Description
A satisfying veggie pasta sauce with rigatoni and topped with creamy goat cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 16 oz rigatoni pasta
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp whole milk or original unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 C pasta water (reserved after cooking)
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced about 1/4 in thick
- 2 large carrots, sliced diagonally about 1/8 in thick
- 1.2 medium sweet onions, halved and sliced about 1/8 in thick
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes (or a premade sauce)
- 2 Tbsp whole milk or original unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/8–1/4 tsp chili powder
- salt
- pepper
Topping
- Goat Cheese
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to directions, taking 2-3 minutes off of the cooking time, and making sure that the water is very well salted. Wait to salt until the water has reached a rolling boil. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta. Place the pot back on the hot stove, turn off the burner, and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the pasta back into the pot. Stir to coat, add the milk and pasta water, stir for a minute or two as the liquid absorbs and then taste the pasta. Add more salt if needed. You probably won’t need to if the cooking water was salted well.
- Heat a wide pan on medium heat. Once warm, add olive oil and allow to heat until shimmery and warm. Add zucchini, carrots, and onions and sauté until the vegetables are softened but still retaining some level of firmness – about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- If using jarred sauce, add now, and skip to step 4. In a medium bowl, use an immersion blender to process the tomatoes until they reach your desired smoothness.
- Add the milk, Italian seasoning, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer until thickened – at least 10 minutes but preferably closer to 20.
- Taste test and add any extra seasoning as needed – sometimes I undersalt and it tastes bland at this point so I need to add more. If it doesn’t taste very strong or flavorful, keep adding salt!
- Serve and add a generous scoop of soft goat cheese and mix it into your pasta.
Notes
This dish also tastes delicious with fresh baby spinach. If using, add right before adding the tomatoes and allow them to wilt before proceeding.
Keywords: pasta, rigatoni, veggies, vegetables, goat cheese
