This cheesy, vegetable, one pot pasta dish is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Adding in vegetables makes it a healthier, end of week meal.
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I really do not mind cooking. In fact, I rather enjoy it. However, these days with a toddler running around who wants to “help” and see what is happening on the stove or kitchen counter, spending too long in front of a hot pan is just not realistic.
As a result, Rob and I have gotten creative with creating one pot and one pan dinners. Mind you, we only just got an Instant Pot (and have not previously owned a crockpot), which will help keep curious toddler hands safe, but up until we figure out how to use it, the one pot meal is king.
Combine that need with the crazy discount on authentic Garofalo Italian organic pastas at Costco and our need to use up whatever vegetables are left in the fridge by the end of the week, and we have ourselves a One Pot Cheesy Vegetable Pasta dish that gets gobbled up by our pasta loving Zoey and her pasta loving mom (aka me).
The majority of our one pot meals, including chilis and soups, get made in our Le Creuset Dutch Oven we receive as a wedding gift. My mom had a red one growing up and I have memories of it sitting on the stove for hours while something tasty and Italian smelling simmered. We are taking the original crockpot method here.
The versatility of this dish is really endless as you can put in any vegetables you prefer. Since I am off of our usual pepper and onion staples right now due to pregnancy aversions, we used our end-of-week left over carrots, asparagus, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, and broccoli. As long as the vegetables get sautéed to be soft enough, you truly cannot go wrong.
While a full pound of pasta is a lot to have at one dinner for two and a half people we save the leftovers for lunch the next day. Making more than we need in one dinner is one of my time saving tricks when it comes to eating healthy in the midst of a busy schedule.
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We used whole milk just because that is what we have on hand for Zoey. This recipe would work just as well with other types of dairy milk as well.
You can add more or less cheese as needed. We opted for more mozzarella to mix in and skipped the parmesan topping.
Add enough liquid (milk/broth) to just barely cover the noodles. Since everything is mixed in, they may take a bit longer to cook than the package directions. Just keep testing them until they reach your desired chewiness level. We prefer ours slightly al dente.
More time saving, fridge clean out meals:
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
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