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Looking for vegan pasta recipes? You’ll be amazed at the amount of flavor you can achieve using only plant based ingredients.

Vegan Lasagna
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Vegan pasta recipes can be just as delicious as their creamy and cheesy counterparts! If you’re eating more plant-based recipes, join the crowd. Per the New York Times, 40% of Americans are now looking to eat more plant based recipes. And there’s no need to use massive amounts of dairy to flavor your pasta dishes.

Here’s a list of the most flavor-popping, drool-worthy vegan pasta recipes to add to your dinner table. There’s the “famous” vegan fettuccine alfredo, a creamy, dreamy alfredo sauce made with cauliflower and cashews. And vegan lasagna, a crowd-pleaser that gets big flavor from a secret ingredient (hummus!). And then vegan pesto pasta, made with the most delicious homemade vegan basil pesto. Really…you’re going to want to make all of them!

And now…our best vegan pasta recipes!

How to cook pasta to al dente

The most important skill you’ll need for these vegan pasta recipes? Cook pasta like an Italian: to al dente? In Italian it means “to the bite,” and refers to pasta that is still firm on the inside when cooked. Here’s the ideal al dente texture: tender exterior balanced by a firm bite, with a fleck of white at its core. Here’s how to achieve the perfect pasta:

  • Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.
  • While cooking, check pasta continually for doneness. (Yes, taste it with a fork!) Check sooner than indicated on your package instructions; the timing on most packages overcooks the pasta.
  • Once the pasta is tender but still has a fleck of white at its core, drain it immediately!
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Vegan Pasta Alfredo

Vegan fettucine alfredo
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WOW! This vegan fettuccine alfredo tastes decadent, but the creamy sauce is filled with healthy plant based ingredients. An easy dinner in under 30 minutes!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Pasta

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound fettuccine noodles (use gluten-free, legume, or zucchini noodles if desired)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), enough for 6 cups florets
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Finely chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

  1. Mince the garlicChop the cauliflower.
  2. Make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente (start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside). Then drain the pasta and return to the pot.
  3. Meanwhile, start the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, pot, or saucepan (that has a cover) over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cashews and saute for 4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, onion powder, black pepper, nutmeg and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes on medium high heat until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork.
  4. Blend the sauce: Carefully transfer the contents to a blender and add the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon more black pepper. Blend on high until a smooth sauce forms.
  5. Serve: Pour about 5 cups into 1 pound pasta (1 cup will be left over), or use it to taste. Top with finely chopped parsley and serve immediately.

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More plant based & vegan resources

A few more plant based resources for fitting vegan recipes into your everyday:

Last updated: February 2020

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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  1. Soundoftext says:

    These vegan pasta recipes look delicious and healthy! I can’t wait to try them out at home. Thanks for sharing!