One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta (Vegan, 20 Minutes)
This simple one pot zucchini mushroom pasta is an easy weeknight dinner with hearty mushrooms, fresh zucchini, a creamy sauce, and fresh herbs that you can make in just 20 minutes.
Whoever thought of one pot recipes is a genius! This one pot creamy mushroom zucchini pasta a great recipe when you want a simple dinner but don’t want to spend an hour prepping, cooking, and doing dishes. Because it all cooks in one pot together, the flavors of the mushrooms, thyme, garlic, zucchini, and onions meld perfectly to create a natural savory sauce.
Pasta lovers need to try this Creamy Beet Pasta Sauce for another simple dish with a vibrant color!
Ingredients
- Pasta: Use 8oz of your pasta of choice. I use rotini in this recipe because it absorbs the flavors well but you can also try spaghetti pasta, fusilli ,etc.
- Onion: Sautéd with 2 minced cloves garlic and a tbsp of olive oil to create more depth of flavor for our dish.
- Cremini mushrooms: These are inexpensive and are a great addition to this pasta!
- Zucchini: When cooked zucchini has a slightly sweeter flavor which compliments the savory mushrooms.
- Thyme: Use fresh sprigs of thyme for this recipe to create the best flavor.
- Vegetable broth: This creates more flavor to the broth than just using water.
- Coconut milk: The addition of coconut milk at the end adds some creaminess and slight sweetness to the savory broth.
Optional toppings:
- Vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, freshly ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
If you want some more amazing mushroom recipes, check out this incredible list of 37+ Vegan Mushroom Recipes !
Substitutions & Variations
Don’t have a certain ingredient or want to switch up the flavor in this zucchini mushroom pasta? No worries!
Substitute:
- Mushrooms: Instead of cremini you can try a different type of mushroom like baby bella or shiitake mushrooms.
- Veggies: Try adding in other veggies like 1 cup peas, spinach, kale, shallot, tomatoes and more
- Pasta: As mentioned above, you can use any pasta you would like. Consider using a whole wheat pasta for more protein or a gluten-free version for a gluten-free diet.
- Vegetable broth: You can substitute the vegetable broth with 3 cups water instead. If you have Better than Bullion (vegan version) you can add this to your broth to create more flavor).
- Love zucchini? You could swap out the noodles with zucchini noodles for a low carb, version.
Variations:
- Add more flavor to your broth by adding in 1/4 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan after sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Add protein with some plant-based chicken, chickpeas, white beans, and more
- Extra toppings: Vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, chili flakes for some spice
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Dutch oven or large stockpot
Instructions
Follow these steps to make this delicious one pot zucchini mushroom pasta.
Start by dicing up your vegetables: onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. You can leave the skin on the zucchini.
In your large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add in diced onion and garlic and cook for ~2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant and onion begins to turn translucent. Add in zucchini and cook for another minute.
Add mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes until mushrooms begin to release their juices. Don’t cook for too long or your mushrooms will be soggy.
Turn stove up to medium high heat. Add in uncooked pasta, vegetable broth, sprigs thyme, and salt. Give it a stir and cover. Not all pasta will be submerged but it will still cook because of the steam. Cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente (or pasta directions).
While pasta cooks, shake or stir coconut milk to combine. Cook pasta until al dente and then add in coconut milk. Stir until combined. The pasta may be slightly liquidy but this will evaporate off with time. A little liquid is good because it will act as a sauce for our pasta.
Remove thyme sprigs. Serve pasta in a shallow bowl. Enjoy pasta with vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast on top if desired.
Hint: Set your pasta cook timer to less than pasta instructions to ensure it doesn’t overcook. Taste pasta to ensure doneness before adding coconut milk.
Storage
Store zucchini mushroom pasta in airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
FAQ
You may notice some pasta water on the bottom of your pot after the pasta cooks. This liquid as acts as a sauce and provides great flavor to your noodles and does not need to be drained. Some of it will evaporate off over time as well. You will also add some coconut milk (only 1/2 cup) which will add some creaminess so the sauce.
If you feel that it is too liquidy you can drain off some of the excess liquid or you can also add a mixture of 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water to thicken it.
Cook your noodles to al dente. They will continue to cook even after you take them off the heat. It will also help so your leftovers are less likely to get soggy.
No, the peel contains lots of antioxidants and vitamins (research shows it has the vegetable’s highest concentration of vitamins!)
PRO TIPS
- Save time by prepping your veggies. Cut up the onion, zucchini, and mushrooms and store in a container until you’re ready to cook.
- Don’t cook your vegetables for too long before adding the broth. If. you overcook them, they are more likely to get soggy during the boiling portion. The onion will cook the longest but don’t cook for the zucchini and mushrooms for more than a minute or two each (see recipe for specific instructions).
- If your dish seems too runny you can drain some of the excess liquid or add in a mixture of 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. However, this extra liquid is a great sauce (and the addition of coconut milk makes it really creamy!) Some of the liquid will evaporate off naturally as well.
Related Recipes
Do you love pasta? Try out these other recipes!
Love zucchini? Check out these 20+ Vegan Zucchini Recipes! for more ideas!
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One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta (Vegan, 20 Minutes)
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-4 thyme sprigs
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 8 oz rotini or pasta of choice
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- In your large pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add in diced onion and garlic and cook for ~2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant and onion begins to turn translucent. Add in zucchini and cook for another minute.
- Add mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes until mushrooms begin to release their juices.
- Turn stove up to medium high heat. Add in uncooked pasta, vegetable broth, sprigs of thyme, and salt. Give it a stir and cover. Not all pasta will be submerged but it will still cook because of the steam. Cook until pasta is al dente (Check pasta box instructions for cook time and do slightly less that the full cook time).
- Once pasta is al dente, add in coconut milk. Stir until combined. The pasta may be slightly liquidy but this will evaporate off with time and also act as your sauce for your dish.
- Remove thyme sprigs. Serve pasta in a shallow bowl. Enjoy pasta with vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast on top if desired.
Notes
- Mushrooms: Instead of cremini you can try a different type of mushroom like baby bella or shiitake mushrooms.
- Veggies: Try adding in other veggies like 1 cup peas, spinach, kale, shallot, tomatoes and more
- Pasta: As mentioned above, you can use any pasta you would like. Consider using a whole wheat pasta for more protein or a gluten-free version if required by dietary needs.
- Vegetable broth: You can substitute the vegetable broth with 3 cups of water instead. If you have Better than Bullion (vegan version) you can add this to your broth to create more flavor).
- Save time by prepping your veggies. Cut up the onion, zucchini, and mushrooms and store in a container until you’re ready to cook.
- Don’t cook your vegetables for too long before adding the broth. If. you overcook them, they are more likely to get soggy during the boiling portion. The onion will cook the longest but don’t cook for the zucchini and mushrooms for more than a minute or two each (see recipe for specific instructions).
- If your dish seems too runny you can drain some of the excess liquid or add in a mixture of 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. However, this extra liquid is a great sauce (and the addition of coconut milk makes it really creamy!) Some of the liquid will evaporate off naturally as well.
