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Healthy Vegetable Pasta with Olive Oil

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I’m a glutton for olive oil.

This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.

You can keep the punishment side of things. S&M really isn’t my thing, although I don’t judge so if both parties are willing, I say get yo’ kink on. You know what else isn’t up my alley? Coconut oil, although it might be quite useful in the aforementioned activities. I know, I know, coconut oil is super trendy right now, and you can literally bathe in the stuff if you’re feeling it. Not me though.

I’m an olive oil girl through and through; preferably extra virgin too. (Raises eyebrows.)

This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.

Olive oil is my one true love, aside from the Hubby and of course we can’t forget about the baby or the cats considering they might maim me if I were to ignore them, especially Oscar. He’s been known to get a little feisty.

Speaking of personalities, olive oil brings a bold and sassy component to any party, which is why I cook with it on the daily. It’s in my granola recipes, and I use it to saute and roast all manner of vegetables, especially my glorious spuds. I dip soft, yet crusty baguettes in glistening pools of extra virgin olive oil, spiked with fresh herbs and sea salt. It’s my number one choice for pizza sauce and always a factor in my pasta dishes, even the tomato based versions. More often than not though, it’s the star of the show.

This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.

Case in point: the Hubby and I legit make this Healthy Vegetable Pasta with Olive Oil recipe a few times a month with whatever vegetables we happen to have on hand. It’s a great way to get a simple, savory, and satisfying meal with loads of nutritional goodness. It’s easy to make and full of flavor which is why it’s a regular in our rotation. Plus, you get to feel good about eating pasta, and we all know how much I adore my carbs, for good reason I might add.

This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.

For this vegetable pasta recipe, I saute up onions and lots of garlic in olive oil, plus whatever veggies are lounging in the crisper that day and toss it all together with some cooked pasta, a few seasonings, and an extra splash of oil for good measure. It’s super simple so the key is to use fresh, seasonal vegetables and a good quality olive oil.

I’m fairly selective about my olive oils, and I always make sure I’m using a good brand. Ancient Olive Trees is one of my new favorites since it’s strictly 100% olive oil (you’d be surprised what other brands contain; read your labels). The olives are pressed within hours of being picked (be still my olive loving heart) and all batches are taste tested to ensure freshness.

I want to know how do I get that job? You give me a vat of olive oil, and I’ll happily supply the veggies and the bread. I’ll even bring this pasta to the party.

Ancient Olive Trees Olive Oil

Healthy Vegetable Pasta with Olive Oil
Serves 2
This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 lb Pasta of choice; I like Spaghetti, although I've used Penne and Linguine before too.
  2. 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
  3. 1/3 cup Onion, diced
  4. 3 cloves Garlic, diced
  5. 5 cups assorted vegetables. I used a combination of Broccoli, Asparagus, and Carrots here.
  6. 1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
  7. 1/4 tsp. Salt
  8. 3/4 tsp. dried Parsley
  9. 1/2 tsp. dried Oregano
  10. 3/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
  11. 1/4 cup Reserved Pasta Water
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. While pasta water is cooking, add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the diced garlic and cook for an additional 30 second before adding the rest of the vegetables, except the bell pepper.
  3. You want to cook the rest of the vegetables until they're at your desired texture. I like my vegetables to still have some crunch to them so I cooked my broccoli, asparagus and carrots for an additional 10 minutes. Add in the seasonings from the salt to the garlic powder. Towards the end of the cooking, add in the bell peppers and saute for another minute.
  4. Drain and rinse the cooked pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta along with the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, and the additional 1/4 cup of olive oil to the vegetables. Stir to combine and cook for another minute allowing flavors to meld.
Notes
  1. You can mix and match whatever vegetables you have on hand. The only tried and true staples for me are the onions and the garlic. Use this recipe as a jumping off point to make your own veggie pasta creations. Feel free to switch up the pasta and the seasonings too. Get crafty.
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This simple pasta recipe is loaded with flavor, vegetables and heart healthy olive oil.

