Pasta
Our 44 Best Vegetarian Pasta Recipes Of. All. Time.
We've got one for every night and every mood.
If I got stuck on a desert island, I would ask to take my toothbrush, a two-quart pot, and a lifetime supply of spaghetti (whole-wheat, please) plus tomato sauce (Marcella Hazan's or this buttery no-cook number). As a vegetarian, I eat pasta an astonishing number of times each week, relying on it for just about everything.
Do I need a quick and convenient dinner? There's a pasta for that. Am I trying to impress my boyfriend's family? I turn to pasta, too. Am I feeling a little down? Who but pasta could see me through? Pasta's also the perfect vehicle for many vegetables, when I don't really feel like eating vegetables (yes, even vegetarians have this problem).
For these occasions and more, here are 44 vegetarian pasta recipes that prove that pasta is the answer to every question.
1. Garlicky Whole-Wheat Pasta with Fried Hazelnuts
This pasta converted a whole-wheat hater into a lifelong fan, and to this I say: Welcome to the dark side. We have lots of spicy, lemony sauces and crispy fried hazelnuts here.
2. A Cure for the Blues Pasta
Of course vegetable whisperer and all-around Genius Deborah Madison came up with this quickie, ultra-comforting dynamo. While it undoubtedly cures all blues (it's filled with funky Gorgonzola cheese and toasty walnuts, for crying out loud), you should really be eating it every day as a preventative measure.
3. Kasha Varnishkes
In this dish, nutty, crunchy buckwheat groats team up with deeply caramelized onions and mushrooms. The only thing that could make this situation better is...well...pasta, and luckily, tender farfalle's in the mix, too.
4. Chickpea Fettuccine with Harissa, Kale & Olives
Nutty, gluten-free chickpea-flour noodles are the perfect bed for earthy kale, smoky harissa paste, and Kalamata olives, which bring a briny bite. Feel free to swap out the chickpea fettuccine with the durum variety—and maybe even add cooked chickpeas to the whole thing.
5. Two-Pan Pasta with Spinach, Walnuts & Lemon
What do you get when you put together al dente spaghetti, a tangy crème fraîche–white wine sauce, a bunch of spinach, and crispy toasted walnuts? A really good thing, that's what. It's also infinitely riffable—use any kind of green or nut or noodle you have on hand.
6. Pasta with Gorgonzola, Radicchio, Walnuts & Orange
Gorgonzola and walnuts, we meet again—and on pasta! How about that. This time, slightly bitter radicchio and a whole orange's worth of zest bring a ton of pep and personality.
7. Creamy Asparagus, Lemon & Walnut Pasta
Just 15 minutes separates you from creamy, zesty, noodle-y glory, packed with asparagus and toasty walnuts. Who says good things only come to those who wait?
8. Creamy Raw Asparagus Pesto
Run out of ways to use up all that asparagus on your hands? Really go for it here by blitzing up a creamy, hearty asparagus–ricotta pesto, and put it on just about everything (notably, cute little twirls of fusilli).
9. Tagliarini with Asparagus & Herbs
Ruth Rogers of the famed River Café London has given us so many gifts, and this tangle of tagliarini with crunchy asparagus spears and about a million herbs is no exception. It's pretty much springtime in a bowl.
10. Craig Claiborne's Pasta con Asparagi
As Genius Recipes excavator Kristen Miglore says, this asparagus-centric pasta from Craig Claiborne is "a mashup of all the best pasta sauces—tomato, asparagus, and carbonara—with surprisingly harmonious results." Kristen, we're so in.
11. One-Pan Pea, Lemon & Asparagus Pasta
Little coins of asparagus, sorrel, and flecks of fresh mint perk up this springy bowl of pasta beautifully—and more beautiful yet is that all the action happens in one bowl (and 20 minutes!). You won't regret adding this to your to-make list.
12. Asparagus Pasta with Pistachio Aillade
This pasta definitely doesn't skimp on the veg—it's got two whole pounds of asparagus!—but what really makes it shine is the aillade, a "simple, sublime sauce of pounded nuts and garlic from southern France." Yes, please. Pro tip: It's just as good at room temp as it is warm.
