A trio of crisp green vegetables, al dente pasta, and a luxurious mascarpone sauce with fresh herbs stirred through are the basis of this creamy vegetable pasta. It’s the perfect bridge between comfort and Italian elegance on a plate.

Like some of the best meals, I created this dish from fridge leftovers. Eventually, it turned into a proper recipe — something reliable and flexible, where the pasta clings to every last bit of silky sauce, and the veg stays bright and crisp.

There’s a million and one ways to make a creamy white sauce for pasta, but you’ll want to jump on this one, stat. It only requires a few ingredients, yet boasts a rich, garlicky, and light balance that doesn’t overpower the delicate herbs and vegetables.

If you’re looking to show off your fresh summer produce, this is the recipe for you. Dress it up with a grating of hard cheese, and you’ve got a recipe worthy of date-night, or keep it simple with family-style serving, and it’s the perfect comforting indulgence.

Nobody expects a vegetable-packed pasta to steal the show, but there’s no doubt that it does!

❤️‍🔥Why You’ll Love This Creamy Vegetable Pasta …

Luxury without the price. This is the kind of meal you’ll find in a high-scale Italian restaurant for $$$. Made at home, though, this is an ultra-indulgent meal that doesn’t break the bank. Plus, it’s ready in less than 20 minutes. That’s faster than a restaurant, too.
Fresh, seasonal ingredients. There’s nothing better than fresh, seasonal vegetables, and this creamy vegetable pasta is one of the best ways to show them off. You’ll love the asparagus, broccolini, and green beans.
So flexible. We’ll get into this more later, but this recipe totally works with whatever greens you have … and whatever dietary preferences you have, too.
Easy peasy. Okay, it’s not quite a one-pot dish, but it’s not far off. This is a totally laid-back recipe. The kind you can sip some wine to while cooking, or have a little jive to your favourite tunes. What a vibe!

🥦Ingredients For Creamy Vegetable Pasta

Let’s walk through what goes into this creamy pasta — from the pasta itself to the crunchy green veg and that silky sauce. You might have a lot of these ingredients already in your pantry/fridge!

Pasta. I used farfalle (bowtie pasta!). It’s got such a playful shape, with little ruffles and subtle edges that are perfect for catching the creamy sauce. My second choice would be penne (excellent with sauce!). I find longer pasta like spaghetti and linguine is also great for a light sauce like this, but slightly harder to eat with the vegetables.
Olive oil. You can’t make a great Italian pasta dish without quality olive oil.
Aromatics. Garlic provides a buttery nuttiness once cooked down, while leeks offer a delicate and mild sweetness. You can sub for white onions.
Vegetables. I’ve opted for tenderstem broccoli (broccolini), asparagus, and green beans. This spring-summer medley is irresistible, but there’s plenty of room to play around. I give more suggestions below.
Mascarpone. This mild Italian soft cheese is all you need for my creamy sauce. It’s mild, fresh, and extraordinarily creamy. Nothing compares (2 U!).
Seasonings. Salt is a must, of course, as is freshly cracked black pepper. Try to use a pepper grinder as opposed to pepper powder; it makes a subtle difference to the final dish.
Herbs. It’s chef’s choice here, but I like the peppery earthiness of parsley and just a touch of cooling, bright mint.
Cheese. This is an optional finishing touch, but really elevates the creamy vegetable pasta. Italian hard cheese is most suited to this dish; I’ve chosen pecorino for its nutty and umami-loaded flavour, but also for the fact that it’s vegetarian (DOP Pecorino Romano or Sardo, however, is not).

Variations and Substitutions

Don’t have everything on the ingredients list? Not a problem! This is one of those recipes that can handle a few swaps, whether that’s for preferences, allergies, lifestyle, or other reasons.

For example, what vegetables are good in creamy pasta? My favourites are asparagus, green beans, and broccolini (as written in this recipe!), but you can change things up depending on what’s in season, or available already in your fridge.

I also love spinach, courgettes, sugar snap peas, garden peas, edamame, mange tout, and ordinary broccoli.