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This post was sponsored by Ancient Olive Trees. The opinions, recipe and text are all mine. Thanks for understanding and supporting Clean Eats, Fast Feets. Blows kiss.

What’s your oil of choice? 

Comments

  2. Cora says

    A year or so ago I was feeling really confused/frustrated as to why my salad dressings – and meals in general – never tasted as good as when I had, basically the exact same thing, at other houses or restaurants. Then Dan started cooking for me and I realized he always used, what seemed like to me, a hefty dose of olive oil. Bing! I realized that I wasn’t using nearly enough olive oil, in anything, and was fascinated at how much it literally changes the taste. It changes the taste of EVERYTHING. And its so good for your heart. I do get really confused/overwhelmed in grocery stores though. Virgin? Extra Virgin? Cold pressed? Then there’s the price factor. I want something good quality but not something that breaks the bank, ya know?
    Oh, and I only use coconut oil in baking. But I’m curious to try olive oil now.
    Cora recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday: Day In The Life. Embracing The Good.My Profile

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  3. danielle says

    oh be still MY heart! i love olive oil. in fact i have been known to pour it on ice cream. YESSSSS don’t judge me. it’s super cheffy and amazing. so good. i love mixing good olive oil with molasses and making a sort of dark caramel sauce, then i pour that on yogurt or ice cream. again with the ice cream. and olive oil. i could drink the stuff. i like the brands at Trader Joe’s, and definitely like the ones that are NOT from italy. i love californian olive oil, greek, spanish… even texas has olive oil that i’ve tried and it’s good. i also love it when i make bread or biscuits. basically everything. i always make this dumb joke: olive olive oil. get it? “i love olive oil” except i just olive olive cuz i’m a super dork.
    love you!
    danielle recently posted…WIR sleep less play moreMy Profile

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  4. Suzy says

    Jeez, I had no idea that they get sneaky with olive oil ingredients! I buy a big bottle from Costco and I use it all the time. I should go check the label. I don’t like olives but I love olive oil. Before coconut oil got trendy, I used to smooth olive oil into the ends of my hair. I smelled like a Greek salad.
    Suzy recently posted…Skagit Flats RecapMy Profile

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  6. Grandma Lala says

    I too love a great olive oil but I’m not married to any one! Heck, the more variety the more fun! There was a time, that I ran with that coconut crowd! Thinking I was doing my body good. (And I love coconut) Inmy heart, I knew I was kidding myself, but…I LOVE coconut! And I am a follower. If you have bridge, I’ll buy it.

    After a year of indulging in coconut oil my annual physical came along. My total cholesterol came back at 300, from 175. (That’s very high) it’s true my ‘good’ ,HDL, number wasn’t bad, but my bad, LDL, was way too high, and I’m a vegetarian. True I love my butter and cheese, but I am careful with them and my use of those hadn’t changed from before. that was the end of coconut oil. It was a silly foray since I love my olive oil anyway!

    Meghan, your recipe is a wonderful reminder that simple, basic ingredients can so tasty and healthy if you’re using quality ingredients! I forget to keep it simple sometimes.

    Reply

      • Grandma Lala says

        Well, yes, my cholesterol D did resolve after I dropped the coconut oil, but my doc is somewhat of an alarmist and only gave me three months to reconcile. Ahhem…I wasn’t going to give up my butter and cheese and 2% milk (which I use sparingly!) so I ended up on a statin drug which resolved the issue Pronto.

