Garlic Scape Pasta (Vegan)

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Hey Internet, summer is such a wonderful season. I love the long walks, the gardening, the outdoor activities, the cookouts and picnics…

I especially love the outdoor eating. This year I got to experience a new joy: eating out on the deck. I’ve never had a deck before and I’ve never eaten out on it. Wow, what a beautiful thing.

I’m looking forward to having all sorts of cookouts enjoying my favorite recipes. I’ll definitely be making my vegan sausage on the grill, served alongside my vegan macaroni salad or vegan ranch pasta salad, vegan elote, vegan watermelon feta salad, and definitely some vegan green smoothies and vegan pina coladas depending on who’s enjoying them.

Summer provides all kinds of great produce, including one of my favorites: garlic scapes.

Garlic scapes are the beautiful curly stalks that grow out of garlic bulbs. You can find them at farmers markets, co-ops, and certain grocery stores during the growing season. You can also grow them yourself with hardneck garlic varieties.

They are indeed edible and they are delicious. I like to think of them as a cross between a green bean and a garlic clove. Almost like a green onion but better. They make fantastic garlic scape pasta.

When eaten raw, they are pungent and bright. When cooked, they are tender, lightly garlicky (but not in a spicy way), and aromatic. Especially the way I cook them!

This beautiful and flavorful summer vegetable is definitely one you’ll want to jump on whenever you see it. It’s also used in garlic scape pesto, which is also a fun dish to make for pasta, crostini, and steamed summer vegetables.

Today’s recipe for vegan garlic scape pasta is super easy, super quick (only 15 minutes!), and perfect for a summer weeknight or fancy dinner served with your favorite beverage and maybe a side of my vegan Italian salad or vegan garlic bread if you’re a garlic person like me.

Why This Recipe Works

This simple dish does require two pans, however, I’ll tell you it’s worth it.

While your pasta cooks in one pot, your garlic scapes are sauteing in another pot with vegan butter and dried thyme. Yum.

When the pasta is done (save a little of that starchy pasta water if you can), you’ll mix the drained pasta with the cooked garlic scapes, and add a few more ingredients just to make it extra special: the juice and zest of a lemon, some fresh cracked black pepper, salt if needed (I salt my pasta water though, so I usually won’t add salt to this), fresh chopped parsley, and grated vegan parmesan cheese.

The splash of starchy pasta water helps the “sauce” come together, but no worries if you forgot it. Your dish will still be great.

Garlic scape pasta is just a magical summer dish, one of my favorite parts of summer. I troll farmer’s markets and co-ops specifically for this summer veggie. 

Next year I hope to grow my own, after I’ve settled into the house we just moved into (I’ve only been brave enough to grow herbs thus far).

Can’t find garlic scapes? Try asparagus or green beans (cut in 1-inch pieces) sauteed in the vegan butter, thyme, and a generous amount of minced garlic instead. Tender stem broccoli (AKA broccolini or baby broccoli) would also be a nice choice.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• 8 ounces pasta (we like bucatini, but any pasta will work. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.)
• 2 bunches garlic scapes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 ½ - 2 cups chopped) (trim off the very thin ends, they can get tough when cooked)
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter (or substitute olive oil, or broth if you are oil-free)
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or use 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)
• 2-3 tablespoons reserved cooking water from the pasta (remove the water just before straining and set aside. This helps the sauce come together.)
• Zest and juice of one medium lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ⅓ to ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese, grated (we like the Violife brand. Get whatever is available to you. Try my vegan parmesan topping if you cannot find it near you.)
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• Salt only if needed (if you salt your pasta water like I do, you may not need to add salt to the finished dish.)

How to Make Garlic Scape Pasta (Vegan)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water has come to a boil, generously salt it (with fine iodized or table salt) and stir until the salt dissolves. When the water has returned to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
2. Carefully remove 2-3 tablespoons of the starchy cooking water before or during straining (I like to put a glass measuring cup in the sink below my strainer). Drain the water when finished cooking and return the drained pasta to the pot.
3. Just before you add your dry pasta to the boiling water, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add your butter or oil to the pan. If using broth, add that during the next step.
4. When the vegan butter has melted (or the oil is hot), add your chopped garlic scapes and thyme to the pan. Stir well and cook uncovered for 5-8 minutes or until they are as tender as you’d like. Stir occasionally. I prefer mine to still have some bite to them.
5. When the garlic scapes are done, remove them from heat.
6. Add cooked garlic scapes and any remaining butter or oil to the pot with the cooked and drained pasta.
7. Immediately add the 2-3 tablespoons of reserved pasta water, vegan parmesan, and parsley. Give it a good stir. Add lemon juice, zest, and black pepper at this time as well. Stir well and taste. If it needs salt or anything else, you can adjust it now.
8. Serve and enjoy! I love this on its own, but it would be great with a protein like my crispy tofu or tofu schnitzel, or with a side salad like my vegan Italian salad or avocado salad.
9. Like most pasta, this is best on the first night. Leftovers will stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Did you know I have books? Visit my shop page to see the various e-books I have available. My best seller is Plant-Based Jewish Recipes, and I’m in the middle of a second volume of that as well as a new book in the works that focuses on one of my favorite gluten-free vegan proteins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pro Tips for Success

• Wash and chop your garlic scapes before beginning cooking. They can take a bit sometimes, and you (well me, I feel this way) don’t want to be stressed out while the pasta is cooking.
• Garlic scape pasta feels fancier with a long pasta variety, and there’s something truly special about bucatini it’s one of my favorite pasta shapes.
• That being said, feel free to use a legume-based pasta or other gluten-free pasta if needed.
• I’ve often found garlic scapes at Whole Foods, co-ops, farmers markets, and I’ve heard you can even find them in CSA boxes sometimes. If you have a garden, you can also try growing your own hardneck garlic and you will be able to harvest the garlic scapes during the next growing season.
• When reheating leftovers, I recommend reheating in pan with a splash of olive oil (or a little more vegan butter) and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end to wake the flavors back up.

More Recipes Like This

If you’re looking for more seasonal summer dishes or more garlicky recipes, check out my favorites below.

• Vegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans
• Vegan Garlic Risotto
• White Bean Salad
• Vegan Garlic Bread
• Vegan Asparagus Risotto with Lemon
• Portobello Steaks
• Vegan Watermelon Tuna
• Vegan Avocado Salad
• Ranch Pasta Salad
• Vegan Watermelon Feta Salad

<3 Liz

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