Recipe: Confetti Spaghetti

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
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updated Jan 29, 2020
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Credit: Maria Siriano

This miracle meal uses up that bag of broccoli slaw in a way your whole family will love.

Serves3 to 4

Prep10 minutes

Cook12 minutes

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(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Getting kids excited to eat more vegetables is really all about how you market dinner. For example, this back-to-school meal is actually just a 30-minute, one-pot, veggie-packed pasta, but call it Confetti Spaghetti and it will be gobbled up twice as fast.

This miracle meal was born, as most of them are, out of desperation. We were having our last summer hurrah the weekend before school started, so there was no time for grocery shopping. When it came time for a quick dinner after the first day of school, we turned to the half a bag of broccoli slaw and the box of pantry spaghetti. Combined, it became our new go-to meatless Monday dinner.

(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Make the Most of Bagged, Spiralized, or Frozen Vegetables

Here’s the thing to love the most about Confetti Spaghetti: You can use almost any kind of shredded vegetables, as long as you stick with the same ratio of pasta to water and vegetables. We have sliced carrots and slaw (either broccoli or kale) on hand most often, but we’ve also used spiralized vegetables (cut into two-inch pieces with scissors) and frozen vegetables with great success.

Be sure that the vegetables and pasta are mostly covered by the water to ensure they cook evenly. Then, use the starchiness of the cooking water to make a near-instant sauce by stirring in a grated hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino just before serving.

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Confetti Spaghetti

This miracle meal uses up that bag of broccoli slaw in a way your whole family will love.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 12 minutes

Serves 3 to 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon

    olive oil

  • 1 cup

    shredded carrots

  • 3 cups

    shredded vegetables, such as broccoli slaw or kale slaw

  • 1

    medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

  • 8 ounces

    dry spaghetti, broken into thirds

  • 3 cups

    water

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    garlic powder

  • 1 cup

    shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the slaw and peppers and cook 1 minute more.

  2. Add the spaghetti, water, salt, and garlic powder. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press the mixture down a few times so that the spaghetti and vegetables are completely submerged in the water. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

  3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring vigorously to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom and cooks evenly, until the water is mostly absorbed by the pasta, the vegetables are tender and bright, and the pasta is al dente, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Filed in:
Cheese
children
dinner
easy
Main Dish
Nut-Free