        I gave that three months, and then stopped and my levels are back to where they were..my thoughts are this…my grandpa had high cholesterol and he was no lightweight. He ate cream on his cereal and pie for breakfast, and loved fresh berries with sugar and cream before bed. Popped corn nightly with butter was a ritual. A slice of pie was truly a 1/4 of a 9″ pie with a scoop of ice cream up top. He lived to be 90 and chopped his own wood until he was 85. He didn’t die of heart troubles, or any vascular diseases. His wife, Viola, lived to be 97′ and was as round as she was tall (4′ 11″) for as long as I remember. She made one pie and one cake and one batch of cookies every week and she enjoyed them all! What they didn’t eat was anything from a box, or a package. No processed, junk, or well, you know what I mean. They ate butter, bacon, cream, not milk, white bread (That she made) veg they grew, and canned, chickens and eggs they raised, you get the idea. So my grandpa had high cholesterol because he Loved butter and eggs and cream and sour cream on a huge baked white potato! It’s what they didn’t eat that gave them so many years, I am convinced. They never worried about carbs or even sugar. They ate three large (probably too large) meals a day, and enjoyed a few rich, indulgent snacks which would account for their weight and Grandmas bad knees.

        Reply

  7. Anneli says

    This is my kind of cooking! It’s just my daughter and I for the next few days at home, so, I’ll give this a try because it looks so darn good and healthy!

    Reply

  10. Tara says

    When we went to Croatia last year, we brought back the most amazing olive oil. I tried rationing but we finished it within a month, mostly with recipes like this and copious amounts of bread. Quality EVOO for the win!

    Reply

  11. Sarah says

    I may never give up my coconout oil completely, though I’ve started subbing in olive oil for my granola sometimes… I blame you 🙂 but when it comes to savory everything olive oil is my go to and this dish is right up my alley!
    Sarah recently posted…Currently: September 2016My Profile

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  13. Juli @1000lovelythings says

    I am really slacking on my veggie intake. This pasta makes me want to eat veggies though. I’ll put veggies on my shopping list for Saturday 🙂

    I love coconut oil but for a few things it’s just wrong. We have a really good brand of cold pressed olive oil we (aka my in-laws) bring from Italy. We only use that in salads and cold dishes as you’re not supposed to heat it. For everything else we go with the organic Aldi brand which is a pretty decent one too. I feel like olive oil is the oil that varies most in taste. Another brand, another method and it tastes completely different.
    Juli @1000lovelythings recently posted…Trail Mix Overnight Oats Roadtrip Breakfast RecipeMy Profile

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  17. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    Okay, can we take a moment to appreciate the bottle itself? What a gorgeous bottle!

    I love olive oil, followed closely by sesame oil. This pasta looks delicious and it’s such a good pairing- My friend got me hooked on something I used to think was so basic but it’s my favorite- It’s spaghetti + olive oil + roasted garlic and a touch of chili oil drizzled over it.
    Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…Key Takeaways from my first year of full-time blogging #2My Profile

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  18. Ron says

    We make this meal all the time. The whole family loves it so much that I make extra for lunches (although it never makes it to lunch as ma teenage kids eat it as a bedtime snack). I have also passed it along to friends because of its simplicity and popularity in my house. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Meghan says

      Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Ron. I really appreciate it, and I’m so glad you like the recipe. It’s a great way to get in some veggies. We had it too earlier this week with asparagus and broccoli, although my toddler mostly ate the pasta. 🙂

      Happy New Year.

      Reply

  19. Edward @ Foodaciously says

    Beautiful pot full of veggies Meghan,

    glad to find another extra virgin olive oil lover! Better than coconut oil for me any day of the week for raw use or low temperature cooking :). It’s the number 1 reason why the Mediterranean diet is so health and highly praised!

    Anyway, tried your recipe with rice instead of pasta. it was really yummy and creamy, thanks!
    Edward @ Foodaciously recently posted…Mushrooms and Walnuts Pasta with Tahini SauceMy Profile

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  20. chris karam says

    Love it! I tried the recipe earlier today and it tasted really good. The article was also a really good and easy read! There’s something you should add that would be really useful to your visitors, you should add a nutrition facts label or information to disclose the calories from the olive oil and other ingredients you use. For health conscious people I find it really useful, either way, great article!

    Reply

  21. Sylvia Jhonson says

    For a long time I have been searching on internet the recipe of vegetables pasta which is made with olive oil. After reading your article I followed your instruction to made this this recipe. and finally made this yummy vegetables pasta. All of my family members praised your recipes . I am really thankful to you for sharing this amazing recipe!

    Reply

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