Tip: Boil Your Vegetables with Your Pasta

Last night we made a very simple, quick dinner—spaghetti, broccoli, and tomato sauce—and it was even easier because we put everything that needed to boil in the same big pot. It takes a little finesse with the timing, but it streamlines the process and eliminates another dirty pan.

Boiling your vegetables with your pasta isn't going to give you layers of different flavors and textures, like adding roasted vegetables would. And it works best if you're just adding one vegetable, so you aren't tossing in different things at different times, all while making sure your pasta won't overcook.

We made our dish with a whole wheat spaghetti that we cook often, so we know exactly how long it takes (it's also more forgiving than regular pasta, since it takes longer to cook and doesn't get gummy as fast). We threw in the broccoli with about five minutes to go, and it was perfectly tender by the time we drained the whole pot.

If you often blanch vegetables or sauté them ahead of time before adding to a pasta dish, try this method. Especially on a busy night, it's nice to skip an extra step.

(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

Comments (11)

I do this all the time. Saves time and dishes!

posted by jumpyfroggy on June 23rd 2009 at 9:54am
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oh! try green beans and broccoli with spaghetti and toss it with some bottled peanut or ginger dressing. or just mix together some soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, etc. easy and yum.

posted by nenasadije on June 23rd 2009 at 11:09am
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I do a different variation to this- i take a stainless colander and when the pasta is about halfway done- i place the veggies in the colander on top of the pot and put the lid on to steam. I have a lot of picky eaters in my life so their buttered noodles cannot have "green stuff" floating around, and I found this to do the trick rather than using an extra pot to steam!

posted by Chefjujub on June 23rd 2009 at 12:04pm
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I've found that the colander or steamer basket on top works better as well, rather than the veggies in the pasta water, it lets me control the cooking of both items with greater accuracy (since adding the vegetables slows the boiling water for the pasta and it takes awhile to come back up to full temp).

posted by Rucy on June 23rd 2009 at 12:39pm
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ha! I did this last night. I tend to do it with the agretti that I get in my produce box (from mariquita farm in CA), so it has the same shape and texture as the pasta. It takes the same time to cook as the pasta, so they both go in the pot at the same time. Great suggestion! You can find more info on agretti at this website in case you're interested. I love its slightly salty flavor and totally recommend trying it! http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/agretti.html

posted by fizzyizzy on June 23rd 2009 at 2:15pm
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I'd do it with any other vegetable except broccoli. Soggy broccoli just feels weird. I prefer mine steamed, but brilliant for everything else.

posted by ErikTheRed on June 23rd 2009 at 3:00pm
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Honest, I'm not a mean-spirited person, but a whole post to suggest that we boil our veggies in our pasta water ... really?? Has theKitchn well run dry?

Sorry, bitchiness is over, promise. I'll go stay in room for the rest of the afternoon now.

posted by bedtime for gonzo on June 23rd 2009 at 3:54pm
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Yeah I do this all the time too. Pretty common I think.

posted by miss_z on June 23rd 2009 at 4:35pm
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I think it's a great post. I can't believe we've never tried this at home, but I'm so excited to streamline some dishes! I also loved the peanut sauce suggestion.

posted by ScorpioJ on June 23rd 2009 at 5:46pm
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gonzo ... this is an old italian trick ... kind of like slicing veggies in your hands and throwing them directly in the pot rather than dirty up a board!

posted by Joan in SB on June 23rd 2009 at 11:18pm
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My issue with this is boiling vegetables in the first place. When you pour out all that water, you're pouring out all the vitamins from the vegitables. That's why steaming or sauteing is better, it locks the vitamins inside and doesn't make the vegitables bland like boiling does.

If you have one more pot to clean is it really going to ruin your night? I'll take taste and health over laziness.

posted by WeHoGal on June 25th 2009 at 4:01pm
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