There have been times when a pasta dish with a boatload of vegetables and a deliciously light sauce for a meal is what I'm in the mood for. This not only works extremely well with pasta, but the sauce recipe in this can also be delicious as a pizza base, for dunking garlic bread or breadsticks, and even works great with rice. While this is a vegetarian dish, it can definitely be made vegan with just a couple of substitutions.
In my recipe for Summer Garden Sauce Base, the best part about that base is that not only are we working with easy-to-find ingredients, but you will want to seek out other dishes. You may want to make a double batch! One base recipe will take care of four portions of pasta.
If you are making pasta, this will help cover four servings. You get to choose the vegetables you like with pasta. I will put in substitutions to convert this to a vegan approach as well.
INGREDIENTS: 1 Recipe: Summer Garden Sauce Base*
1lb Vegetables, your choice, thinly sliced 6oz-8oz Half-and-Half
3oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly shaved* Kosher Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
1/2lb (227g) Mafaldine, or pasta of choice, cooked two minutes less than package directions
4-6oz Pasta Water, reserved 1.) Set up your pasta pot with water and set this on high. Once this starts to boil, add some kosher salt to the pot. Add your pasta to the pot and set a timer that reflects two to three minutes LESS than the package directions.
2.) Into a saute pan on medium-high heat, add your prepped vegetables. Add a pinch or two of your kosher salt and black pepper. Begin sauteing your vegetables while stirring periodically. The heat will pull the moisture from the vegetables. This can take about five to seven minutes, depending on your knife cuts.
3.) At this point, add the Summer Garden Sauce base to the pan. Stir the base into your vegetables thoroughly. Bring this up to temperature and saute for another three minutes.
4.) Reserve about 4-6oz of your pasta water and set aside. Drain the rest of the pasta well. Add your par-cooked pasta to your saute pan. Begin tossing this to evenly coat the pasta.5.) Add your reserved pasta water to the pan6.) Begin shaving your cheese right into the pan. (For the alternative, add your tablespoon of nooch and mix well. Taste test before adding more). Mix well.7.) Add your half-and-half (oat milk) and mix well.8.) Add more shaved cheese right into the pan (same as nooch, if you need more). Pay close attention to the sauce in the pan. While mixing, if you notice the sauce is showing signs of thickening, shut off the heat and continue to stir well. (If you are opting for vegan, you may need to create a slurry of oat milk and cornstarch (3TB:3TB) and add this to the pan. Immediately shut off the heat, but mix well)
9.) Serve this in bowls and garnish with more cheese (nooch), fresh basil leaves, and chopped scallions
*To make the sauce base vegan, use nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Make sure you run this through a blender or spice grinder to blitz into a fine powder. Start with one tablespoon, mix well, and taste-test it before adding more. For the half-and-half replacement, consider oat milk or another unsweetened alternative. You may need to make a small cornstarch slurry with the alternative drink and cornstarch to help slightly thicken the sauce.
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