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30 Minutes or Less

Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

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close-up overhead image of pasta with caramelized zucchini in a bowl with parsley and parmesan cheese on top.

Fresh, wholesome, and delicious pasta with caramelized zucchini! This super simple pasta recipe requires just a handful of ingredients – many of which you probably already have at home. Throw together this easy and healthy weeknight meal in 30 minutes!

fork and spoon lifting pasta with caramelized zucchini out of a bowl.

What You’ll Need to Make Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

Olive Oil and Butter – The combination of both olive oil and butter are perfect for caramelizing the zucchini in this recipe. Olive oil prevents the zucchini from sticking to the pan, while butter gives it that irresistibly rich flavor.

Zucchini – Use as much or as little zucchini as you’d like in this recipe! Though remember, the zucchini will cook down a ton while cooking, so it’s better to start with more than you may think you need. Thinly slice your zucchini into about 1/8-inch thick rounds. The thinner you slice the zucchini, the faster it’ll cook and caramelize.

Pasta – I used gluten-free linguini for my pasta with caramelized zucchini, but any pasta will work!

overhead image of pasta with caramelized zucchini on a plate with a fork.

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t forget to save some pasta water before straining! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve meant to save pasta water, but totally forgot when it came time to strain it. Reserved pasta water plays a crucial part in the sauce, so make sure you remember it!
  • Cook the zucchini to your liking. I loooove super soft and jammy zucchini, but if you want zucchini with a little more bite, cook it down for just 10-15 minutes. This light and healthy pasta recipe is super easy to customize!
close-up image of pasta with caramelized zucchini in a bowl.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: Simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta like I did!

Make it Vegan/Dairy-Free: Use your favorite non-dairy butter in this recipe, and leave off any cheese when serving.

Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini
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Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: Uncategorized
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

0

minutes

Fresh, wholesome, and delicious pasta with caramelized zucchini! This super simple pasta recipe requires just a handful of ingredients – many of which you probably already have at home. Throw together this easy and healthy weeknight meal in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 yellow onion, diced

  • 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch thick)

  • salt, to taste

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 pound pasta, uncooked

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add in the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 1
  • Add in the zucchini and a big pinch of salt, cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 2
  • While zucchini cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain pasta from remaining water.
  • Once zucchini is very soft and caramelized, add in the garlic and garlic powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 4
  • Add the cooked pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet with the zucchini. Stir everything together, and add more pasta water if pasta seems dry. Serve warm with fresh cracked black pepper.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 5

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30 Minutes or Less

The BEST Vegan Pesto

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This vegan pesto is the easiest and tastiest recipe you’ll make all week! Simply toss all ingredients in a blender, then serve over your favorite pasta. This classic recipe is exploding with fresh, bright, and savory flavor!

overhead image of vegan pesto in a bowl with a spoon.

I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of famous for my pesto. Even cheese-lovers rave about my cheese-less pesto! It was just sort of a recipe that evolved over time based on my dietary restrictions. Growing up, my mom would take me to the local farmer’s market on Saturdays and this one bread stand would hand out samples of thick sliced bread with a big ole’ slathering of pesto on it. It was my FAVORITE part of the farmers market and truly where my deep love of pesto began.

When I moved away for college, I had no choice but to start making pesto myself. Also, around this same time is when I started experimenting with a dairy and gluten-free diet. So one day I randomly decided to just leave the parmesan cheese out of my pesto and see how I’d like it. And well, I LOVED it! Then I began playing around with different nuts in my pesto – the traditional recipes call for pine nuts but those can be pretty hard to come by. So I tried literally every nut I could think of and ultimately landed on cashews for creating the best and creamiest vegan pesto EVER. This recipe is perfectly tangy, incredibly fresh, and tastes just as good as (if not better than) the stuff I used to get at the farmer’s market growing up!

vegan pesto pasta in a bowl with a fork and white wine on the side.

