This vegan Tuscan pasta is a delicious, rich, and creamy blend of vegan chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh spinach. It’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for a comforting dinner for any night of the week.
Why This Recipe Works
If you’re looking for a comforting pasta dish, this is the right recipe for you! This Tuscan pasta is a fuss-free recipe that is incredibly comforting and ready in no time! 20 minutes is all you need.
It’s a rich and hearty pasta dish that is completely plant-based. It’s the perfect recipe for busy weeknights, but it’s also fancy enough for special occasions.
The savory taste of the vegan chicken blends perfectly with the tangy sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes and the fresh taste of sautéed spinach. The spinach does not only add a dose of healthy greens, but it also perfectly balances the richness of the sauce.
For the creamy sauce I use soy-based vegan cream or full-fat coconut milk. You could also use a blend of cashews and unsweetened plant-based milk like I did in my recipe for creamy vegan gnocchi. It’s so easy to make incredibly creamy and rich sauces without using dairy products!
If you are not a fan of meat replacements, swap out the vegan chicken for tofu or tempeh, or add other vegetables like mushrooms or cherry tomatoes for extra flavor and nutrition. Chickpeas are also a great replacement for the vegan chicken.
I love that this recipe is super versatile. You can easily adjust the recipe to suit your personal taste or to use up whatever you have in your fridge or pantry.
Plus, the recipe comes together very quickly, so it’s perfect for those days when you feel like eating something healthy and comforting but don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen.
So give this recipe a try and I hope you will like it just as much as we do around here!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Vegan Chicken – use your favorite brand. If you’re not a fan of vegan meat replacements, you can easily replace it with chickpeas or smoked tofu.
- Pasta – I used penne, but rotini or fettuccine are also a great choice.
- Vegan Cream – I used soy-based vegan cooking cream, but the recipe also works well with full-fat canned coconut milk.
- Garlic – fresh garlic.
- Onion
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – in oil.
- Nutritional Yeast – gives the sauce a cheesy, nutty flavor.
- Spices – I used an Italian spice blend.
- Tomato Paste
- Spinach – use fresh spinach or baby spinach.
- Basil – fresh basil to serve.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package and set aside.
2. Step: Finely chop the onion and the garlic. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
3. Step: Heat some olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Then, add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Step: In a second pan, pan-fry the vegan chicken pieces until crispy and lightly browned.
5. Step: Wash the spinach.
6. Step: Add the spinach together with the spices and the nutritional yeast to the pan with the sun-dried tomatoes and onion.
7. Step: Add the vegan cooking cream or coconut milk. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Step: Then add the vegan chicken.
9. Step: Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh basil.
Tips & Tricks
- I used store-bought soy-based vegan cooking cream for this recipe. For a healthier version, you could also blend unsweetened almond milk with cashews or cashew butter like I did in my recipe for creamy vegan gnocchi.
Storing
Stored in an airtight container, the pasta will last 3-4 days.
Variations
This recipe is super flexible. You can easily leave out the vegan chicken if you are not a fan of vegan meat replacements.
This dish is also great with:
- chickpeas
- mushrooms
- olives
Related Recipes
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegan Tuscan pasta as much as we do around here.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Tuscan Pasta
Equipment
- 2 pans
- 1 chopping board
- 1 kitchen knife
- 1 colander
Ingredients
- 10 oz penne
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- 1 package vegan "chicken" pieces use your favorite brand
- 2 cups vegan cooking cream or full-fat canned coconut cream
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package and set aside.
- Finely chop the onion and the garlic. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Then, add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
- In a second pan, pan-fry the vegan chicken pieces until crispy and lightly browned.
- Wash the spinach.
- Add the spinach together with the spices and the nutritional yeast to the pan with the sun-dried tomatoes and onion.
- Add the vegan cooking cream or coconut milk. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add the vegan chicken.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and add the fresh basil.
Notes
- I used store-bought soy-based vegan cooking cream for this recipe. For a healthier version, you could also blend unsweetened almond milk with cashews or cashew butter like I did in my recipe for creamy vegan gnocchi.
- Stored in an airtight container, the pasta will last 3-4 days.
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