This creamy 15-minute Vegan Artichoke Pasta is vegan, healthy, and high in protein. A quick and easy recipe. Budget-friendly ingredients with an option for oil-free.
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I took a traditional spinach artichoke dip, turned it on its head, and created a most delicious vegan pasta.
This nondairy vegan cashew cheese sauce is so creamy and delicious, you won't miss the dairy! Artichoke hearts and miso give this Artichoke Pasta a unique twist and pack in umami flavor. The roasted chickpea croutons balance the dish with plant-based protein. Best of all, this recipe takes just 15 minutes to make.
This dish was inspired by quick and easy Pesto Pasta with Tofu on this site, as well as my Vegan Pasta Bake with Mushrooms, both creamy, vegan, and loaded with umami.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are budget-friendly, except for maybe the cashews. It's best to buy these from the bulk section in your supermarket. These are much cheaper than the prepackaged options.
- Pasta
- Chickpeas
- Olive oil or lemon juice
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Ground mustard seed
- Raw cashews
- Mellow miso
- Garlic
- Onion powder
- Lemon zest and juice
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Jarred marinated artichoke hearts
- Baby spinach
See the recipe card for quantities.
🥬 Substitutions & Variations
- Artichoke hearts - Use jarred or canned artichoke hearts. Try to find the marinated variety for more flavor.
- Miso - Use mellow or white miso. You can use nutritional yeast instead in the same quantity but don't dissolve it in water.
- Spinach - use regular spinach or kale instead of baby spinach as desired (make sure to destem and chop the leaves)
- Chickpeas - Roasting the chickpeas is optional. Instead, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas directly to the sauce with the artichoke when warming. Or you can skip the chickpeas altogether.
- Non-dairy milk - Use an unsweetened nondairy milk of your choice. My preferred types are oat and soy. Both add a creamier texture to the sauce and are nutritious.
- Make a dip - To turn this Artichoke Pasta into a dip - skip the pasta and bake the sauce with the spinach and artichoke hearts, covered with foil in a medium casserole dish, for 25 minutes. Serve with toasted pita or crudités.
See this Pesto Pasta with Tofu on my website for another protein-rich pasta. Visit my Vegan Pasta Recipes page for more quick and easy pasta ideas.
📖 How to Make Vegan Artichoke Pasta
Cook the pasta until al dente according to the packet directions and set aside.
Step 1. Roast the chickpeas at 425ºF for 15 minutes. Broil for about 3 minutes more, or until golden brown and crispy. For oil-free, you can replace the olive oil with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Step 2. Blend the ingredients for the creamy cashew sauce. Transfer the sauce to a large nonstick sauté pan or skillet and add the artichoke hearts.
Step 3. Warm the sauce over low heat, and be sure to stir constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the spinach and mix.
💡 Expert Tips
- Equipment: Use a high-speed blender for a creamier sauce. These types of blenders are best for nut sauces. If you don't have one, soak the cashews beforehand.
- Roasting the chickpeas is optional. Instead, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas directly to the sauce with the artichoke when warming. Or you can skip the chickpeas altogether.
- For the cashew sauce: Dissolve the miso in water before adding it to the blender. Miso does not blend well and you don't want to end up with chunks of miso in your sauce!
- Use an unsweetened nondairy milk of your choice. My preferred types are oat and soy. Both add a creamier texture to the sauce and are nutritious.
- Use canned or jarred marinated artichokes for more flavor.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Artichoke Pasta in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Store the pasta and the sauce in two separate containers. Add water to the saucepan to reheat the sauce until the desired consistency. These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
🍽 Related Recipes
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
1. Soaking nuts improves your body's ability to absorb the nutrients. Nuts are very nutritious but contain nutritional inhibitors to protect those nutrients. Soaking nuts in water unlocks these nutrients.
2. They become softer and easier to blend, resulting in a smoother sauce.
3. It improves their flavor and texture, making them more buttery and creamy.
The harder the nut, the longer the soaking time. Almonds are best soaked overnight, whereas cashews need only a few hours.
Place the nuts in a container spacious enough to hold them once they expand. Add room temperature water to cover. Rinse the nuts and seeds once they are done soaking.
For storing, place them in a paper towel in an airtight container and refrigerate for about 1 week. Rinse them daily and replace the paper towel.
If you forget to soak your nuts and seeds, use the quick soak method. Place them in a saucepan with water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sit for about 30 minutes.
Make this creamy vegan pasta.
Use them as a pizza topping.
Make creamy spinach and artichoke dip.
Use as a topping for crispy toasts with vegan ricotta, lemon zest, and flaky salt.
Roast alongside diced potatoes.
Toss into risotto.
Make a gratin.
Eats the straight out of the jar!
👩🏽🍳 Made This Recipe?
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I would love it if you would ⭐️ rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.
Vegan Artichoke Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry pasta
- 15 ounces chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- Drizzle of olive oil or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard seed
- Salt to taste
- 1 ¼ cups raw cashews soaked and drained
- 2 tablespoons white miso dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 small lemon juice and zest
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened nondairy milk
- 12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts jarred or canned (quartered and marinated), diced
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- Roast the chickpeas: Rub the chickpeas between the layers of a kitchen or paper towel to dry. Transfer to a medium rimmed baking sheet and toss with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard seed, and salt to taste. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until crispy. (Optional: Broil for 2 minutes more for extra crispy.)
- Make the sauce: Transfer the cashews, dissolved miso, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice and zest, and nondairy milk to a blender. Blend on high until smooth.
- Combine and warm: Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach. Mix and heat until warmed through. Add water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the desired amount of cooked pasta.
- For serving: Top with the roasted chickpeas.
Notes
- Equipment: Use a high speed blender for a creamier sauce. These types of blenders are best for nut sauces. If you don't have one, soak the cashews beforehand.
- Roasting the chickpeas is optional. Instead, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas directly to the sauce with the artichoke when warming. Or you can skip the chickpeas altogether.
- Use canned or jarred marinated artichokes for more flavor.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining15-Minute Artichoke Pasta in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Store the pasta and the sauce in two separate containers. Add water to the saucepan for reheating the sauce until the desired consistency. These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Nicole says
I never rate the recipes that I try, but this was soooo freaking delicious that I had to come back to give it 5 stars. Perfect for valentines or whenever you want a delicious healthy meal. Love the smoky flavor of the miso. I used half the dry pasta cause I like it saucy and it came out perfect for me! Used the same on all the other ingredients.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I loved reading your comment! Thank you for taking the time to come back and write one! So appreciated. Glad it was such a hit.
Matt says
This came out great. I didn’t know what miso tastes like and have had mixed results with ground nuts in sauces, so I didn’t know what to expect, but damn this one’s a keeper. Because of what I had available, I substituted 2% milk for the non dairy milk, almonds for the cashews, and lemon juice from a bottle, and for extra water while heating the sauce I used the liquid from the artichokes. And still it was great. Thanks for this.
Nisha Melvani says
Hi! Using artichoke liquid is a great idea! I'll remember that tip. Thank you.
Emily G says
Truly one of the best recipes. You are the best doing it!
Nisha Melvani says
So kind of you to say. Thank you so much. Happy New Year.
Amina says
A recipe that has all my favourite things in it. Love the sweetness of the artichoke, the umami flavour of the miso and the earthiness of chickpeas. The spinach is a brilliant addition. I will make this over and over again. Love.