Get out your wok. You do have one, right? If not, a large skillet should do.
I’m describing the ingredients in the order they’re added to the pan, but I usually chop everything first before starting. Once the cooking starts, it goes pretty quickly.
Before you fire up the wok, put on a pot of salted water to boil. You’re going to start cooking the veggies at about the same time the pasta goes in. I use bowties, and after they’ve been in the pot a few minutes, I take a handful of spaghetti, break it up into roughly thirds, and toss the short strands in with the bowties. Use whatever shapes you like, though: wagon wheels, fusilli, whatever.
OK, on to the veggies:
Chop up or slice some fresh garlic. You can use “cheater’s garlic” (the minced stuff in a jar) if you’re really lazy, but fresh is so much nicer. Toast it lightly (no oil) in the hot wok for a minute or so.
Also slice up some green onions, celery, and carrots. (You can use regular onions if you like, but I like green.) Splash some olive oil into the wok, add these veggies, and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Next comes the next batch of veggies. You can use pretty much whatever you want: mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, eggplant, whatever trips your trigger. Here’s what I use: Zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced; yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced; and some frozen corn, french-cut green beans, and sometimes peas, nuked lightly. Add the squash first and stir-fry for a bit, and then the nuked and drained frozen veggies. Of course you can use fresh if you want; just add them along with the squash or whatever other raw veg you’re using.
Toss in some dried basil, and maybe some oregano or whatever you like. For me, basil is just fine by itself. Also a touch of salt and pepper. More olive oil if needed while cooking, and a dibble of butter for flavor.
The last batch of veggies is a couple of chopped tomatoes and some sliced black olives. These are added when the rest of the veggies are nearly done, and they are heated for only a minute or two.
By now your pasta should be done. Drain it and put it in a big bowl. Add the veggies and toss the whole thing with a couple of handfuls of shredded parmesan. I just buy one of those preshredded tubs because it’s easy, but I know that cheese nerds would consider that heresy.
Serve with some nice crusty bread and a salad, and a nice wine. (Though we usually skip the salad, and often the bread, when it’s just us.) This always gets rave reviews when we serve it to guests, whether they’re vegetarian or not.