Vegan Protein Pasta

Name: Vegan Protein Pasta
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12-16 Ounces High Protein Pasta (see Note 1 below); 1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds or Raw Cashews (See Note 2 below for substitutions); 1 Cup Filtered Water; 2 Cups Marinara (See Note 3); 2 Cups Loosely Packed Baby Spinach, Chopped, Optional; Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper To Taste, Optional

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Vegan Protein Pasta is a super easy 15 minute dinner that's packed with over 30 grams of protein per serving. You'll love the rich and creamy tomato sauce and the fact that this easy vegan dinner recipe uses only one pot and a blender. Dinner is served!

Hey Internet, you might notice I'm on a vegan protein kick lately, since I just recently posted an amazing chocolate peanut butter tofu smoothie. Well we've been going to the gym a fair amount lately and want to build some muscle, so vegan protein recipes have a great way of helping with that!

If you're looking for more high protein vegan meals, we have a huge compilation of them. But our favorites are definitely our Vegan Steak (over 50 g protein per serving!), Sticky Tofu, Tofu Scramble with Veggies, Vegan Carne Asada, Vegan Philly Cheesesteak, etc.

But if you've ever wanted to pack more vegan protein into your diet without a meat replacement, then you're going to love this vegan protein pasta. We dressed high-protein pasta (we used Chickapea pasta, but any high-protein pasta will work) with a creamy sauce made from our sunflower seed cream (cashew cream also works) and tomato sauce. We also added spinach for more nutrients.

Did you know raw sunflower seeds are actually slightly higher protein than raw cashews? It's true, and they're a heck of a lot cheaper too! Plus they make for a just as creamy sauce and they're perfect for those with tree nut allergies. That's why we love to use raw sunflower seeds in so many of our recipes. So instead of a creamy cashew sauce, we make a creamy sunflower seed sauce.

Anyway, one great thing about this high protein vegan pasta recipe is that you can add whatever you like to it. Feel free to add steamed or roasted fresh veggies like broccoli or asparagus. Or add cooked red lentils or kidney beans to the sauce to make it both chunky and even higher protein.

This delicious vegan pasta recipe is free of any meat products or animal products whatsoever. It's super flavorful, delicious, and just an incredibly easy meal to make. Good news to those who claim they "can't cook" because this recipe is SUPER simple.

Why You'll Love This Vegan Pasta Recipe

Creamy and Flavorful: This is a healthy protein pasta recipe loaded with goodness and yet it's perfectly creamy and delicious. Who says a healthy meal has to be mediocre?
Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of simple ingredients (mostly pantry staples) to make this twist on a classic dish and you should be able to find them at your local grocery store. I can find all of these ingredients in my tiny town so hopefully you can too (if there are any ingredients you can't find you should be able to order them online).
Protein Packed: This delicious high protein vegan pasta contains all the essential amino acids and a lot of other nutritional value. The sunflower seeds are a great source of protein, especially when combined with your favorite protein pasta. This dish is loaded with 27 grams of plant-based protein per serving!
Family Friendly: If you're looking to get more protein into your kids, your spouse, your parents, yourself, etc. this is a great recipe for that. The super creamy texture of the pasta sauce makes it so delectable and it is pure comfort food. *You can leave out the spinach if you think your kids will veto it. Try blending a cup or two of cooked cauliflower into the sauce for hidden veggies!

Ingredients

Grab these simple ingredients the next you’re at your local supermarket. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients and exact amounts, instructions, and accurate nutritional information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs). I give substitutions for the ingredients, so most people can still make this recipe!

12-16 Ounces High Protein Pasta: You can use any brand or kind you like! We used Chickapea pasta brand, which comes in 12 ounce boxes, so that's how we calculated the nutritional info. If you use a different brand or amount, it should still work. This seemed saucy enough to accommodate 16 ounces pasta vs the 12 ounces we had.
1 Batch of our Sunflower Seed Cream: Don't worry, we'll give you the recipe for this below. Basically you just need raw sunflower seeds and water!
2 Cups Marinara: Store bought marinara (your favorite pasta sauce) will work very well in this recipe. We used Prego Roasted Garlic and Herb Marinara.
2 Cups Loosely Packed Baby Spinach: This is something we added to our vegan protein pasta to add a bit more micronutrients! Totally optional.
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper To Taste: We didn't need to add any salt to our pasta but depending on your preferences and what sauce you used, you might want to add a little. We did add some fresh cracked pepper though.
Any Other Ingredients: If you wish to top your pasta with nutritional yeast (yay b vitamins!) or vegan parmesan cheese (or red pepper flakes for some heat) you definitely can! You could also serve this meal with plenty of veggies, or mix in your favorite steamed or roasted vegetables. Sun-dried tomatoes would be a fun addition! If you need more acidity, you could add a small splash of lemon juice or a dab of tomato paste. You're also welcome to add a touch of olive oil to your sauce for more richness. For extra protein, you could mix in cooked red lentils or add hemp seeds (which are a good source of protein and healthy fats) but I wanted to keep this recipe pretty simple.

