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This Garden Veggie Pasta is colorful, satisfying, and loaded with vegetables from the garden or farmers market. A simple homemade marinara sauce gets packed with zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, carrot, and onion, then simmered until thick and rich and absolutely irresistible. Serve it over your favorite pasta and dinner is done in about 40 minutes.
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This recipe has been in regular rotation in my kitchen for years. It’s endlessly flexible, works beautifully with whatever vegetables you have on hand, and makes fantastic leftovers.
The vegetables marry with the sauce just enough to blend in while still giving you satisfying chunks in every bite. If you’ve never made your own marinara from scratch, this is the recipe to start with. It’s so simple you won’t believe it — and once you taste homemade, it’s very hard to go back to the jarred stuff.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ready in 40 minutes — weeknight friendly
- Loaded with vegetables — a great way to use summer garden produce
- Simple homemade marinara — so much better than jarred
- Completely vegan and dairy-free
- Easily made gluten-free — just swap the pasta
- Easily made oil-free — sauté in broth instead
- Freezer-friendly — make a double batch and freeze the sauce
- Kid-approved — a great way to sneak in extra veggies
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pasta ~ Any pasta shape works here, but medium shapes like penne, rotini, rigatoni, or gemelli hold the chunky sauce best. Cook in well-salted water until al dente — slightly firm so it doesn’t turn mushy when tossed with the hot sauce.
- Crushed tomatoes ~ Canned crushed tomatoes are convenient and deliver great flavor year-round. If you’re making this at the peak of summer when tomatoes are at their best, fresh tomatoes cooked down work beautifully too — you’ll need about 2 pounds.
- Vegetables ~ The combination of zucchini, eggplant, carrot, and bell pepper is my favorite for this recipe, but it’s truly flexible. Use what you have and what’s in season. See the Variations section below for more ideas.
- Balsamic vinegar ~ Don’t skip this! It adds a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor that makes the sauce taste like it’s been simmering all day. A little goes a long way.
- Dried basil ~ Fresh basil can absolutely be used here — add a generous handful of torn leaves at the very end of cooking rather than during the simmer. If using dried, 2 teaspoons is the right amount.
- Olive oil ~ Just one tablespoon is enough to sauté the vegetables. For an oil-free version, use ¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth or water instead.
- Vegan parmesan ~ Not in the recipe itself, but highly recommended as a garnish! My Homemade Vegan Parmesan takes 5 minutes and takes this pasta to another level.
How to make the recipe
Step 1: Cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining — you may want it to thin the sauce if needed.
Step 2: Sauté the aromatics.
While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Step 3: Add the remaining vegetables.
Add the diced bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant. Sauté another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Step 4: Add the sauce ingredients.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Add the dried basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Step 5: Simmer.
Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are completely tender.
Step 6: Serve.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh torn basil and vegan parmesan if desired.
Serving suggestions
This sauce is incredibly versatile — don’t limit it to just pasta:
- Over pasta — penne, rotini, rigatoni, or gemelli are best for catching the chunky sauce
- Over zucchini noodles — for a lighter, lower-carb option
- Over rice or farro — a hearty grain bowl with great flavor
- Over polenta — creamy soft polenta topped with this chunky sauce is absolutely incredible
- Over a baked potato — a loaded baked potato with veggie marinara is a complete meal
- As a pizza sauce — use it as the base for a loaded veggie pizza
Variations
Switch up the vegetables:
Summer is the best time for this recipe but it works year-round with whatever vegetables are in season:
- Summer: Sweet corn, yellow summer squash, green beans, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil
- Fall: Mushrooms, spinach, kale, butternut squash
- Year-round: Mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, sun-dried tomatoes
Make it more heartier:
- Stir in a drained and rinsed 15-ounce can of white beans, chickpeas, or lentils for extra heartiness
- Add cubed marinated baked tofu for a satisfying protein boost
Make it spicy:
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes along with the other seasonings
Pro tips and tricks
Salt your pasta water generously. It should taste like the sea. This is the single most important thing you can do for great-tasting pasta.
Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar. It adds a depth and roundness to the sauce that makes it taste slow-cooked even though it only simmers for 20 minutes.
Reserve pasta water before draining. The starchy water is liquid gold — add a splash to the sauce if it gets too thick or if the pasta seems dry after tossing.
Cook the vegetables in stages. Adding the harder vegetables first (onion, carrot) before the more delicate ones (zucchini, eggplant) ensures everything cooks evenly without getting mushy.
Simmer uncovered. This allows the sauce to reduce and thicken naturally, concentrating all those flavors. Covering it traps steam and dilutes the sauce.
Make a double batch of sauce. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months — freeze without the pasta for best results.
Storage and freezing
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days. The flavors deepen overnight and it reheats beautifully.
Freezer: The sauce freezes well for up to 3 months. For best results, freeze the sauce separately from the pasta — cooked pasta can turn mushy when frozen and thawed. Store in a freezer-safe container, thaw overnight in the fridge, and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of vegetable broth if needed.
