Like many of you, I prefer cooking meals that are simple to make and don’t contain a lot of ingredients, and are also healthy and inexpensive. Yes, I love watching Food Network and The Cooking Channel on TV, but many of the recipes on these shows just aren’t a fit or practical for me to make at home!

However, I hear from so many people that it’s difficult to cook healthy meals at home that are also inexpensive and easy. Therefore, I’m going to share with you one of my go-to quick, healthy, inexpensive recipes, though I wouldn’t exactly call it a recipe because it’s so simple that you really don’t need to write anything down. What’s also great about this meal is that you can make it in less than 15 minutes!

All you need is some pasta (long noodles such as spaghetti or fettucine), some veggies (frozen or fresh), olive oil, and some fresh cheese (e.g. grated Parmesan, goat cheese). For the veggies, I like to use fresh arugula and tomatoes from my garden (when it’s growing season) but you can use whatever your favorite pasta veggies are (be creative!).

So let’s get started…

1. First, cook your pasta in a frying pan (yes, a frying pan). This video shows you exactly how to do that.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prep your veggies if necessary – chop the tomatoes, etc.
3. If you’re using frozen veggies, add them to the pasta just before the pasta is done cooking – you’ll be cooking the pasta and veggies in the same pan during the last few minutes of the cooking process.
4. When done cooking, drain the water, then add the pasta (with the frozen veggies if you used them) back into the pan. Now, add the fresh veggies and the olive oil to the pasta and stir.
5. Top with cheese. That’s it – you’re done! A healthy and great-looking meal in less than 15 minutes!

You might be thinking that this meal doesn’t contain much protein, besides the cheese. However, did you know that some veggies actually contain enough protein to meet the recommended protein requirements, and many of them go great in pasta? Of course, you can always cook some meat, fish, or poultry to go on the side if you choose.

I hope you enjoy this simple, healthy, and inexpensive meal!