One Pot Vegan Pasta
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
If you love simple, it doesn’t get any simpler than a one pot meal. And if you love delicious, it doesn’t get more flavorful than this one pot vegan pasta! Penne cooks in a spicy sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper sauce. Then it’s covered in tomatoes and buttered breadcrumbs and broiled to bubbly perfection. It’s smoky, tangy, sweet, and savory – minus the dishes!
This delicious vegan pasta takes just one pot to whip up – Not one pot to cook the pasta and another for the sauce, just one pot total. Singular! The secret is cooking the pasta right in the sauce. After caramelizing the tomato paste and garlic, pour in some vegan milk, canned tomatoes, a few spices, and the pasta. The creamy magic happens when the starches are released from the pasta and mix with the dairy-free milk to create a luscious, silky sauce.
Once the pasta is cooked, you can either serve it straight away or top it with some sliced tomatoes and buttered breadcrumbs, then give it a quick broil. It’s special enough for entertaining or date night, yet simple enough to make on any regular weeknight!
Ingredients notes
Made from vegan ingredients, this one pot vegan pasta makes an irresistible dinner. Here’s what you need to know about the ingredients:
- Sun-dried tomatoes: The robust, deep umami yet slightly sweet flavor fills the dish with richness and complexity. If you’re not a fan, you can either omit them or use canned diced tomatoes.
- Vegan milk: This is the trickiest ingredient as you want it to have a neutral flavor. My favorite is oat milk.
What to serve with this dinner
This one-pot vegan pasta is satisfying as a standalone meal. If you’re enjoying a multi-course meal, open the evening with warm marinated olives or a white bean dip.
Round out the dinner with a side of pan seared brussels sprouts, a cucumber tomato salad, or roasted acorn squash
One Pot Vegan Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups vegan milk (unsweetened almond milk works well)
- 1 lb uncooked penne (gluten-free if needed)
- 2 roasted red peppers (chopped)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 3 handfuls of spinach
- ¼ cup torn basil
Topping
- 1 teaspoon vegan butter (melted)
- ¼ cup fine bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 5 Roma tomatoes (sliced thick)
Instructions
- Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil from your jar of sun-dried tomatoes into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic and cook until the tomato paste starts to darken and caramelize, about 3 minutes.¼ cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the vegan milk, penne, roasted red peppers, can of tomatoes, sea salt and chili flakes to the skillet and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the pasta is cooked through. Stir several times, especially at the beginning, to prevent the pasta from sticking to the skillet.2 cups vegan milk, 1 lb uncooked penne, 2 roasted red peppers, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- While the pasta is cooking, mix together the melted butter, breadcrumbs, and nutritional yeast in a small bowl. Set the oven rack in the top third of your oven and preheat on broil.1 teaspoon vegan butter, ¼ cup fine bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- When the pasta is al dente, stir in the spinach and basil and cover the top with the tomato slices. Broil until the tomatoes wilt and are brown in a few places, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs on top during the last minute. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.3 handfuls of spinach, ¼ cup torn basil, 5 Roma tomatoes
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Roasted red peppers? Do you purchase these somewhere or roast whole peppers in your oven in advance? Instructions, please.
You can buy them in the grocery store. They usually come in glass jars and are often found near pickles and jars of olives. Here’s a link to a jar of roasted red peppers on Amazon so you can see what to look for. Doesn’t need to be this brand. 🙂
Excellent! The only issue I had was that pasta was just a touch undercooked, and by then the sauce was so beautiful and thick I didn’t know if it would help to leave it cook longer. Other than that – rave reviews!
Wonderful! My whole family enjoyed it.
Fantastic recipe because the flavours really meld well when cooked together in one pot, I used frozen spinach and a whole lot more hot spice and it was perfect for us. Nice dish to prepare for company as it looks great in the pan. Thanks.
You’re so welcome!
Hi Kristen,
It looks really delicious! Do you think I could use chickpeas pasta? 🙂
Chickpea pasta can be a bit funny. I would use this recipe as a base but cook the pasta separately so it doesn’t get mushy. 🙂
Thinking about making this for a neighborhood lunch swap! I need a meal that will last about a week. About how long will this keep in the fridge?
This should last about a week. 🙂
Hi, I just wanted to know if it was possible to freeze it or if it’s better just putting it in the fridge?
Thank you for your recipe, I am really excited to try it.
I haven’t tried freezing it but most pasta does freeze quite well. 🙂
What temperature is the broil suppose to be set at?
To 500 degrees. 🙂
I cannot believe how easy and delicious this recipe is! Best pasta dish ever! I added gardein meatballs and it’s incredible! Excited to try your other recipes!
That is so great to hear! Thank you for taking the time to come back to let us know!
If we don’t have access to that particular brand of milk, can we use any almond milk or maybe homemade oat milk? Is there anything about that particular brand that makes it necessary in this recipe?
No you can use any neutral flavored milk. 🙂
I missed your first post on Veggemo. Will look for it when I’m out next. Fingers crossed.
Crossing my fingers for you, too! 🙂