Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies is a cheap, easy and healthy recipe perfect for a simple side dish or a vegetarian meal. Even the pickiest of kids will happily eat this dish, including the vegetables, without complaint. This effortless recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
Who would have thought that I would ever put this recipe (if you can even call it that) on the blog? My current struggle and loss of creativity must be at an all time high!! When I first let myself admit that I was suffering from postpartum, I figured that it would go away within a couple of months max. But now Baby Girl will be 11 months tomorrow and it has not gone away! In fact, it may be worse…
But I am not here to blabber on about that, but to just ask for your patience as I work through whatever this is!! I know I am not posting as much and what I do post is lacking a bit in the creativity department, like this Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies.
You know what? As I sit here beating myself up for putting Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies recipe up on the blog, I am thinking that actually it is a good addition;) Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies was a something that I created out of necessity when I was a poor college student. It literally fed me on days that I had pennies to my name. When I had some money I would make sure that I had pasta, butter, parmesan and bags of frozen vegetables on hand. That way, when the money ran out I still had something to eat…LOL 🙂 I jokingly referred to it as “Poor Girl Pasta” and the name has stuck all these years.
After I was let go from my first “real” job out of college, Poor Girl Pasta saved the day again! Times were tough for awhile and money was very tight. Pasta, butter, parmesan and frozen veggies were cheap and cheerful and it actually tasted good!! I still have Poor Girl Pasta in my back pocket as a go-to tried and true dish that always gets rave reviews (just don’t tell them that it is this simple)!
Here is your recipe for Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies:
- 12 ounces pasta of choice (I used egg noodles)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- ⅓ cup + more for serving grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (I used a classic mix of carrots, peas, green beans and corn.)
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste.
- Crushed red pepper (optional)
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve ½ cup starchy cooking water,
- Return cooked pasta to hot pot.
- Add butter, parmesan cheese, vegetables, salt pepper and crushed red pepper, if using. Add starchy cooking water in small increments until saucy. Stir to combine and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve warm
If you like this Poor Girl Pasta with Veggies, then you might like some of my other pasta recipes:
Creamy Garlic Spinach Chicken Pasta (most popular recipe on the blog)
Guiltless Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
Quick and Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta and Asparagus
Cheesy Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli
Thanks for the recipe, girl. I am a poor college girl here at 2:07 am. School tomorrow, cant sleep. So im gonna make some poor girl pasta :–)