Garden Vegetable Ragu is a meatless gem of a recipe! Zucchini, yellow squash and carrots simmer in a robust red sauce! Serve on top of pasta with lots of grated parmesan cheese.
It’s about this time of year where you have a few garden zucchini and yellow squash rolling around in the crisper, begging to be used up. This garden vegetable ragu is the answer to your dinner prayers.
My mom would make this pasta sauce for dinner many early fall nights when I was younger. Nothing beats the smell of this ragu bubbling away (except maybe this baked chicken) on the stove when you walk in from a long day at work or worse, from an excruciating hour and a half bus ride home from school.
I’ve been waiting for just the right time to share this with you! Like when the weather is a little cooler and the squash and zucchinis are all over the place yet right before you have to begrudgingly flick on the furnace. It’s a recipe that calls for summers best produce, wine and cheese — how could it be bad?
To Make This Garden Vegetable Ragu You Will Need:
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- zucchini
- yellow squash
- carrot
- garlic
- crushed tomatoes
- sugar
- basil (dried)
- oregano (dried)
- italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- dry red wine
- parmesan cheese
- tube pasta
In a deep-sided skillet or pot add about a teaspoon of olive oil and then heat over medium heat. Sauté the diced onions over medium-low heat until soft and translucent.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the sautéed onion to a dish with the grated carrot.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the yellow squash and zucchini in an even layer. Cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every couple a minutes so the vegetables get some color to them.
When the squash is soft and golden add the onions and carrots back in to the pan along with 2 to 4 minced fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon each oregano and basil and 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning. If using red pepper flakes, add them at this point.
Cook until carrots soften and garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the 2 (28 ounce) cans of crushed tomatoes over the sautéed vegetables and add 1 teaspoon sugar.
Lastly pour in 1 cup of wine.
Simmer the sauce uncovered on low to medium-low for 45 to 60 minutes and stir periodically. Towards the end is when I cook the pasta.
Stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, taste and season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. About 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Serve the sauce on hearty tube noodles like penne, rigatoni, macaroni, paccheri (<—this is what I’m using in this recipe).
Note:
There is some water released from the zucchini and squash while they cook in the sauce. It’s not noticeable until you plate it up and the veggies sit onto of the noodles. As far as I know, there’s nothing to be done but to mix it all together. However, this is where thick slices of italian bread comes in handy! You can wipe your bowl clean with it.
Lastly, sprinkle the vegetable ragu with a little or a lot of extra parmesan. And if you want a little meat in this dish, cook 3/4 pound crumbled Italian sausage before sautéing the vegetables and then follow recipe from there on.
Enjoy! And if you give this vegetable ragu recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Garden Vegetable Ragu
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced into half moons
- 2 medium yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced into half moons
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, I like delallo brand
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup dry red wine, like merlot, pinot noir or Malbec (use one you like to drink!)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound cooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet on medium heat.
- Once hot, sauté the onions until tender. Use a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a dish with the grated carrot and set off to the side.
- Repeat with the zucchini and yellow squash until soft and edges golden.
- Add the carrots and onions back into the pan and add in the garlic, basil, oregano, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, wine and sugar. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 45-60 minutes, stirring ocassionaly.
- With 20 minutes left on the clock, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Keep in mind, larger pastas take longer to cook.
- Lastly add the half cup of Parmesan, taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve over pasta with reserved parmesan.
Notes
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
Love loading veggies into a tomato sauce! Beautiful photos as usual!
Hi!!!
I always check the new recipes you post, never wrote anything before, but this time i wanted to tell you that you always inspire me!
I'm from Brasil, and also have a food blog, but nothing compared to yours. I wish I had the chance do cook during the day, so the pictures would have the same great light of yours.. Well, I simply love your blog!!
Xoxo
Carol
Oh my gosh. Like, oh oh oh my gosh.
Like, oh oh oh oh oh oh my GOSH.
Oh my gosh.
yum.
see i am drooling over here…Why don't you send me a plate here…I can dig in straight away…
This looks so delicious! Comfort food that's healthy…can't beat that!
Lauren ~ thanks! me too!
Carol ~ Nice to meet you! Thanks for commenting! You are too kind 🙂
Aarthi~ Which ships faster UPS or FedEX?
Becky~ you said it best! Healthy comfort food… who knew?
My mouth is watering! I love red pasta sauces with lots of veggies. I can imagine that this smells heavenly. Your photos are beautiful too Laurie!
It sure looks yummy! I love zucchini. I will have to try this recipe sometime. I bet it would taste even more delicious with some crispy bacon on top!
This looks delightful! I make something similar when hubs and I are in the mood for pasta. simply divine.
That looks DIVINE! I love veggies. I could eat that ragu ALL THE TIME! You did such a nice job with it and I just love all the colors. One of my favorite pastas is actually with the same ingredients I just use whole tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. I will have to try this soon!
Looks delicious…and since I make red sauce nearly once a week, we love it so much…this is a nice twist! Great photos…they made me drool. Yum, yum, yum!
Drool!
I love adding zucchini to tomato sauce and this just takes it to the next level!
Beautiful! I make this randomly to use up veggies that are starting to turn. I love the addition of wine. I am sure that really jazzes things up.
Vegetarian lifestyle is perfect for health and active living vegetables can provide actual amount of proteins and calcium to the body!
This is my kind of recipe! Tons of veggies, healthful, simple and delicious. LOVE IT!
What a great pasta recipe! So yummy looking, and full of healthy veggies!
I love zee wine! 😀 Haha, this recipe sounds awesome, right up my alley for a perfect weeknight meal!
I love a hearty red sauce and this really fits the bill. Plus I love all the extra veggies you snuck in.
Hi, I love your blog! I make something similar to this but my sauce uses eggplant in addition to the squashes. Just peel, de-seed and cube the eggplant and cook the same as the other veggies. It adds great nutritional value, and a beautiful color! I plan on trying lots more of your recipes! Thanks, Julie
This sounds AMAZING.
Those pictures are amazing! Looks delicious! Who needs meat when you got veggies (and Parmesan!)?! Thanks for sharing- this is a great addition to my Meatless Mondays.
I just made the ragu tonight. Delicious! I will definitely be enjoying this again. Thanks for the great recipes.
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Hi Laurie!
Again, such a wonderful recipe…the aroma, the taste, the ease! Delightful! Thank you so much once more.
As always, I love the pictorial tutorial you give along the way and I always refer back to it as I make your recipes. I’ve just finished making the Ragu and I noticed you mentioned tomato sauce in addition to the crushed tomatoes. The tomato sauce is not in the initial ingredient pictorial nor is it mentioned in the formal ingredient list…just in the middle tutorial instructions. Could you please clarify? Maybe I am missing something! :0/
The sauce is wonderful I think without the tomato sauce at this point, but I just want to make the recipe as you intended…a habit I have on the first go-round with all new recipes!
Again, thank you for adding such joy to our kitchen!
Please enjoy the weekend with you new pup Finnegan…absolutely adorable!
Hi Alex! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and I apologize for the error. Back when I originally shared this recipe (2011), I used sauce with crushed tomatoes. I no longer make it that way and while updating the recipe, I must have forgot to omit that step. Thank you so much for kindly pointing that out. Finnegan is the best little guy, he definitely keeps us busy! Again, thank you for your kind words, it’s so appreciated!! XoXo Laurie