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One-pot vegetarian spaghetti (+ video)

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Vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach makes an easy, healthy one-pot pasta dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes!Vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach makes an easy, healthy one pot pasta dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes!

A meatless Monday dinner is definitely in order for me this week.

I had a fabulous time at the lake with my girls for our annual boat day this weekend! We cruised around, floated in the lake on noodles for a long time, sipping our drinks, and ate dinner on the porch, overlooking the water.

Lots of sunshine and swimming. Lots of good conversation and laughter. And lots of food and drinks. 😀

And now I need to recover. With healthy, healing foods that are still delicious and comforting.

And easy. And fast.

Vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach makes an easy, healthy one pot pasta dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes!

Sounds like a tall order, but this one-pot vegetarian spaghetti absolutely delivers. 

I love an easy one-pot pasta recipe for a weeknight meal. I make lots of different versions and this is one of my favorites for being super light but also so creamy and very decadent feeling.

(My other one-pot pastas include my one-pot creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with peas and my 15-minute turkey noodle soup is also made all in one pot.)

One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes! One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes!

One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes! One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes!

In this veggie version though, the noodles soak up the flavor from the vegetable broth and tomatoes and it makes them so rich.

The mushrooms bring a meaty quality to the dish — and give it some heft — and the fresh spinach just brightens it all up.

All kinds of deliciousness right here! ❤️

Vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach makes an easy, healthy one pot pasta dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes!

One updated note of something I’ve more recently learned…

Some Parmesan cheese isn’t technically considered vegetarian because it’s made using animal rennet during part of the process. However, there are Italian-style hard cheeses and Parmesan-like cheeses made from vegetable rennet that are available in some stores.

You can also use nutritional yeast, which would make this recipe vegan as well, as noted below. Or leave off the cheese altogether.

So there’s your lesson for the day. 😉 Let’s continue…

One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes!

Notes on this one-pot vegetarian spaghetti:

    • You can definitely add any extra veggies you have on hand: peppers, zucchini and broccoli would all be lovely. Add them in at the same time as the onions and mushrooms and sauté everything together until it’s slightly tender.
    • If you want to make this recipe vegan, just substitute nutritional yeast or your favorite vegan cheese in place of the Parmesan.
    • Not vegan or vegetarian? You can stir in some cooked, shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken with the spinach at the end to warm it through. (If you have a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian, this can be a great way to make it a dish for both.)
    • You can substitute cremini or portobello mushrooms for the regular button mushrooms if you prefer.
    • You could also stir in 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese if you want a super cheesy pasta. 👍

One pot vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach - an easy, healthy pasta dinner ready in just 25 minutes!

Here’s to a healthy, happy week, friends!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Check out some of my other vegetarian recipes, like my southwest vegetarian quinoa skillet and my veggie burger scramble (aka, the lazy way to make veggie burgers!)

P.P.S. Be sure to check out my NEW VIDEO below for this recipe and see how easy it is to make. Plus, I give you some of my ideas for substitutions!

Yield: 4 servings

One-pot vegetarian spaghetti

One-pot vegetarian spaghetti

Vegetarian spaghetti makes an easy, healthy one-pot pasta dinner!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 (8 oz.) package button mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 10 oz. thin spaghetti noodles (I use whole wheat)
  • 3 cups fresh spinach or baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • For serving: 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes, until tender and the liquid from the mushrooms has been mostly cooked off.
  2. Add garlic and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using) and saute another 30 seconds.
  3. Increase heat to high then add canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add spaghetti noodles and stir until they wilt and fit in the pot. Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. (Your liquid should be at a low boil this whole time.)
  5. Remove lid and add fresh spinach, a couple of handfuls at a time, stirring to get the spinach mixed in and wilted.
  6. Remove from heat and let spaghetti sit, covered, for a few minutes
  7. Stir in Parmesan cheese, taste and adjust seasonings.
  8. Serve with fresh basil or parsley and extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

You can substitute cremini or portobello mushrooms for the regular button mushrooms if you prefer. And you can add any extra veggies you have on hand: peppers, zucchini and broccoli would all be great. Add them with the onions and mushrooms and saute everything together until it’s slightly tender.

Some Parmesan cheese may not be considered strictly vegetarian (see the post above for details), so you can substitute an Italian-style hard cheese here. If you want to make this recipe vegan, just substitute nutritional yeast or your favorite vegan cheese in place of the Parmesan.

Or if you're not vegan or vegetarian, you can stir in some cooked, shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken with the spinach at the end to warm it through and make a more hearty meal.

You could also stir in 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese if you want a super cheesy pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185 Total Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 535mg Carbohydrates: 29g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g Protein: 7g
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Easy Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach makes an easy, healthy one-pot pasta dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes! #onepotpasta #vegetarian #spaghetti #pastarecipe #veggies

Comments

  2. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    I saw a pic on your social media of your girls lake trip and it looked all sorts of relaxing and fun! Glad you had a great time!! This one pot vegetarian spaghetti looks super delicious and seriously comforting! Love that you added mushrooms and spinach! Even better that this is a quick, one pot meal! All kinds of perfect for a Monday! Cheers, friend!
    P.s. never heard of the beauty counter but I’ll be sure to check it out!

