Gout-Friendly Recipes / Simple Vegetable Pasta
DinnerSimple Vegetable Pasta
A simple weeknight pasta built around tomatoes, courgette and bell pepper — ready in about forty minutes, and easy to make your own.
This is the kind of pasta you can make on a weeknight without a recipe card in hand once you've made it a couple of times. A simple tomato sauce, a couple of vegetables, whatever pasta shape is in the cupboard — dinner in under forty minutes.
Why This Recipe Fits EaseGout
- Vegetables make up a genuine portion of the dish, not just a garnish on top.
- No red meat or seafood needed to make this dinner satisfying.
- Tomatoes and pasta are everyday staples, not foods that need to be avoided.
- Easy to portion sensibly rather than serving an oversized bowl.
- Straightforward to prepare in about forty minutes with a handful of ingredients.
- Ordinary, everyday food that fits comfortably within the broader dietary pattern discussed in EaseGout's guides.
Simple Vegetable Pasta
Serves 4 · Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min · Total 40 min
Ingredients
- 320g pasta (e.g. penne or fusilli)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (30ml)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 courgette (about 200g), diced
- 1 red bell pepper (150g), diced
- 400g canned chopped tomatoes (1 tin)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Black pepper, to taste
- Small handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
- 40g grated hard cheese, to serve (optional)
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until softening.
Add the garlic, courgette and bell pepper, and cook for a further 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and oregano, season with black pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the packet instructions (usually 10–12 minutes) until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Add the drained pasta to the sauce, along with a splash of the reserved pasta water, and toss together over low heat for a minute until everything is well coated.
Divide between bowls, scatter with torn basil leaves and grated cheese if using, and serve immediately.
Swaps & Substitutions
Pasta
Wholewheat pasta works just as well as regular and adds extra fibre — cooking time may vary slightly, so check the packet.
Vegetables
Mushrooms, aubergine or a handful of spinach stirred in at the end all work well instead of courgette or pepper.
Cheese
Parmesan or a similar hard cheese is classic, but it's easy to leave out for a dairy-free version.
Heat
A pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic adds gentle heat, if you'd like it.
Protein
Stir through some cooked chicken or a drained tin of white beans with the tomatoes if you'd like a heartier dinner.
Make It Your Own
Extra veg
Stir a handful of baby spinach through the sauce just before serving, for extra greens.
Creamier
A spoonful of ricotta or a small splash of cream stirred through at the end makes it richer.
Spicier
Fresh chilli or extra chilli flakes with the garlic and courgette.
Meal prep
Make a double batch of the sauce and freeze half — cook fresh pasta each time you serve it.
The tomato and vegetable sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container, or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cook the pasta fresh each time you serve it, since cooked pasta doesn't freeze or reheat well on its own. Reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot before tossing through freshly cooked pasta.
A note on nutrition: this recipe is built around pasta, canned tomatoes and fresh vegetables, with only a modest, optional amount of cheese. We haven't published calorie or macronutrient figures here, since these depend on the exact brands and quantities you use. For how pasta and vegetables fit into a broader gout-friendly eating pattern, see EaseGout's Diet and Foods to Avoid guides.
Gout-Friendly Context
Pasta itself isn't normally the central dietary concern in gout — it's an everyday carbohydrate staple, and there's no need to avoid it.
Vegetables can make up a substantial part of a pasta dish like this one, rather than being an afterthought stirred in at the last minute.
Portion balance matters more than any single ingredient on the plate, and meat doesn't have to be the centre of every dinner — this recipe is a genuine, filling main course without it.
Tomatoes shouldn't be treated as a food that everybody with gout needs to avoid — for most people they're a perfectly reasonable everyday ingredient. See Foods to Avoid and Diet for the fuller picture.
Common Questions
Can I use wholewheat pasta?
Yes — it works just as well as regular pasta here and adds extra fibre. Check the packet, as cooking times can vary slightly.
Which vegetables can I substitute?
Mushrooms, aubergine or spinach all work well in place of courgette or bell pepper — use what you have.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes. The sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen — see Storage & Make-Ahead above. Cook the pasta fresh each time.
Can I add chicken?
Yes — stir through some cooked chicken with the tomatoes for a heartier dinner. See Swaps & Substitutions above.
Can I freeze it?
The vegetable and tomato sauce freezes well for up to 3 months. Cooked pasta doesn't freeze well on its own, so cook it fresh when you're ready to serve.
This recipe is general food information, not medical advice. Individual dietary needs vary, and anyone following a medically prescribed diet should follow their doctor's or dietitian's guidance ahead of anything suggested here.