What You Need To Make Vegan Pesto

Basil – If you’re growing basil this year, definitely use it in this vegan pesto! I love doubling or tripling this recipe at the end of summer and freezing leftovers to make sure none of that gorgeous, fresh basil goes to waste. And if you don’t have your own basil plant, simply pick up a package of this delicious herb the next time you’re at the grocery store or farmer’s market. To prepare the basil for this recipe, start by giving it a quick rinse under cold water. Once clean, remove the leaves from the stems and add them to your blender. When I say “2 heaping cups,” I mean 2 HEAPING cups – pack that basil in there, and throw in a little extra if you’d like!

Cashews – Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, but this vegan pesto tastes even better with cashews. Cashews do an incredible job at contributing an almost cheesy flavor to this pesto, in the absence of parmesan cheese! Though feel free to use any nut or seed you’d like to in this recipe. Walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds would all make great substitutions. However, whichever option you choose, please make sure that it is raw and, most importantly, unsalted!

Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a touch of brightness to this pesto and emphasizes the delicious fresh flavor. Start small on the lemon juice and add more to taste. I loooove a super lemony pesto so I tend to go a bit crazy, but feel free to customize this recipe to your liking! If you don’t have lemon juice, you can use a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.

vegan pesto pasta being lifted out of a bowl with a fork.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Nut-Free: Use raw and unsalted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in place of the cashews to make this a nut-free pesto!
  • Make it Oil-Free: Substitute 2-3 tablespoons of water for the olive oil in this recipe.
  • Add Cheese: Throw 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese in with the rest of the ingredients if you’d like.
Vegan Pesto
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Vegan Pesto

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

This vegan pesto is the easiest and tastiest recipe you’ll make all week! Simply toss all ingredients in a blender, then serve over your favorite pasta. This classic recipe is exploding with fresh, bright, and savory flavor!

Ingredients

  • 2 heaping cups fresh basil

  • 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews, see Notes

  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Cashews: You can substitute the cashews in this recipe for pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds if you’d like!

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30 Minutes or Less

Avocado Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes

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avocado pasta on a plate with a fork

Vibrantly green and irresistibly creamy avocado pasta, finished off with roasted garlic and tomatoes! Whip up this quick, easy, and healthy dinner recipe in under 20 minutes. Perfect when you’re short on time and/or craving something comforting and delicious.

close-up image of avocado pasta with roasted garlic and tomatoes on a plate

What You’ll Need To Make Avocado Pasta

Avocado – LOL, duh! Pick up two perfectly ripe avocados for this plant-based recipe. To know whether your avocados are ripe or not, give them a gentle squeeze. If the skin gives a tiny bit then they’re ready to eat! Though if your avocados feel hard as rocks, leave them out at room temperature for another day or two until ripe. I almost always buy a big bag of avocados while at the store, and use leftovers to make avocado toast in the morning – yum!

Fresh Herbs – Feel free to use any fresh herbs you’d like, or have on-hand! I used a combo of fresh basil and fresh parsley, which made for a perfectly fresh-tasting sauce. However, a bunch of fresh cilantro would taste equally as delicious.

Garlic – Plenty of garlic is necessary for this avocado pasta recipe! We pretty much use an entire garlic bulb between the roasted garlic and tomatoes, and the avocado sauce. When roasted, garlic releases intense flavor which is straight up heavenly. I could eat roasted garlic all by itself, it’s that good! Together with the tomatoes, olive oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper – the roasted garlic in this recipe is to-die-for.

overhead image of avocado pasta on two plate

Tips and Tricks

  • Use any pasta shape you’d like! I used bow-ties since they’re what I had, but shape truly makes no difference here. I can imagine this avocado pasta tastes just as delicious with spaghetti, penne, fusilli, elbows, etc.
  • Remember to reserve half a cup of pasta water! This pasta water will be added back into the pasta, after you’ve strained it, and added the avocado sauce in. The starches from the reserved water help your sauce latch onto the pasta.
  • Typically served hot, this pasta can also be served cold as an avocado pasta salad. For a cold pasta dish, cook up everything the same. Then, cover and leave to chill for about an hour before serving.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: This pasta is easily made gluten-free with the use of your favorite gluten-free pasta. Now my personal favorite gluten-free pasta is Jovial’s Brown Rice pasta, and is actually exactly what I used in the photos here!

