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    Home » Recipes » Pasta Recipes

    Vegetarian Pasta in Tomato Sauce

    Published: Jan 18, 2021 · Modified: Sep 4, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

    341 shares
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    5 from 58 votes
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    Pinterest image for Vegetarian Pasta in a Red Sauce

    Have you ever had Vegetarian Pasta in tomato sauce? Finding delicious meatless recipes can be challenging, but when you think like a restaurant chef, you’ll see just how easy it is to make delicious vegetarian dishes!

    overhead view of vegetarian pasta in a white bowl

    It comes down to classic flavors for my pasta dish, and if you’re familiar with classic Italian recipes, you’ll see some of the similarities in the ingredients I used for this dish.

    Table of Contents:

    • What ingredients do I need to make a Restaurant Style Vegetarian Pasta Dish?
    • What Are Nightshade Vegetables?
    • How do I make Vegetarian Pasta?
    • More Recipes You’ll Love!
    • Vegetarian Pasta in a Red Sauce
      • Ingredients
      • Instructions
      • Nutrition

    What ingredients do I need to make a Restaurant Style Vegetarian Pasta Dish?

    ingredients to make recipe.

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Restaurant Style Vegetarian Pasta in a Red Sauce. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

    Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    Since we’re making a tomato based sauce I added two more nightshade vegetables, eggplant, and peppers. The other vegetables I used in this dish were mushrooms, zucchini, onions, artichokes, and olives (green and kalamata).

    If you’re not fond of any of these ingredients, feel free to leave them out and replace them with your favorite vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach (or other greens), and asparagus would make nice additions to this dish. You could also add capers or anchovies to change up the flavor.

    What Are Nightshade Vegetables?

    Nightshade is the botanical classification for plants in the Solanaceae family. These include tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (hot and bell), and white potatoes. These vegetables share genetic ties with a toxic specie, belladonna, which is known as the deadly nightshade. But these vegetables tend to be familiar to a lot of cooking styles from around the world and are known as low-calorie, high-nutrient foods, which is good.

    Why are they called nightshade vegetables? There is no definitive explanation, although it was once believed that these plants grew in the shade.

    How do I make Vegetarian Pasta?

    large pot with eggplant, onions, peppers, mushoroms and garlic

    The first step is to sauté the eggplant. Always add ingredients into a dish based on the amount of time they take to cook. Eggplant takes the longest so we start by sautéing the eggplant in olive oil for about 5 minutes over high heat.

    When the eggplant has been nicely seared, add the mushrooms, onions, peppers, and garlic. Continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

    zucchini added to the stock pot

    When those vegetables have been nicely cooked, add in the zucchini. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

    artichokes, olives , basil and seasonings added to sauce

    The last step is adding in the tomatoes, olives, artichokes, basil and seasonings. Mix all the ingredients together and let the sauce come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

    finished sauce in a large pot

    The sauce can simmer a little longer, but the real improvement will be the next day after the flavors have had time to build. The sauce is excellent the day you make it.

    It’s a flavorful, fresh pasta sauce, but it will be a little richer after sitting in your fridge overnight.

    vegetarian sauce over pasta in a white bowl

    Wouldn’t your family love to sit down to this deliciousness? It’s a perfect meal for Meatless Monday or any day of the week!

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    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

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    vegetarian sauce over pasta in a white bowl
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    5 from 58 votes

    Vegetarian Pasta in a Red Sauce

    Creating delicious restaurant-style dishes in your kitchen isn't difficult. And my Vegetarian Pasta in a red sauce is a great weeknight meal that can be on your table in under an hour. It's a delicious way to use up the vegetables you have on hand.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 596kcal

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoon olive oil more if needed
    • medium eggplant peeled and cut into small cubes
    • 12 ounces mushrooms sliced
    • 1 medium bell pepper red or green – diced
    • 1 medium onion diced
    • 3 cloves garlic fine dice
    • 1 large zucchini chopped
    • 56 ounce crushed tomatoes
    • 6-8 artichoke hearts canned in brine – sliced (optional)
    • 12 green olives sliced (more if you love olives)
    • 12 kalamata olives sliced (more if you love olives)
    • 2 tablespoon basil chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ⅙ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
    • 1 lb pasta linguine or your favorite pasta
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • The first step is to sauté the eggplant with olive oil over high heat for 5-6 minutes. Let it get a good sear.
    • When the eggplant has been nicely seared, add the mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic. Continue to sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes.
      *add additional olive oil if needed
    • When those vegetables have been nicely cooked, add in the zucchini. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
    • The last step is adding in the crushed tomatoes, olives, artichokes, basil and seasonings. Mix all the ingredients together and let the sauce come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
    • Cook the pasta per instructions on the box when you have 10-15 minutes left in the simmer stage.
    • Re-season sauce to taste and serve over pasta with grated Romano cheese.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 913IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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      Easy Cream Cheese Pasta

    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Kathy

      January 19, 2021 at 3:49 pm

      This looks really good. I love that it’s vegetarian too. I bet my daughter would love it too.

      Reply
    2. Leslie

      January 19, 2021 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is perfect for a hearty, vegetarian meal!

      Reply
    3. Natalie

      January 19, 2021 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      Looks so delicious. I just saved this recipe and will give it a try. My boys will love this.

      Reply
    4. Nyxie

      January 19, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Sounds gorgeous. My husband and I have been making more vegetarian dishes. Not for veganary or anything, just because we like something different.

      Reply
    5. Lynndee

      January 19, 2021 at 10:11 am

      I’m not a vegetarian but I always enjoy a good vegetarian dish. That looks so good!

      Reply
    6. Crystal Carder

      January 19, 2021 at 7:33 am

      This sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try this recipe.

      Reply
    7. Amanda Marie

      January 19, 2021 at 6:46 am

      5 stars
      I love pasta with big chunky vegetables. Awesome recipe.

      Reply
    8. Nikki Wayne

      January 18, 2021 at 11:48 pm

      5 stars
      Never would have I imagined this much vegetables on a pasta. It looks great and savory!

      Reply
    9. Ciara

      January 18, 2021 at 11:42 pm

      5 stars
      This looks really good. I have been getting too much takeout and need to start cooking more at home. This pasta is something I’d love to try and make.

      Reply
    10. Marysa

      January 18, 2021 at 9:51 pm

      I love how many vegetables are in this sauce. Sounds so rich in flavor and a hearty dish!

      Reply
    11. Heather

      January 18, 2021 at 7:37 pm

      I actually made a similar sauce for dinner the other night and it was a huge hit!

      Reply
    12. Tasheena

      January 18, 2021 at 6:30 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so flavorful, looking forward to giving this recipe a try.

      Reply
    13. Elizabeth

      January 18, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    14. Catherine

      January 18, 2021 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      So tasty! Loved this!

      Reply
    15. Audrey

      January 18, 2021 at 3:42 pm

      5 stars
      This is absolutely perfect for meatless mondays!

      Reply
    16. Jamie

      January 18, 2021 at 3:10 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious, one of my go to meals!

      Reply
    17. Laura

      January 18, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      It tastes as good as it looks! Delicious.

      Reply
    18. Emily Flint

      January 18, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so good, what an awesome comfort dish!

      Reply
    19. Sue

      January 18, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      I am loving all the veggies in this pasta sauce!

      Reply
    20. melissa chapman

      January 18, 2021 at 11:19 am

      5 stars
      I loved the idea of this dish because we are vegan and vegetarian. How many tomatoes or cans do you use?

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    My name is Dennis Littley or “Chef Dennis” as I’m known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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