13. Middle Eastern Mac & Cheese With Za’atar Pesto
Zippy preserved lemon, floral za'atar, and crispy-crunchy fried onions top off an absolutely glorious spread of mac and cheese. We have Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad, plus the other fine folks at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, to thank for this little number. Thanks!
14. Swiss Chard Stalk Pesto With Pepitas
Turns out Swiss chard stalks don't belong in the compost—they belong in your pesto, along with a ton of crunchy pepitas, fennel seeds, and cheese.
15. Jamie Oliver's Super Green Spaghetti
This super-quick take on kale pesto pasta (done in well under 15 minutes!) is a game changer, for sure. Don't believe me? By the time you've doubted, you could've finished eating it.
16. Creamy Pesto Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes
Folks, this one's ultra-creamy—and ultra-vegan! Fragrant pesto does a dance with cashew cheese, and our spaghetti hasn't been the same since.
17. Linguine with Red Pesto & Corn
The ripest summer plum tomatoes, almonds, and celery leaves make the summer-iest pesto out there. Top it with raw fresh corn, cut off the cob, and you've peaked.
18. Kale Pesto Orecchiette
Pesto traditionalists, hold on to your hats—no herbs and nuts in this rendition. But trust me and try it anyway. There's a whole lot of garlic, and cheese.
19. Mezzi Rigatoni with Broccoli Pesto & Smoked Mozzarella
Green is good, especially in this bubbly baked pasta with broccoli pesto. Smoked mozzarella takes it to a whole other level.
20. Fusilli with Kale-Cashew Pesto
Another kale-y riff on our herbaceous friend. Creamy cashews guest star, too, to make a deliciously rich and full-bodied sauce.
21. Pasta With Green Pea Sauce & Lots of Pecorino
This is technically pesto insofar that it's a bright, light, very-green sauce with lots of sharp cheese and olive oil. Call it whatever you want, though—we'll take two bowls, please and thanks.
22. Spaghetti with Charred Scallion Sauce
A vision of summer! This allium-ified spaghetti uses scallions in three ways, to three different effects (hint: one of them is charred to smoky perfection).
23. One-Pot Pasta Primavera
So. Many. Vegetables! And so. Few. Dishes! Embrace the combo—and then make it rain with cheese.
24. Pasta with Romanesco, Capers & Chiles
Geometric romanesco (which looks a little like a green cauliflower who got a fun haircut) gets up close and personal with toasty tomato paste, plumped-up golden raisins, briny capers, and a splash of dry white wine. This whole mess is tossed with curly or tubey pasta, so the sauce can really get in there.
25. Easy Summer Pasta
If you can throw stuff on a sheet pan, then you can make this. And you'll be rewarded for it handily, with a ratatouille-like roasted-veg mix that a healthy handful of penne can sop right up.
26. Spicy Eggplant Pasta
This crowd-pleasing pasta couldn't be easier—and it's vegan, to boot. Just dice up summer's best eggplant and plum tomatoes; sauté in a pan with garlic, onion, and a bunch of red pepper flakes; throw on linguine; wonder why you didn't make this sooner.
27. Pasta with Tomatoes, Corn, Squash & Ricotta
Juicy, sweet tomatoes create the beginnings of a sauce for this super-simple summery pasta. It's finished off with a few dollops of creamy ricotta, because ricotta's always a great decision.
28. Penne with Sweet Summer Vegetables, Pine Nuts & Herbs
Another vegan hit! Caramelized, basically-falling-apart vegetables envelope penne in this dish, and the whole thing's topped with crunchy, buttery, irresistible pine nuts. Fresh basil and oregano add some brightness and pep at the end.
29. Summer Raw Pasta Sauce with Spaghetti
This pasta is basically a salad, since everything except the spaghetti's raw (read: even easier to put together). It's also full of super-flavorful, brilliantly textured bites, like soft, sweet mozzarella and salty olives.
