This Springtime Pasta with Vodka Sauce is loaded with fresh veggies and has a secret ingredient to make it slightly lower in carbs.
Roast some veggies, spiralize some zucchini, boil some noodles, and top it all off with some vodka sauce. You can use store-bought or homemade vodka sauce in this recipe. If you feel like making it at home, I’d highly recommend the vodka sauce in this recipe from Pinch of Yum.
Secret Ingredient
Did you catch the secret ingredient? It’s zucchini noodles! The regular noodles are given extra volume with the addition of zucchini noodles in this dish. You can use any type of noodle here, but I’d recommend using a thin noodle like spaghetti or angel hair to help the zucchini noodles blend more into the dish. Also, if you want to make it even lower carb while adding some protein, look for some edamame pasta at the store. Those are the noodles that I am using in these pictures.
Finally, if you’d like to add some protein, you are more than welcome to. When first making this recipe, I had the intention of adding sliced chicken sausages into the pasta instead of the broccoli. Since I was making another dish at the same time, I accidentally put the sausage in a different recipe. Oops. I ended up liking how this turned out without the sausage. In the end, I decided to leave the sausage out, but I bet it would be delicious added in with a bit more sauce (or chicken, shrimp, or salmon!).
Zucchini Noodles
Do you like lower carb substitutions? I have mixed feelings about them. I like zucchini noodles as their own meal, but don’t like using them as a substitute for pasta. If I’m craving pasta, I want the real deal! This is my solution for lowering my carb intake. And also my solution for upping my veggie intake! I’m still getting my fix of real pasta, but am also getting some added veggies in there. It’s a win-win in my book!
Here’s one way to use up zucchini from your garden this summer. Looking for more ways to use zucchini? Check out this post for some of my favorite recipes that use zucchini!
Springtime Pasta with Vodka Sauce
A delicious pasta dish that highlights fresh veggies.
Ingredients
Roasted Asparagus
- 1 bunch asparagus, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Roasted Broccoli
- 1 large head broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 medium zucchini (depending on how many zucchini noodles you want in the dish)
- 1-2 cups noodles, spaghetti, angel hair, or fettucini
- 2-2 1/2 cups vodka sauce, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
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Roast the veggies. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, toss the asparagus, oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper together until evenly coated. Assemble in an even layer on one of the baking sheets and set aside. In the same bowl, combine the broccoli, oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper until evenly coated. Assemble the broccoli in an even layer on the second baking sheet and set aside. When the oven is heated to 400 degrees F, place both baking sheets in the oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender and just beginning to brown. Switch the pans halfway through roasting so that each sheet gets a chance to be on the top rack.
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While the veggies are roasting, spiralize your zucchini using a blade somewhat matches the noodle you will be using so that they blend together nicely in the dish. It is okay if they do not match, this is just a personal preference. If you’d like more zucchini, then spiralize two zucchini plants. If you would like less, stick to one. Meanwhile, boil water and cook your preferred pasta noodles until they are cooked al dente. Drain and return to the pan with the zucchini noodles*(See note).
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Heat up the vodka sauce over a low heat in a small saucepan until warm and then add to the pasta/zucchini combo along with the roasted veggies. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Depending on the cut of your zucchini noodles, the steam from the warm pasta noodles may cook them enough to your liking. If you are using a thicker cut for your zucchini noodles or if you like them to be extra soft, I’d recommend tossing them in a little bit of oil and frying them over medium heat for a few minutes before adding to the pasta noodles. I like a little crunch in mine, so the pasta steam cooks them enough for me, but that is a personal preference.
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