Make it Paleo/Grain-Free: For a paleo pasta, simply use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash in place of the pasta in this dinner recipe.

Avocado Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Vibrantly green and irresistibly creamy avocado pasta, finished off with roasted garlic and tomatoes! Whip up this quick, easy, and healthy dinner recipe in under 20 minutes. Perfect when you’re short on time and/or craving something comforting and delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pasta, uncooked

  • For the roasted garlic and tomatoes:

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes

  • 6-8 garlic cloves, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • salt and black pepper, to taste

  • For the avocado sauce:

  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pits removed

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, parsley, and/or cilantro

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Make the roasted garlic and tomatoes by placing tomatoes and sliced garlic on a baking sheet, then drizzling with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes or until soft and very fragrant.
  • While garlic and tomatoes roast, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente and reserve ½ cup pasta water.
  • While pasta cooks, add all avocado sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Once pasta is cooked, strain then add back into pot along with avocado sauce and reserved pasta water. Toss pasta in sauce before adding in roasted garlic and tomatoes, serve immediately.

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30 Minutes or Less

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Vegan and Gluten-Free!)

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mushroom pasta on a plate

The easiest mushroom pasta – requiring only 7 ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes! Perfectly creamy and comforting, yet entirely vegan and gluten-free. Defying all odds with this easy, next-level-DELICIOUS mushroom pasta recipe!

overhead image of mushroom pasta on a plate with fresh sage on the side

What You’ll Need To Make Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Pasta – All pasta shapes and sizes are welcome here. I used my all-time favorite Jovial Brown Rice Gluten-Free Tagliatelle, but really any pasta will work. Spaghetti, penne, bow-ties, etc – anything and everything will taste delicious! And for a grain-free option, you can swap the pasta for zucchini noodles.

Butter – I used Myoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter in my mushroom pasta, but you can use any type of butter you’d like. Though if you’re like me and looking to keep this dinner recipe vegan or dairy-free, I highly recommend the Myoko’s butter. It’s made from simple, good-for-you ingredients, and tastes just like the real thing!

Mushrooms – I’m starting to feel like a broken record here, but again, any and all mushrooms will taste great in this dish! I picked up a mushroom variety pack from my local grocery store to keep things exciting.

Garlic – All my fellow garlic fiends, go ahead and add a few extra cloves! I love how well the garlic shines through in this super simple meal. It adds this savory, salty bite that’s seriously so good.

Shallot – Either a shallot or half of a small yellow onion will work. Whichever option you take, be sure to finely chop it before cooking. If left too large, it could get in the way of the carefully curated textures in this dish.

mushroom pasta being lifted off a plate with a fork

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t forget to reserve pasta water! Pasta water has the perfect amount of starch in it, which will help to thicken the sauce. If forgotten, you can use either regular water or vegetable broth in its place, but risk a thin sauce that won’t lock in as much flavor.
  • Get started on the mushrooms as soon as the pasta starts cooking. The pasta will take anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes to cook, which is exactly the amount of time you’ll need to make the sauce. Therefore, time everything perfectly by having both components going at the same time!
  • This mushroom pasta is best served immediately after cooking! However, if you ever need to reheat pasta, add a little bit of broth or water to freshen it up. I recommend reheating this mushroom pasta over the stove with 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable broth, stirring frequently until warm throughout!
overhead image of mushroom pasta on a plate with white wine on the side

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: Take my vegan option and use vegan butter instead of regular butter.

Make it Gluten-Free: For gluten-free mushroom pasta, simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta.

