If you love pasta and are looking for an easy weeknight recipe, you'll love this roundup of vegan and vegetarian one-pot pastas!
One-pot and one-pan pastas are a busy cook's dream meal. The pasta cooks in the same pan as the rest of the recipe ingredients, cutting down on dishes and clean-up time.
Making vegetarian one-pot pastas is simple. The pasta is typically cooked in broth, water, or sauce and is combined with veggies, proteins, and all kinds of delicious add-ins.
In this one pot pasta roundup I'm including not only my favorite no-drain meatless pasta recipes from Cozy Peach Kitchen, but also a handful of favorites from other food blogs. The recipes are divided up into vegetarian and vegan categories.
Keep reading for frequently asked questions and more tips on how to cook one pot pasta.
Cooking tips
- Cook time: Pasta cooking time varies based on type of pasta shape. Because most one-pot pastas cook in simmering water instead of boiling water, they take longer to cook through than regular pasta recipes. Unless advised otherwise in a recipe, check the pasta a few times while cooking to avoid overcooking the pasta.
- Bring liquid to a boil first: Always bring the cooking liquid to a rapid simmer or boil before adding pasta, unless a recipe states otherwise. This prevents the pasta from overcooking.
- Salting the water: Because pasta water isn't drained in one-pot pastas, I don't recommend adding as much salt as you usually do when cooking pasta on its own. Adjust salt to taste, especially if using a salty vegetable broth or marinara sauce.
- Add enough liquid: Although liquid amount in one-pot pastas varies form recipe to recipe, a good rule of thumb is to add enough liquid to cover the pasta while it is cooking.
Recipe FAQ
One problem that readers often run into with one-pot pastas is a broth-y pasta. In my recipes, this can be solved by simmering the pasta uncovered over medium-high heat. This evaporates the cooking liquid.
The longer the pasta is simmered at medium-high heat, the more liquid will evaporate. Be aware that this will continue to cook the pasta.
If following a recipe, I recommend using whichever pasta is recommended by the author.
This depends on the recipe. Most of my one pot pasta recipes are cooked with the lid on to prevent too much liquid from evaporating during the cooking process.
This varies depending on the type of pan being used and the type of sauce desired. For a thick sauce, I typically recommend adding just enough liquid to cover the pasta.
For a thinner sauce, I typically add about an inch of liquid above the pasta.
A tall-walled skillet, also known as a sauté pan, is the ideal piece of equipment for one-pot pastas because it allows liquid to evaporate quickly. A Dutch oven or medium stock pot can also be used to cook one-pot pastas.
Keep in mind that it takes longer to evaporate liquid when using large stock pots.
Vegetarian One-Pot Pastas
These pasta recipes are meatless but may feature dairy or egg products.
Vegan One-Pot Pastas
These pasta recipes are made with dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan ingredients or are written to include vegan options.
Alyssa says
I am loving these recipes!
Cassidy Reeser says
So happy to hear that! 🙂