Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta

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Pasta with all the creamy comfort of spinach artichoke dip? Sign us up! This comforting, veggie-filled dish comes together with simple methods and just 10 ingredients. It’s a weeknight dream! 

Bonus? This crowd-pleasing recipe is vegan, optionally gluten-free, and packed with vitamins and minerals (C, K, folate, iron, potassium, and more!). Let’s make pasta!

This creamy pasta party kicks off with cooking your favorite pasta and (quickly!) soaking cashews to soften them and ensure a more neutral flavor.

When your pasta is done cooking, you can use your now-empty pasta pot (yay, fewer dishes!) to sauté the shallot, garlic, artichoke hearts, and spinach. This enhances their sweetness and removes some moisture for best flavor!

Finish it off by adding your cooked pasta and the creamy cashew sauce, and stir it all up. And for an extra delicious final touch, garnish with vegan parmesan cheese and spicy red pepper flakes. Dinner is served!

We hope you LOVE this spinach artichoke dip pasta! It’s:

Creamy
Saucy
Garlicky
Veggie-packed
Easy to make
& SO delicious!

With 17 grams of protein per serving, it’s a comforting, plant-based meal all on its own! It would also pair well with roasted asparagus or Brussels sprouts, or grilled chicken or shrimp if not vegan/vegetarian.

Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta (1 Pot!)

Creamy vegan pasta with spinach and artichoke hearts. A weeknight-friendly meal made with simple methods and just 10 ingredients.

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Servings:

4 (Servings)

Course:

Entrée or Side

Cuisine:

Gluten-Free (optional), Italian-Inspired, Vegan

Freezer Friendly:

No

Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

SAUCE

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked
2. 3/4 cup water (or reserved pasta water from cooking pasta)
3. 1 Tbsp lemon juice
4. 1/2 tsp sea salt
5. 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

PASTA

Ingredients

1. 8-10 oz. dry pasta (gluten-free as needed // we like Jovial penne // or a legume-based pasta like Banza for more protein)
2. 1 Tbsp olive oil
3. 3/4 cup diced shallot (2 medium shallots yield ~3/4 cup or 105 g // or sub red onion)
4. 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
5. 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts in water, drained, finely chopped
6. 1 (5 oz.) package baby spinach (5 oz. yields ~7-8 cups)
7. 1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste)

FOR SERVING optional

Ingredients

1. Vegan parmesan cheese
2. Red pepper flakes (for heat)

Instructions

Cooking method

1. SOAK CASHEWS: Add cashews to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water by at least 1-2 inches. Soak for ~20 minutes.
2. PASTA: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
3. While pasta is cooking and cashews are soaking, chop the shallot, garlic, and artichoke hearts. Set aside.
4. SAUCE: Drain the cashews and add them to a high-speed blender (or small blender) with all remaining sauce ingredients: water, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast (optional). Blend until smooth and creamy — about 1 minute.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, Dutch oven, or large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped shallot and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium-low and sauté for 2-3 minutes more or until slightly caramelized.
6. Increase the heat to medium and add the chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 3-4 minutes to remove some of the liquid. Add the spinach and a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper and sauté for ~2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to wilt the spinach. If your spinach doesn’t all fit in the pan at once, simply add some, let it wilt, then add more. Keep going in this way until it’s all added. It’s okay if it doesn’t all go in at the same time.
7. Turn off the heat and add the sauce and cooked pasta and toss to combine. You can add a little water if you desire a saucier, thinner consistency.
8. Enjoy warm garnished with vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (both optional).
9. Best when fresh, but leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Not freezer friendly.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1servingCalories: 449Carbohydrates: 67.7gProtein: 17gFat: 16.2gSaturated Fat: 2.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8.5gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 523mgPotassium: 992mgFiber: 13.4gSugar: 6.3g<Vitamin A: 556IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 5.6mg

Recipe by Cook Good Recipes