Paleo/Grain-Free Option: Make this a paleo pasta recipe by substituting the regular pasta with zucchini noodles, and the butter for olive oil, avocado oil, or ghee!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Vegan and Gluten-Free!)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

The easiest mushroom pasta – requiring only 7 ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes! Perfectly creamy and comforting, yet entirely vegan and gluten-free. Defying all odds with this easy, next-level-DELICIOUS mushroom pasta recipe!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pasta, uncooked

  • 4 tablespoons butter, separated (I used vegan butter)

  • 7 ounces mushrooms, sliced

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped

Directions

  • Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
  • While pasta cooks, melt two tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle mushroom with salt and pepper, then add in garlic and shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes or until very fragrant.
  • Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and transfer to the skillet. Add in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and about ½ cup of that reserved pasta water.
  • Reduce heat to low, and simmer until a nice sauce forms and coats the pasta. Continue adding remaining reserved pasta water if pasta begins to dry out. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

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pork stir fry in a pan with tongs and lime wedges on the side

This pork stir fry requires just one pan and 20 minutes to make! It’s loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables and finished off with a savory sauce.

pork stir fry in a pan with tongs and lime wedges on the side

I don’t know about you, but I could always use more one-pan, 20 minute meals in my life! This is literally one of my favorite recipes to throw together after a long day when I don’t feel like cooking but also don’t feel like ordering/waiting for takeout.

What You Need To Make Pork Stir Fry

Boneless Pork Chops – The key here is slicing the pork chops against the grain. By slicing against the grain, we cut through the meat fibers making the pork much more tender and easier to chew. However, feel free to slice the pork into whatever sizes you’d like. I prefer about 1/4-inch slices of pork in my stir fry, but even smaller/thinner slices would taste great too! Just remember – the smaller the pieces, the faster they’ll cook. So keep an eye on the meat and remove it from the pan as soon as it’s cooked through.

Rice Noodles – There are an extensive variety of rice noodles out there and almost all will work in this easy recipe. I used pad thai rice noodles since they were the easiest to find and I enjoy their heartier texture. Though I’ve also made this stir fry with vermicelli rice noodles and with buckwheat noodles and both versions were delicious!

Fresh Ginger – Just one teaspoon of fresh grated ginger goes a long way in the sauce for this pork stir fry. I know fresh ginger isn’t a staple in most peoples homes, but I promise it will take all your stir fry/Asian sauces to the next level! The next time you’re at the store, pick up a knob of fresh ginger in the produce section. Once home, store it in the freezer to make it last longer. Fresh ginger is also a great and tasty addition to most teas, broths, and the occasional dessert!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Make it a Chicken Stir Fry: Simply substitute one pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts for the pork in this recipe.

Make it Paleo: To make this a paleo pork stir fry, replace the rice noodles with zucchini noodles, sugar with coconut sugar, and the corn starch with arrowroot starch!

Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: You can easily remove the meat from this recipe and either increase the amount of mushrooms or fry up some tofu to up the protein of this stir fry. Also, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for the sauce.

Tips For Making Pork Stir Fry

  • Keep the skillet at medium-high heat when cooking the veggies. The goal here is to very quickly sauté the vegetables and doing so at higher heat will help them maintain their delightful crunch!
  • Stir together the sauce for this pork stir fry in a bowl until all of the corn starch has dissolved. If any corn starch clumps are left behind, you risk having a lumpy sauce!
  • Get creative and make this recipe your own! I love throwing in whatever veggies I have in my fridge that are on the verge of going bad. This easy pork stir fry is the best way to use up leftover and/or your favorite produce!
Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free)
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Pork Stir Fry (Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

This pork stir fry requires just one pan and 20 minutes to make! It’s loaded with crisp, fresh vegetables and finished off with a savory sauce.

Ingredients

  • For the stir fry:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil

  • 1 pound boneless pork chops, sliced into 1/4-inch thick strips against the grain

  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots

  • 1 cup snow peas

  • 3 green onions, chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

  • 8 ounces rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions

  • For the sauce:

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons corn starch

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, see Notes

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add in the pork chops and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 minutes or until cooked through, then remove from skillet and set aside.
  • Add in the carrots, snow peas, red bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms – quickly sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl then add into the skillet along with the cooked pork.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened, then add in the cooked noodles and toss to coat in the sauce.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Sugar: You can use white sugar, coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup!

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