Rich and creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta is totally dairy free and only takes about half an hour to make. It's easy enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough for a date night or dinner party.
I don't know what it is about spinach and artichoke, but it's like they were made to be together. And they bring the veggie power and the flavor to this super easy, one-pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta!
One-Pot, Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta
This pasta recipe uses a slightly tweaked version of my popular Spinach Artichoke Dip as the sauce. It's not only dairy-free, but you don't need any vegan mayo or vegan cheese to make it.
You can use any type of bite-sized pasta you like, so choose your fave! I'm using rigatoni here, but this is also great with penne, shells, rotini, or even macaroni.
The sauce gets its creaminess from homemade, 4-ingredient Garlic Cashew Cream. To make the cashew cream, you just puree soaked cashews with water, plenty of garlic, and a touch of lemon juice.
Garlic Cashew Cream is a lovely base for all kinds of creamy sauces. It's my go-to whenever I need a quick cream sauce for pasta or casseroles. You can customize it with different herbs, spices, and add-ins.
After you make the easy cashew cream sauce, just pour it over cooked pasta. Toss in thawed, frozen spinach and chopped artichoke hearts. Warm it through, and you're ready to serve!
You can use the same pan you cooked the pasta in to toss the cooked pasta and sauce together and warm it all up. And since you make the cashew cream while the pasta cooks, the prep time is very minimal.
How to Serve and Store It
This dish is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but you can also serve it alongside your favorite plant-based protein. It's lovely next to crispy tofu or a simple bean dish like these Greek White Beans with Parsley.
Any leftover pasta will keep for around three days in the refrigerator.
Store it in an airtight container. I like to portion out my leftovers into our single-serve meal-prep containers, so I have lunch sorted for the rest of the week.
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta - Or your bite-sized pasta of choice -- whole wheat or gluten free are both fine, as well.
- 1 cup raw cashews - soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- ½ cup water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 12 ounce bag frozen spinach - thawed and drained
- 1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts - drained
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain it.
- While the pasta cooks, make the Garlic Cashew Cream by combining the cashews, water, garlic, and lemon juice in your blender, and puree until very smooth.
- Transfer the pasta and spinach back to the pot you used to cook the pasta. Pour on the Garlic Cashew Cream, and add the spinach, and artichoke hearts. Stir well to combine.
- If your pasta got cold during stirring, you can turn the heat to medium-low and stir constantly, until everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- You can also make this with just spinach or just artichokes, if you prefer. Simply double the amount of one and leave out the other.
- Any bite-sized pasta will work in this recipe, as long as you use the same amount. Gluten-free or whole wheat pasta are also fine to use.
BlueberriesandBananas
Oh how funny! I had JUST made your spinach-artichoke dip and enjoyed it with a baguette but because I am the only one eating it in my household, I was thinking about alternative uses. I came to your website to share my genius idea on the dip page, but HERE IT IS! You already did it! =) I took some of the leftovers, mixed it with a touch of water, added a dash of cayenne, heated it for 30 seconds in the microwave, then tossed into cooked rigatoni! It was DEVINE! Thank you!
Becky Striepe
Thank YOU! I appreciate you leaving such a thoughtful comment and a review!