Vegan Creamy Pasta: A Veggie-Filled Summer Comfort Food

I love vegetables.

I mean, I have to if I’m not going to eat meat or dairy, right? So, it will come as no surprise to most of you that when I make any sort of spaghetti sauce, I add a TON of veggies instead of meat. 

Summer is a fabulous time of year to add all these vegetables to your pasta—because they’re all fresh! As we near the end of summer and everyone has loads of zucchini and squash, I wanted to give you a way to use some of those summer veggies. 

So that’s how we got here: my creamy vegan pasta recipe, chock-full of vegetables, but delicious and easy enough to be comfort food.

The power of zucchini

Zucchini is such an amazing vegetable (okay, okay, I know it’s technically a fruit; whatever!) to add to your diet. It’s low in calories but high in nutrients. One medium zucchini has potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, magnesium, and manganese, among other nutrients. 

• Vitamin C is, of course, an immune booster—and who doesn’t want a boosted immune system going into the fall and winter? 
• Vitamin A is also an immune booster and great for your eyes, too. 
• Magnesium is good for your gastrointestinal tract. It also promotes better sleep and relieves pre-menstrual symptoms. 
• Manganese helps promote healthy bones and regulation of glucose metabolism. 

Zucchini is also high in antioxidants, which are important cancer fighters! 

Related: How to Eat More Plants in 2021: An Easy 6-Step Guide

Now that you know all about zucchini, let’s learn about this creamy vegan pasta! 

This pasta recipe is pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few tips to help you maximize both flavor and efficiency:

1. While it’s best practice to chop everything before beginning to cook, I like to do everything at once to save myself a little time. I start sauteing the onion, then mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the pan, then chop the zucchini/squash and mushrooms and add those in.
2. I used penne, but you could use literally any pasta! I also use the protein pasta instead of wheat pasta to boost the protein a little. 
3. Use red lentils, not green or brown. Red lentils take less time to cook, so I don’t recommend switching them out.
4. You can add or subtract any type of vegetable! I used zucchini, squash, and mushrooms, but you could easily add broccoli or leave the mushrooms out. This recipe is a use-up-the-produce-in-the-fridge kind of recipe, so almost any vegetable could work. 
5. To up my veggie game, I typically serve this with a side vegetable that isn’t in the pasta. One night, I served it with steamed broccoli—and another, I paired it with sauteed green beans. It’s the perfect way to use up your dying veggies! 
6. Don’t be afraid to add more seasoning. I like to add more fennel and crushed red pepper flakes to mine. The pasta wasn’t very spicy to me the way the recipe is written, but I live in the Midwest—so I’m sure some of my friends would argue with me on that!

And that’s it! This recipe is super easy and comes together so quickly that I can throw it together at the end of a 10-hour workday. If you try it, please let us know what you think—and don’t forget to tag us @plum_savory on Instagram with beautiful photos of your creations!

Cheers, 
Elana

Creamy Vegan Pasta: A Summer Comfort Food

This creamy vegan pasta is chock-full of veggies, so it's the perfect quick comfort food for summer. Enjoy!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash diced
• 8 ounces Portobello mushrooms sliced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 25 ounces marinara
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes*
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil optional
• 8 ounces pasta cooked al dente

Instructions

 

• Heat large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil (2 Tblsp) and white onion (1/2). Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic (2) and cook for additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add zucchini/yellow squash (2), portobello mushrooms (8oz), and sea salt (1tsp). Cook for additional 8-10 minutes, until squash and mushrooms are soft.
• Add marinara (25oz), water (1c), red lentils (1/2c), fennel (1.5tsp), and crushed red pepper flakes (1/2tsp). Bring to simmer. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until lentils have softened.
• Prepare your pasta while lentils are cooking.
• Add basil (optional) and pasta and enjoy!
• Serve with garlic bread, steamed vegetables, and a salad!
• Will keep in sealed container in refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Notes

*Crushed red pepper flakes are optional depending on your personal spice tolerance.

• Basil is also optional to add at the end. I liked the combination of basil and fennel, but my husband is not. If you’re unsure, try adding basil after plating instead of to the whole pan.
• I used penne pasta, but you could literally use any pasta for this dish.

Keyword comfort food, seasonal vegetables, vegan, vegetarian