    Reply

  4. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    Sounds like you had a lovely time with your friends, Kathryn! I’m sure it was a blast and nice and relaxing!! I’ve never cooked pasta like that before, but have seen it. Love the ease of the recipe, not to mention that it’s healthy! Pinned, of course.
    I’m all over all kinds of beauty products and creams and the like…big time 🙂 And I’m particular of what I use. I’ve never heard of that brand before, but will certainly have to check out. Thanks girl! xo

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      You’ve gotta try the one-pot pasta method Dawn – it’s so easy and versatile! And yes, YOU absolutely need to check out Beauty Counter. You would love their stuff. Go watch that video pronto – it’s a game changer! And then enter away so you can win! XO

      Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Spaghetti night is always a hit here too! Who can resist?! This is a fun way to switch things up and lighten it up a bit but still have a hearty meal. Hope you give it a try!

      Reply

  6. Nicole Ackerman says

    My favorite beauty product is lipstick because of my grandma who always told me to put on some lipstick and smile when I was upset!

    Reply

  8. Laura says

    We go Back to school next week and this will be the perfect weeknight meal when we get home and my 2 and 4 year olds want to play. Love your blog, keep the great recipes coming!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Oh yay, that makes me so happy Laura! It’s hard keeping up with those little ones — and feeding them, too, right? I’ve got lots more recipes coming your way to help!

      Reply

  10. Alexandra Robertson says

    This looks so good!! My favorite healthy meal is collard green wraps filled with buffalo chicken, veggies, and a little crumbled blue cheese.

    Reply

  11. Stephanie Grant says

    My favorite meal is a good fresh homegrown garden salad and my favorite beauty product has to be rose water…love it!

    Reply

  13. Annamarie V` says

    I like the Farmacy sleep tight moisturizer and I have the Beauty counter hydrate body lotion. My favorite helathy meal is veggie pho made at home with zucchini noodles.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I adore Brussels sprouts! My husband is so-so on them, so anytime he’s out of town, I make a big batch and eat them all myself!! Will have to add shiitake mushrooms next time!

      Reply

  16. Cindy A. says

    My favorite beauty product is Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper. I’m not joking when I say it completely transformed my curls.

    Reply

  19. Paulina says

    I just made this and I think the recipe needs to be adjusted.
    I followed it to a T and the spaghetti needed at least 10 minutes to wilt enough to fit into the pot because it was low boil and not a lot of liquid. At the end of the recipe I found my spaghetti was only half cooked. I had to continuously add water to the pot to prevent it from burning, and had to cook the spaghetti for much longer.

    I just wanted to give you that feedback, so that others aren’t disappointed when they try to make this recipe. Perhaps the recipe would work better with other types of pasta that doesn’t need the extra time to wilt.

    Thanks,

    -P

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Paulina, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you! I have made this recipe several times as instructed above and my spaghetti noodles are always cooked through. When my liquid is boiling, it takes me less than a minute to stir the noodles to get them to wilt down. Maybe it’s the size of the pot? Also, did you cover the pot and leave it on a low boil? That could affect the cooking time as well, in addition to the amount of liquid needed. (A covered pot keeps the liquid trapped in but if you take the top off repeatedly, a lot of that steam and moisture will escape.)
      Anyway, I really do appreciate the feedback. Just sorry it wasn’t easier for you!

      Reply

  20. Bethany says

    Hi! I wanted to let you know that you don’t have spinach listed in the ingredients. I planned on making this tonight but am missing the spinach since it wasn’t listed.

    Reply

  21. Renee says

    Hello, I just wanted to respectfully let you know that this dish isn’t vegetarian because of the parmesan cheese. It’s a cheese that uses animal rennet.

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Renee, you are absolutely right! I just learned about that earlier this year. There are some vegetarian versions of Parmesan cheese (which aren’t technically Parmesan but taste similar) you can use as a substitute if you need to for this dish. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Renee says

        I made it and added a vegan parmesan cheese made with nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cashews. I put real parmesan it in for my omnivore husband. It was quite lovely and we will be having it again.

        Reply

        • Jaclyn says

          Depends on the type of vegetarian an individual is (: I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for awhile, so the only animal product I would consume were dairy products and eggs. It would have been different if the recipe mentioned it was Vegan, to which I would have agreed that this was incorrect

          Reply

  23. Mama Schick says

    We had this for dinner last night and it was delicious! I am gluten free, so we used Schar GF spaghetti noodles. They are a different beast entirely. They stick easily, so I had to stir often, causing the steam to escape, which required a much longer cooking time and a quart and half of broth. HOWEVER> totally worth it! Such a delicious meal! Other than adjusting the time and liquid due to the GF noodles, I made it as written. YUM!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this!😊 And thanks for the info on substituting gluten-free noodles – I’m sure some other readers will find that useful!

      Reply

  27. deeksha says

    Do I just add the spinach raw like that? like washed but raw? im sorry im a total beginner. shouldn’t i boil it beforehand?

