13 Vegan Italian Recipes

First up in our vegan Italian recipes: a classic recipe that needs no introduction: spaghetti & meatballs! These vegan meatballs are uniquely delicious, made of oats, cashews, spices, and grated potatoes! Pan fry them until crisp, and they're incredibly satisfying meatless meatballs. Serve them over spaghetti with your favorite marinara sauce. If you're feeling fancy, top with a bit of our vegan Parmesan cheese for a stunning main dish.

Just WOW! No matter how you eat, this vegan lasagna will be a hit. Promise. We had a few friends over to try it, and here’s what we heard: “This is so good. I can’t stop eating it. I need another piece!” It's smothered in a zesty marinara sauce, layered with spinach, mushrooms, and our secret ingredient: hummus! Top with a sprinkling of "Parmesan" and it's a favorite that pleases everyone at the table.

This eggplant pasta has got it all! This vegan Italian recipe is packed with savory and zesty flavor: tender roasted eggplant, zesty marinara sauce, peppery basil, and salty capers. It's an incredibly versatile recipe: it works for weeknights and for serving to company! It’s cozy yet elegant all at once. You can use any shape of pasta you like: long noodles like spaghetti and bucatini, or short noodles like penne or rigatoni.

This vegan fennel orange salad features beautiful juicy oranges, with their vibrant color and citrusy flavor. Add to that a famous pairing: sliced raw fennel, which adds a subtle licorice essence. Throw it over greens with a few garnishes, top with a zingy homemade citrus vinaigrette, and wow! There’s so much going on flavor and texture-wise, it’s one of the most unexpectedly delicious salads we’ve ever made. 

Your noodles are destined for greatness with this vegan pasta alfredo! The impossibly creamy sauce is a healthy spin on the traditionally rich pasta. It’s made with nutrient-dense cauliflower and protein-packed cashews instead of dairy. Said one reader: “YUM! I love it! It’s super easy to make. I made it again 2 days later!”

Next up: here's a classic Italian style tomato basil soup! This one is so easy to make. Chop some veggies, simmer, then blend. It couldn’t be cozier, and it’s the perfect accompaniment to crusty bread. This version is a gluten free, dairy free and vegan soup recipe, so it fits many diets. Though of course you could add a dollop of cashew cream to make it a creamy soup too!

Here's a vegan Italian recipe that never disappoints; pasta salad! Pasta salad isn't authentic Italian, but the flavors here are inspired by Italy. Crunchy romaine lettuce is refreshing and contrasts against Kalamata olives, capers, and pepperoncini. There’s a also a smattering of colorful vegetables: tomatoes, zucchini, and red onion. It comes together in 30 minutes, which is perfect for weeknights and lunches.

The best recipes are the simplest. And the simplicity of pesto pasta with homemade vegan basil pesto and ripe juicy tomatoes can’t be beat! With seasonal ingredients, it will always, always taste beautiful and fresh. The silky smooth, savory basil pesto coats the tender pasta, punctuated by the pop of the cherry tomatoes. It's one of our favorite vegetarian / vegan Italian recipes.

Pizza without cheese? Yes. And it's just as tasty! This is truly the BEST homemade vegan pizza recipe, with veggie pizza toppings so savory you won’t miss the dairy: like mushrooms, garlic, artichokes, and bell peppers. Top it off with our flavor-popping pizza sauce. And if you're feeling fancy, add a few shakes of Vegan Parmesan.

This vegan Italian recipe is so simple to put together and the tangy, creamy flavor of the marinara sauce is out of this world good! It uses cashew cream to make marinara sauce into a creamy orange sauce that’s a big like Vodka sauce. Garlic, shallot and capers bring in nuance to this plant-based pasta recipe. This one’s 5 star in our book!

This vegan Italian soup recipe we've lovingly dubbed “pizza soup” because it tastes like liquid pizza! The tomatoes are sauteed with garlic, fennel, and smoked paprika, which bring a meaty and savory undertone. Throw in some Tuscan kale to the mix, and you won’t even tell it’s there: all you'll be able to taste is pizza!

Looking for a fast and easy vegan Italian recipe? This plant based spaghetti recipe is for busy weeknights, and times when you just don’t want to have to think about dinner. And the flavor? Take it from one of our readers, who said: “Oh my, I scraped the bowl clean on this one! The flavor was awesome and it was so easy, it was exactly what I needed right now.” Got a pressure cooker? Try Instant Pot Spaghetti.

Got some crusty bread? This traditional vegetarian and vegan Italian salad recipe uses up old bread in the most genius of ways. Panzanella is an Italian bread salad that combines dry, crusty bread squares with fresh vegetables and a vinaigrette. It’s a unique idea for using up old bread, and extraordinarily delicious. You can use any fresh veggies you have on hand. The traditional vegetables used in a panzanella are tomatoes, peppers, red onion, and sometime cucumber.

And last but not least, here's one of the most classic vegan Italian recipes of all! Pizza marinara is the simplest of classic Neapolitan pizza: that is, pizza in the style that originates from Naples, Italy. This pizza has simple toppings, a dough that’s thin in the middle and poofed on the outside, usually baked in a wood-fired oven at super high temperatures. Pizza marinara has no cheese: just tomato sauce, thinly sliced garlic, and oregano! It’s similar to pizza margherita, but without the cheese.