30. Pasta With 10-Minute Tomato Sauce
The trick to making a deeply flavored sauce in just 10 minutes is using three types of tomatoes: tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, and canned cherry tomatoes. “It's a ridiculously easy, deeply satisfying dinner that can be made anytime of year, with one of the best effort to reward ratios I've found,” says recipe developer EmilyC.
31. Pasta With Silkiest Eggplant Sauce From Francis Lam
Here, eggplant is cooked on the stove until soft, then mashed into a silky, smooth purée. That, along with a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil, forms the basis of this pasta sauce, best served with linguine, spaghetti, or another long noodle.
32. Cheesy Tortellini Salad
“Frozen tortellini is an easy swap for standard penne or farfalle,” says Marissa Mullen of this super-adaptable pasta salad. “Full of rich cheese, tortellini add a decadent, creamy base to contrast the fresh, crunchy vegetables.”
33. Pasta with Yogurt, Green Peas & All the Herbs
An unbelievably creamy pasta—without a lick of cream (thanks, Greek yogurt)! Three kinds of deeply caramelized alliums, sweet peas, and a ton of chopped herbs brighten it all up.
34. L’Artusi’s Famous Mushroom Ragu With Fresh Garganelli
This is what happens when almost-pureed mushrooms get roasty-toasty with cream, tomato paste, and a dry white wine: a meaty, luxurious, chock-full-of-flavor sauce that's 100% vegetarian. It's also incredibly easy to make at home.
35. Miso-Mushroom Pasta
Funky red miso stands up beautifully to a host of mushrooms in this hearty, comforting pasta sauce. And as I always say, double the umami, double the fun.
36. Pasta With White Wine Sauce
This pasta is all about showcasing the flavors of white wine—amped up with butter, garlic, and other aromatics. Feel free to switch things up and add any greens, herbs, or spices you have on hand.
37. Smoky, Spicy Vegetarian Pasta with Eggs & Mushrooms
Recipe writer (and lifelong vegetarian) Sarah Jampel has never lusted after "porchetta or ragu, carnitas or banh mi—but of spaghetti carbonara, where the meat is more like the punctuation marks of a sentence than the letters themselves." So she set out to make a vegetarian version that has all of the verve of the smoky, porky dish. And my, did she succeed.
38. Pasta with Spring Vegetables, Bathed in Cream
How do you make a pasta packed with springy vegetables and zippy herbs even better? Bathe it all in heavy cream and cheese, of course.
39. Barbara Kafka's Creamy Lemon Pasta
This is the O.G. creamy pasta, for all you creamy pasta purists: It contains just three ingredients (one of them a whole cup of cream!) and requires just 15 minutes to whip up. Lemony luxury awaits.
40. Miso & Butternut Squash Pasta
Blended with red miso, roasted garlic, and pasta water, roasted, caramelized squash is transformed into a super creamy (and dairy-free) sauce.
41. Cheddar & Sour Cream Stovetop Mac
Tangy sour cream makes for a mac and cheese that’s creamy and rich, but not too heavy. We highly recommend making the panko topping for a textured, crunchy bite.
42. Cheesy Stuffed Shells With Kale Pesto
For cheesy stuffed shells with ample nutritional value, look no further than this recipe. Jumbo shells are stuffed with creamy ricotta, kale's blended up into a smooth sauce and tossed with white beans, and the whole thing is baked on a bed of your favorite prepared marinara sauce and topped with mountains of gooey cheese.
43. Mushroom Pasta With Pepper & Pecorino
This one's reminiscent of cacio e pepe, but with lots more umami—all because of mixed mushrooms. Pepper and pecorino are part of the recipe title, so sprinkle some extra of each over the top when you serve it up.
44. Vegan Pasta Al Limone(ish)
This one's not just vegetarian, it's vegan! But it doesn't feel any less special than your traditional plate of pasta al limone. Trust me, I wrote this recipe, and ate it for months without getting tired of it. That's how you know it's good!
Written by: Brinda Ayer
Popular on Food52
12 Comments
See what other Food52 readers are saying.