This creamy vegan spinach artichoke pasta is perfect for weeknight dinners because it's made in one pot in less than 30 minutes! It uses cashew cream and lemon zest to make a rich and zesty dairy-free cream sauce.
If you've visited my blog before, you may know that I love sharing one pot pasta recipes. I also love spinach artichoke dip, so why not combine the two into one dish?
This vegan spinach artichoke pasta is creamy and filled with that classic spinach-artichoke flavor, but it's 100% dairy-free and vegan.
Just like with the spicy vegan pasta I shared last week, we're using cashew cream to thicken the spinach artichoke pasta sauce. See the FAQ below for substitution tips for a nut-free option.
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Recipe features
- Quick & easy: cooked together in one pot in less than 30 minutes.
- Flavors: Made with a creamy, lemon-y, and zesty alfredo-style sauce.
- Versatile: Easy to customize using your favorite pasta and veggies. Spinach artichoke pasta is perfect for weeknight dinners and makes great leftovers.
Ingredients
- Fettuccine is my favorite shape for spinach artichoke pasta, but any kind of pasta works.
- Spinach: I use fresh spinach. Thawed frozen spinach should work if that's what you have on hand.
- Artichokes: We use one can of quartered artichoke hearts in brine.
- Cashew cream is made with raw unsalted cashews, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and water. It can be made while the pasta cooks or prepped in advance. Learn more about cashew cream.
- Vegetable broth: The pasta cooks in vegetable broth. Water can be used in a pinch, but the pasta will lose some flavor. Make sure to salt well if using water.
- Shallots and garlic give a rich, aromatic base. Yellow onion can be used if you can't find shallots.
Step by step instructions
- Heat tall-walled skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Once hot, add roughly chopped shallot. Sauté until golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic. Cook another minute, until aromatic. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a rapid simmer.
- Once simmering, add in the fettucine. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook until fettucine is al dente, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, remove the lid. Stir in the artichoke hearts, nutritional yeast, black pepper, cashew cream, and spinach. Continue simmering uncovered to thicken the pasta as needed.
Cassidy's top tips
- To avoid overcooking the pasta, always let the broth/sauce come to a simmer before adding pasta.
- Cover the pasta while it cooks to avoid evaporating too much liquid. Stir the pasta every 5 minutes to keep it from sticking to itself.
- The pasta sauce should be at a low simmer. You can tell it is at a low simmer because only a few bubbles will rise to the surface at a time, whereas a rapid simmer has many bubbles rising at a time.
- Pasta sauce not thick enough? Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high heat. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency.
- Protein: Add a can of chickpeas or white beans along with the artichokes for extra protein. Or top with air fryer tofu or air fryer chickpeas.
- Toppings: Vegan Parmesan is a must (I use Follow Your Heart brand). Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
FAQ
I haven't tested the recipe with anything other than cashew cream, but you can try adding vegan cream cheese or coconut cream. This will provide the same creaminess but may add a slightly different flavor to the final dish.
Canned artichokes work best in this recipe for the sake of time, but any kind of cooked artichokes will work if you have them on hand.
Yes, gluten-free pasta works but cooking time may different based on brand used. Gluten-free pasta is often more delicate and can easily overcook in one pot pastas, so make sure to keep an eye on it while it is cooking.
Storage notes
- Refrigerate leftover spinach artichoke pasta in an airtight for 3-4 days.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave in just 2 minutes. Reheat on the stove top over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of vegetable broth to the thin the sauce.
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Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta (One Pot)
Ingredients
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium shallots roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 and ½ cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest from ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, Vegan parmesan for garnishing
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews plus water for soaking
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ small lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Before you begin, cover cashews with at least one inch of almost boiling water in a heat-safe bowl. Soak for 10-15 minutes. Make sure to reserve the soaking liquid.
- Heat a medium to large tall-walled skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add roughly chopped shallot. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic. Cook another minute, until aromatic. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a rapid simmer.
- Once simmering, add in the fettucine. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until fettucine is al dente, stirring every 5 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the cashew cream by mixing together the soaked cashews, ¾ reserved soaking liquid, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, remove the lid. Stir in the artichoke hearts, nutritional yeast, black pepper, spinach, and 1 cup of cashew cream. For a thicker sauce, increase heat to medium-high heat and simmer uncovered until thickened.
- Serve garnished with freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and vegan shredded Parmesan.
Video
Notes
- Pasta: Any shape of pasta works in this recipe.
- Cashew cream alternates: I have only tested this recipe with cashew cream. For a nut-free option, you can try vegan cream cheese or coconut cream. Vegan heavy cream, which is available at a lot of grocery stores these days, is also a good option. Start with ¼ cup and add more as needed.
- Leftover and reheating: Refrigerate leftover spinach artichoke pasta in an airtight for 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave in just 2 minutes. Reheat on the stove top over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of vegetable broth to the thin the sauce.
Dody says
When subbing with coconut cream or vegan cream cheese, are the other ingredients/measurements the same?
Cassidy Reeser says
All other ingredients and instructions would remain the same. Enjoy!
Kathleen says
Just started on the plant based journey 3 weeks ago. Been eating a lot of salads! Decided I needed to do better than that and this is one of my first “real” recipes. It was so good. Very easy to make. My husband, who is not following in my pb footsteps, really liked it too! Will be making it often. Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
I'm so glad you liked it! Good luck on your plant based journey and thanks for trying my recipe 🙂