Looking for a fresh yet decadent pasta dish to savor those last zucchini of summer? This easy creamy vegan zucchini pasta is perfect for bringing out all those late-summer flavors! With simple ingredients like zucchini, cannellini beans, and lemon, this vegan pasta recipe is bound to become a staple for your summer pasta nights.
You Will Love This Recipe
- Packed with Flavor: This pasta dish boasts a creamy vegan sauce loaded with fresh zucchini, garlic, and a hint of lemon zest for a vibrant vegetal taste that highlights the best of the late summer season.
- Perfect Texture: Using chickpea penne or your favorite pasta ensures the noodles are perfectly al dente, making for a satisfying bite with a creamy consistency in the sauce.
- Easy to Make: With a few simple ingredients, a large skillet, and a pot of salted water, you'll have a delicious pasta dish ready in just half an hour.
- So Satisfying: With 14 grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein, this vegan pasta will leave you feeling full for hours!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chickpea Penne: A great gluten-free pasta option that adds protein and fiber. You can use any favorite pasta of yours, like gluten-free fusilli, regular penne, or even zucchini noodles for a lighter twist.
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and depth of flavor. A good quality extra virgin olive oil works best for this recipe.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves provide a robust flavor that complements the creamy sauce. Garlic powder or a low fodmap garlic replacer can be used as well.
- Cannellini Beans: These white beans are the star of our creamy sauce. Sub with cooked chickpeas or butter beans for a slightly different flavor profile.
- Zucchini: Fresh zucchini is a key ingredient in this pasta dish.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a little bit of heat. This is optional and can be adjusted to your liking.
- Lemon Zest and Juice: Gives the sauce a bright, tangy flavor that's a great way to balance the creaminess. Apple cider or white wine vinegar can also work if lemons aren't available.
- Parsley: Fresh herbs like parsley or basil enhance the dish's flavor. I prefer parsley here, but basil is a close second if you've grown a bunch!
- Walnuts: Add a pleasant crunch and extra savory flavor. Pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or vegan parmesan cheese are also great topping options.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Toast: Heat olive oil in a large sauteé pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and cook, stirring often, until color deepens, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the pan.
2. Sweat: Add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the large sautée pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and golden.
3. Sauté: Add the beans, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes until some beans develop a golden color. While the beans cook, finely grate the zucchini using a box grater.
4. Combine: Add the zucchini and miso to the pan and cook, stirring intermittently, until the zucchini has softened, about 5-10 minutes.
5. Boil: Start cooking the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve about 2 cups of pasta water and set it aside.
6. Thin: As the pasta continues to cook, add 1 cup of pasta water to thin the sauce.
7. Smash: Use the back of a spoon to smash most of the beans. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more pasta water. Continue cooking, stirring, and smashing beans for another 5 minutes or until the sauce appears creamy, with the zucchini having softened and broken down.
8. Adjust: Turn off the stove and mix in the lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until it is evenly coated. If the sauce is too thick, add some more pasta water. If too thin, turn the heat to medium and allow some water to cook out. Taste and adjust the seasoning, pasta water, and/or lemon as desired.
9. Serve: Transfer the pasta to a bowl and optionally top it with the walnuts and oil, as well as a few parsley leaves, before serving.
Storage
Make-ahead: This creamy vegan zucchini pasta dish can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Reheating: To reheat, add a splash of water or vegetable broth to the pasta and heat it over medium heat in a Dutch oven or a large skillet, stirring occasionally until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, pausing once to stir.
Variations
- Add Nutritional Yeast: Sprinkle nutritional yeast into the sauce for an extra flavor boost and a cheesy taste.
- Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce: Add some coconut milk or cashew cream to the zucchini sauce with the parsley and lemon for a more decadent sauce.
- Extra Veg: Incorporate other favorite vegetables like caramelized onions or charred grape tomatoes to add more depth and color to the dish.
Expert Tips
- Always reserve a cup or two of salted pasta water when cooking pasta. It's the secret to achieving a pasta that is well-coated in a luscious sauce.
- Using chickpea or lentil-based pasta not only makes this recipe gluten-free, it also means there's over 20 grams of satiating protein per serving!
- If you love this recipe, try my chickpea broccoli pasta next, which actually inspired this dish.
FAQ
Absolutely! This recipe is written gluten-free as-is. Just double-check that your miso is gluten-free, as some brands may contain gluten. I like to use Miso Master or Muso white miso; both are certified gluten-free.
Recipe
Easy Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
Walnut Topping (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts,
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pasta
- 1 (13 oz) box chickpea penne (or: favorite pasta)
- 2 cups pasta water, reserved from cooking pasta
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 medium/large zucchini
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste
- ½ fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, adds a mild heat)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, few leaves reserved for garnish
- coarse salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Optional for walnut topping: Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large sauteé pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and cook, stirring often, until color deepens, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the pan.
- Add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the large sautée pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and golden.
- Add the beans, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes until some beans develop a golden color. While the beans cook, finely grate the zucchini using a box grater.
- Add the zucchini and miso to the pan and cook, stirring intermittently, until the zucchini has softened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve about 2 cups of pasta water and set it aside.
- Add 1 cup of pasta water to thin the sauce and allow it to simmer on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- When the sauce has thickened a bit, use the back of a spoon to smash most of the beans. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more pasta water. Continue cooking, stirring, and smashing beans for another 5 minutes or until the sauce appears creamy, with the zucchini having softened and broken down.
- Turn off the stove and mix in the lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until it is evenly coated. If the sauce is too thick, add some more pasta water. If too thin, turn the heat on to medium and allow some water to cook out. Taste and adjust the seasoning, pasta water, and/or lemon as desired.
- Transfer the pasta to a bowl and optionally top it with the walnuts and oil, and a few parsley leaves, before serving.
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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