Here are some other ideas:

Make creamy vegetable pasta vegan by using plant-based cream cheese instead of mascarpone (or non-dairy cream), and nutritional yeast instead of hard cheese.
Add protein by stirring in crispy roasted chickpeas, butter beans, or tofu strips. If you’ve feeling inventive, you could even blend silken tofu into the creamy sauce.
Give it some zest. Grate over lemon zest or serve with a squeeze of lemon juice just to lift the flavours.
Mix up the herbs. I’ve used parsley and mint, but traditional basil would be beautiful. You could even swirl through some pesto di basilico at the last minute!

You can also easily make the recipe gluten free by using gluten free farfalle (or another of your favourite pasta shapes). It’s that easy!

🍝How to Make Creamy Vegetable Pasta (Step-by-Step Photos)

Asparagus, broccolini, and green beans on a chopping board.

One: Prepare the green vegetables: trim off hard ends and cut to size.

Two: Lightly fry chopped garlic and leek in olive oil.

Tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, and green beans in a pan.

Three: Add the prepared vegetables to the pan and sauté.

Four: Cook until the garlic and leek have slightly browned.

Five: Boil pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente.

Six: Add reserved pasta water to the pan with the vegetables and continue to cook, until they are tender with a slight bite.

Seven: Mix in mascarpone.

Eight: Add the cooked pasta to the pan.

Nine: Mix well and season with freshly cracked black pepper.

Cheese add to the creamy vegetable pasta.

Ten: Finish with green cheese and loosen with more reserved pasta water if needed.

As usual, the complete recipe (with ingredient quantities and instructions) can be found at the bottom of this page. You can also print the recipe, save the recipe, adjust the servings, and much more from there!

⭐My Best Tips for Success

Salt your pasta water! The first step to instantly upgrading your pasta? Liberally salt the water you’re cooking it in. This simple step will infuse the pasta with extra seasoning, before you even start cooking.

In a similar vein, reserve that pasta water! It’s the secret to creamy sauces, thanks to its starches.

Don’t overcook the greens. This creamy vegetable pasta rides or dies on the crisp, green vegetables. Green beans take the longest to cook, which is why I cut them significantly smaller, while asparagus and broccoli take the same amount of time, so cut these to a similar size.

Always use freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents (sometimes wood pulp is used!), which can negatively affect the texture of your final dish. It’s worth an extra minute of preparation time, I promise.

❄️Can You Store Creamy Vegetable Pasta?

Yes! Although pasta is best enjoyed on the day of, you can store leftovers.

Just pop them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Reheat in a frying pan with a splash of water to loosen up the sauce (it thickens as the pasta sits). If you need to brighten it up, squeeze over some fresh lemon or freshly cracked black pepper.

However, I don’t recommend freezing creamy vegetable pasta. The sauce can split, and the vegetables often go limp when defrosted. While I have plenty of meal-prep and freezer-friendly meals, this is definitely one that’s best enjoyed fresh.

🥗Serving Suggestions

You could stop at creamy vegetable pasta and have a dreamy meal. But, if you’re looking to feed a crowd — or just want a little something extra on the side — here are my top pairings:

A side salad. We love to be healthy! Crisp greens tossed with a lemony dressing is the perfect complement to this creamy vegetable pasta. It offsets the richness and echoes the freshness of the spring vegetables beautifully. My arugula and spinach salad with crispy croutons would be a real treat too.
Matched with garlic bread. Okay, pasta and bread might be carbs on carbs. But it tastes fantastic! Whether you homemade garlic bread with ciabatta or baguettes or buy some from the store, it’s a quick and easy side. Alternatively, you could try a garden focaccia or garlic knots, for something more fancy.
Protein on the side. Make a balanced meal by serving crisp tofu, grilled halloumi, or sauteed seitan alongside.

As you can see, there’s an abundance of options, no matter your vibe. I’d love to hear which you’d pick — and once you make this recipe, do come back and let us all know what spectacular pairing you chose!

Now, all that’s left is the recipe (printable and pin-able!):

If you tried this creamy vegetable pasta recipe — or any other recipe on my website — please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the ✍️ comments at the bottom of the page. Thanks for being a part of my community!