More veggie pasta recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Garden Veggie Pasta
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne or pasta noodle of choice (gluten free, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 ½ cups diced eggplant about ½ of an average sized eggplant
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced (or color of choice)
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garnishes, optional
- torn fresh basil
- sprinkle vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions in well-salted water.
- Meanwhile, sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant and sauté another 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, dried basil, balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
- Simmer the sauce on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the sauce over cooked noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Beth
I confess I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. I basically used the new York Times classic marinara sauce recipe (plus a glug of red wine and about T. of tomato paste), and followed the directions to add veggies according to your recipe (I used a zucchinni, couple carrots, and red bell pepper). I wouldn’t do a thing different – it came out great! My dad and I ate it as vegetarian meal with garbanzo beans last night as per his diet restrictions. With a side of greens tossed in oil and vinegar it made a truly delicious meal the second day.
Jenn Sebestyen
Glad you loved it, Beth!
Cathy
This is a delicious way to use plentiful garden produce. I didn’t have a whole pepper so added more eggplant, which I peeled. And left out the broth because I had 4 cups of my own frozen tomato sauce and tomatoes. This recipe is now filed with my favorites.
Jenn Sebestyen
So glad you enjoyed it!
Anna
I love this recipe!! So tasty, and great to make a big batch of.
Jenn Sebestyen
Thanks, Anna! So glad you love it.
Laura
Can I substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth? Just beaucse I have that on hand in the pantry?
Jenn S.
Of course.
Chrissy
This looks amazing! I’m going to make a batch this weekend, does anyone know if it freezes well?
Jenn S.
Hi, Chrissy. I’ve never tried freezing it, but I think it should work just fine. Enjoy!
Joy
Super easy to make, customizable, and delicious! I used noodles as the base but as curious to try it as a lasagna.
Jenn S.
I’ve never done it lasagna style, but it’s a great idea! So happy you loved it, Joy! Thank you for your comment.
Susan
I made this tonight following your exact recipe and added a dash of red pepper flakes too; loved it. I served it over white basmati rice. Will definitely make again very soon. Thanks or sharing 🙂
Jenn S.
Excellent! So glad you liked it, Susan! A little heat from red pepper flakes sounds great too. It’s such a versatile sauce. Thanks for stopping by!!
Jenna
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I didn’t have eggplant so I substituted Monterey mushrooms and I served it over pan fried polenta. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Jenn S.
Thank you so much, Jenna! I’m so happy you loved it. I think mushrooms would be a delicious substitution. And serving it over polenta sounds super yummy too! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. I hope you find lots more recipes to love as well. Have a great week!
Linda @ Veganosity
I love simple, easy, and fresh recipes like this one. You don’t even need a salad because it’s filled with veggies. 🙂
Jenn S.
Absolutely right! It’s definitely a complete meal all on it’s own!
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
Wow, Jennifer. This looks SOOO good. I’ll have to try it. Love the chunkiness — makes a dish so much more filling.
Jenn S.
Thanks, Audrey! I’m a huge fan of making just one dish for dinner as opposed to the main part of the meal plus 1 to 2 sides. With this chunky sauce there is no need for any veggie sides. Maybe some crusty bread, but that’s another story!
chef mimi
funny – I made something so similar the other night! (not on the blog) Who needs meat when you have such lovely fresh veggies!
Jenn S.
I’m sure there are a ton of different versions of this out there! It’s so good and fresh veggies are the best! Thanks for stopping by, Mimi!
veggiesdontbite
This looks great Jenn! And I love how you sneak in all those veggies!
Jenn S.
I’m not exactly being sneaky in this recipe…they are there in all their glory. But, I do love a good sneaky recipe from time to time too!
Strength and Sunshine
No matter how many times I tell and SHOW my family how easy it is to make your own sauce…they refuse and always buy gross sugar and sodium filled jarred…I just shake my head 😛
Jenn S.
I know the feeling! Someone once asked me (I won’t mention names!!) if I bought Prego or Ragu….um, yeah, NEITHER! LOL!
Natalie
I love throwing veggies into my marinara sauce, but I have never tried all these veggies! Zucchini and carrots are good in everything! And I used to love eggplant parmesan so that one sounds great too! Never would’ve considered bell pepper, but I bet the flavor is amazing in there! Chunky tomato sauce is always the best 🙂
Jenn S.
Thanks, Natalie! I’m not sure I would do a green bell pepper ’cause it’s a pretty strong flavor, but the red, orange, yellow are all mild enough they just blend right in!
Sina
As always, this looks super delicious, Jenn! Pasta is one of my favorites and I love that you’re using eggplants! 🙂 Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Jenn S.
Thanks, Sina! You are so sweet! We eat so much pasta around here…gotta switch up the sauces to make it interesting! The eggplants in my garden are growing like crazy!!