Substitutions

12-16 Ounces High Protein Pasta: We used our favorite chickpea pasta but you can use Banza chickpea pasta, red lentil pasta, or any dry pasta you like. To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use a certified gluten-free pasta. You can use traditional pasta / regular pasta or whole wheat pasta if you prefer but this will lower the protein content.
1 Batch of Our Sunflower Seed Cream: If you don't want to make this, you can use raw cashews, pine nuts, or even cooked (or canned) cannellini beans (or any white beans) instead. Just add unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (such as almond milk) or water to blend. Something colorful like raw pumpkin seeds will work too, it'll just change the color of your sauce.
2 Cups Marinara: We prefer red sauce / marinara over tomato puree because it already has a lot of seasonings, but you can use it and add your own seasonings like salt, pepper, granulated onion and garlic, and dried herbs like oregano and basil or an Italian herbs blend.
2 Cups Loosely Packed Baby Spinach: You can mix in another green or cooked vegetable (broccoli or peas would be perfect) or omit if you prefer.
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper To Taste: Only if needed!

How to Make Vegan Protein Pasta

Cook the Pasta: Cook your pasta according to package directions, but only cook till al dente (slightly chewy) as we will be adding it to our sauce and finishing the cooking process. You may want to reserve a little bit of the pasta water before you drain it. Drain when finished and leave in the colander to heat the sauce.
Make the Sauce: While the pasta is cooking, make the sunflower seed cream by blending the seeds and water together. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula halfway through. Add the tomato sauce when it is nice and creamy, then blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust if needed. Note: If you do not have a high powered blender, soak your raw sunflower seeds for 10-15 minutes in just-boiled water, then drain and blend with other ignredients.
Heat the Sauce: When the pasta pot is empty, add the contents of the blender to the pot and heat over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, add the chopped spinach. Stir.
Assemble: After 1 minute, add the cooked pasta back to the pot and give it a good stir. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of that reserved pasta water (or a splash of hot water or unsweetened plain non-dairy milk). If the sauce is too thin, either mix in some veggies or you can add some nutritional yeast to thicken it up. It shouldn't be too thin, though.
Enjoy: Serve immediately and enjoy!
Storage: Left the vegan protein pasta cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. Depending on what brand of pasta you used, it should last fine, but some textures are worse the next day (I've found that with some chickpea pastas, but not the Chickapea brand I recommended above).

Expert Tips

Pasta Brands: I highly recommend the Chickapea pasta brand as we found that it has a really nice texture when cooked and even after being refrigerated for a while. It doesn't taste exactly like regular pasta but it's quite good and has a lot more protein and fiber. We also enjoy this dish with Trader Joe's red lentil pasta and Barilla Whole Grain Pasta (lower protein).
Customize It: For a cheesy flavor, add nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese! Top with halved cherry tomatoes and chiffonaded basil leaves for lots of fresh flavor.
Even More Protein: For extra protein, you can add cooked lentils or beans to the pot when you're heating the sauce. Or serve with my crispy tofu or panko tofu. It would also be great with vegan meatballs which you could make or use your favorite brand of premade.
Vegan Mac: If you want this more like a mac and cheese, ditch the marinara and use the sauce from my nut-free vegan mac and cheese recipe (which is also high in protein) with your favorite protein pasta.

Serving Suggestions

This vegan protein pasta is saucy enough that you could add 2 cups or so of cooked vegetables to the pot and mix it in, or serve any amount of fresh veggies on the side. My partner's favorite meal lately is this pasta with broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower. Try my air fryer Brussels sprouts or air fryer frozen asparagus!

Serve with vegan garlic bread and a vegan Italian salad especially with my creamy vegan Italian dressing.

Storage Instructions

Like all pasta dishes, this dish is best on the first night! But if you find yourself with leftovers, here's how to store and keep vegan protein pasta:

Refrigerating: Let the pasta cool fully and store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave (with a paper towel or microwave lid on top) or in a small pot over medium-low heat (with a little vegan butter or good olive oil). You can add a splash of plain unsweetened non-dairy milk and/or more vegan parmesan if you'd like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use fresh pasta?

If you can find vegan fresh pasta, sure, go ahead. Follow package instructions to prepare it, then continue with step 2.

What pasta is high in protein?

Chickpea pasta, lentil pasta, or any legume pastas are usually quite high in protein.

What's the best protein pasta?

This is highly subjective, but we really enjoy Chickapea pasta. We find it has the best flavor and texture, and it holds up well after a few days in the fridge.

Does protein pasta taste like regular pasta?

Not perfectly, no, but with the right brand (see above), we think it's a worthwhile tradeoff.

More Vegan Protein Recipes

And for more ideas, check out my high protein vegan meals compilation and my vegan meat recipes compilation!