    Reply

  28. deeksha says

    I’m also having worries because of Paulina’s comment above- should i cook them a little before just to wilt them enough that they cook completely in the pot?

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi! If you use a big enough pot and enough liquid to fit the spaghetti noodles, you should be fine. (Or you can break the spaghetti noodles in half if you prefer.) And yes, as to your question above, the spinach goes in washed and raw. You can see in the video that’s how I do it. It takes just a few minutes to wilt down so no need to cook it beforehand. Hope you enjoy this!

      Reply

  30. Mariam says

    Hey! I loved this meal I just found it was a bit dry. If I were to make it again I’d add more water or diced tomatoes; maybe even some sauce. Otherwise so good!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! And yes, if yours starts to dry out (which can happen depending on the temperature and exact timing), you can definitely add in some more broth or extra tomatoes or sauce. 😊

      Reply

  31. Barbara says

    I have never heard my husband rave about one of the dishes I have prepared before as much as the One Pot Spagetti. He is a real spagetti enthusiast as well. I have already made it twice in one week and see that this will become my “go to” recipe.

    Reply

      • Barbara says

        I actually used a cup of zucchini instead of mushrooms because that was my husband’s preference and I was very pleased with the overall taste and texture. No need for spaghetti sauce!

        Reply

  32. Kristin S. says

    I made this and enjoyed it! Can someone tell me, where it talks about calories, if the kcal is a typo? TIA!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it Kristin! So, kcal is just the more scientific abbreviation for calories, and what the program I have uses. But it’s the same thing. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  35. Lisa says

    Thank you so much for this recipe. This was amazing! I am glad I stumbled upon it. I made a few minor adjustments, I am vegan so I didn’t add the cheese and I used baby Bella mushrooms. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of the 1/4 teaspoon because I like spicy foods. Even my picky 14 year old liked it. This will definitely be a dish I make often.

    Reply

  36. Erica says

    Absolutely delicious. I added green bell pepper, zuchini in place of mushrooms, and olives ( towards the last 5 min). Made it vegan, left out the cheese. So good. Will definitely keep as a weeknight staple. Thank you!

    Reply

  37. Sindy Arango says

    Just made this for my husband, 8 yo and me. There wasn’t enough! I had them asking for more. It was just so delicious and quick easy to make!

    Reply

  38. Sarah brice says

    I have made this a million times but I would love an opinion before I tweak it.
    I have never cooker or eaten eggplant but I’ve been told that it is just as fulfilling as mushrooms in meat free dishes.
    I was thinking about doing some sliced eggplant in the last few minutes of cooking or baking it and serving it on the side with. Would this work? What do you think would be a good way to try it?

    Reply

  39. Kathryn says

    Hi Sarah! I’m so happy you love this recipe! And I love the idea of using some eggplant with this dish, but I’m not sure you could just add it at the end and have it cooked well. It could be raw if it doesn’t get cooked long enough, but eggplant can also get mushy, which wouldn’t be good here. If you’re looking for more firm eggplant pieces to mix into the spaghetti for some heartiness, I’d suggest cooking it separately. You can cut it into 1/2 inch rounds and put it on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Brush it with olive oil, season with salt and pepper (and maybe some Italian seasoning) and then bake it at 400 for 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned. To get a crispy edge to it, broil for an additional minute, watching it carefully. Then let it cool for a minute, dice it up and mix it in with your finished pasta. Hope that helps! Would love to hear if you try it!

    Reply

  40. Ally says

    Hello! I have extra jarred tomato sauce that I want to use instead of the fire roasted tomatoes – I would imagine this would change the veggie broth amount. Any suggestions on about how much to use?

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Ally! You could try using just 1 1/2 cups of veggie broth and see how that does. Jarred tomato sauce also usually has other ingredients and spices added, so that may affect the taste as well. Would love to hear if you try it though!

      Reply

  41. Ginger says

    Hi I’m making your meal but I’m struggling to see how you came up with the calorie count. Can you tell me please what noodles you used ?
    Thank you

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Ginger! I pay for a nutrition calculator that uses a back-end database to come up with the nutrition info, so I can’t see what exact brand they are basing the information on. Personally at home I use a whole wheat spaghetti and the recipe calls for 10 oz. (less than a full one-pound package). I hope that helps!

      Reply

  42. Ken says

    So … Just made this. Had no mushrooms in the house for the first time in my life. No canned tomatoes. Did onios, a whole crate of sun-dried tomatoes, a giant box of fresh baby spinach, used chicken stock and had to use more than the 2 cups recommend, fresh garlic, every seasoning in my cupboard and tons of fresh grated asiago cheese. Best damn dinner in a while and easy, no mess and fast. 5 big fat freaking stars

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      I’m so happy to hear you loved this Ken! Thanks so much for sharing – and for sharing all of your substitutions! That Asiago with it sounds yummmy! 😊

      Reply

  44. Jen says

    Has anyone tried this with Gluten free pasta? From experience I have noticed that the water in gluten free pasta gets really thick and pasty. I normally have to rinse the pasta a couple of times. Will it turn the sauce that way or should I cook it separately?

    Reply

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