Vegan Mushroom Pasta

Need a new weeknight dinner that's packed with flavor? Try this vegan mushroom pasta with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts and fresh herbs! It's easy to make in about 30 minutes and tastes great as leftovers the next day.

🍝 Why We Love This Recipe

• Quick and easy: Our vegan mushroom pasta only takes about 30 minutes to whip up, which means it's a great quick and easy weeknight dinner option.
• Layers of flavor: With shallots, garlic, white wine and fresh herbs as the base, plus meaty mushrooms, flavor-packed sun dried tomatoes and buttery pine nuts, each bite is packed with flavor.
• Allergy friendly: It's easy to make this vegan mushroom pasta gluten free and nut free with a few simple swaps.
• Basic pasta, elevated! We love mac and cheese as much as the next person, but this vegan mushroom pasta is a slightly elevated option for when you really want pasta, but also need an extra serving of veggies.

🍄 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this vegan mushroom pasta:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Mushrooms: We love using a mix of wild mushrooms in this vegan mushroom pasta. Different varieties (like shiitake, maitake, oyster, portobello, cremini, etc) all add different textures and slightly different flavors. We typically buy a variety pack of wild mushrooms from our local grocery store, but if you don't have that option, you can stick to one or two varieties. You can also simply use regular white button mushrooms for a more cost effective option.
• Sun dried tomatoes: I love how much flavor these add to this vegan mushroom pasta. We typically use oil-packed sun dried tomatoes since they tend to be softer than the ones sold in regular packaging. You can also substitute with fresh cherry tomatoes if preferred.
• Pine nuts: These are totally optional to add as a topper that provides some texture. We like them since they add a nice nutty crunch to the dish.
• Pasta: We opted for elbow pasta here, but you can use fusilli, penne, or whatever your preferred non-noodle pasta may be. You can also swap with your favorite gluten free pasta.
• Fresh herbs: We used fresh herbs in this recipe. If you elect to use dry, the rule of thumb for equating dry to fresh is 1 tablespoon fresh = 1 teaspoon dry.
• Spinach: Feel free to sub with another leafy green of choice, like kale or swiss chard.
• Shallots: Feel free to sub with yellow onion.
• White wine: A dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio is perfect in this vegan mushroom pasta. Just a small amount adds a lot of flavor!

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Prep: Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente, then drain.

(1) Toast pine nuts for 5-7 minutes in a small pan over low heat. Be sure to stir frequently, as pine nuts burn very easily. Remove from heat and set aside. 

(2) Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add shallots and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Add in garlic and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes.  

(3) Add mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. 

(4) Stir in spinach, parsley, thyme, sun dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook until the spinach has softened. Pour in broth, wine, and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes.

(5) Stir in the cooked pasta and let cook for a minute or two. Serve topped with toasted pine nuts and parmesan. 

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Salting your pasta water: Adding salt to your pasta water is the best way to season the pasta. As a general rule of thumb, we add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per quart of water. Add the salt before boiling. (It may sound like a lot, but most of it gets poured out when you drain the pasta!)
• A good rule of thumb for cooking pasta is that it's typically al dente after 10 minutes of boiling.
• When toasting the pine nuts, be sure to stir them frequently and keep an eye on them, as they burn very easily.
• Substitutions/additions: other ingredients that would taste great in this vegan mushroom pasta include:
  • Artichokes
  • Zucchini
  • Eggplant
  • Capers
  • Fresh tomatoes (grape, cherry or roma)
  • Red onion
  • Broccoli/broccolini
  • Olives
• To make this a full meal, consider adding a protein. For a vegan option, try adding white beans, chickpeas, or our favorite mediterranean grilled tofu. If you're not vegan, feel free to add something like grilled chicken or shrimp.
• Don't let the sauce reduce for too long/at too high heat: if the sauce reduces too much, there won't be enough to coat the pasta. Let the alcohol cook out of the wine for a minute or two, but don't feel the need to fully reduce or the pasta will end up too dry.
• Storage: store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Feel free to add a splash of vegetable broth to help moisten the pasta if it has dried out too much.

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