serving a main course and a side dish, I’ve been really into just mixing everything together! Sneak the veggies in there 🙂
I love Le Creuset! I have their stainless steel pots and pans plus a variety of cast iron pieces. I recently saw their “MATTE” collection and drool came pouring out of my mouth. I’ve got to get my hands on some of that. This recipe looks fantastic. With a few substitutions for my dairy allergy, I’m adding this to our dinner rotation. Thanks for sharing, your posts, recipes, and pictures are always fabulous. =)
Oh, I didn’t know Le Crueset made stainless pots and pans. Interesting! I have just a few Le Crueset pieces – this skillet, a small Dutch oven, and some individual little ramekins/dishes. They’re all different colors, so I guess if I continue to build my collection, I’ll just have to embrace the rainbow 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by, and for your kind words, Nicole! I really appreciate it.
Congrats on winning the recipe contest! I won two myself but didn’t get a fancy skillet 😉 This pasta skillet sounds perfect for dinner after a long day of work.
Hmmm, maybe they only started giving away prizes recently? Seems like they are now always from Williams-Sonoma, and they’re really nice! Thanks for stopping by, Carla!