Creamy, spicy vegan cajun pasta is full of vegetables and cooks in one pot in under 20 minutes. Make dinner easier, and clean up even easier! You will love this vegan cajun pasta recipe!
When I'm feeling spicy, nothing tastes better than vegan cajun pasta! Not only is vegan cajun pasta easy to make, but it is also one of my one-pot wonder meals. What does that mean? Like my spinach artichoke pasta recipe or my 20-minute one-pot wonder pasta, vegan cajun pasta cooks in one pot in under 20 minutes!
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Sometimes, I want dinner to be simple and quick, and today was one of those days. And, if you are anything like me, the fewer dishes, the better! So, I decided tonight would be a great night to make a vegan cajun pasta loaded with veggies in a light, oil-free sauce.
Cajun Pasta Ingredients
To make a simple and easy vegan cajun pasta recipe, I chose my favorite simple vegetables:
- Mushrooms: I call this the vegan meat of the dish. I used baby portobello mushrooms because of their firmness and meatiness.
- Onions: I chose white onion because I desired a strong onion presence.
- Garlic: I always choose fresh garlic when available for its overwhelming warm and creamy flavor profile.
- Red Bell Pepper: the red bell pepper provides color and sweetness to compliment the slightly spicy flavor of the vegan cajun pasta.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes give the dish a charred smokey flavor, heightening the flavors in the dish.
- Fresh Thyme: The aroma of thyme, although subtle, gives vegan cajun pasta an earthy, sweet taste, which enhances the sweetness of the red bell peppers.
- Spinach: I always like to include some greens, and organic spinach is the perfect addition to this recipe.
- Cajun Seasoning: one of my favorite cajun seasonings is the secret component of the 20-minute one-pot wonder combining raw cashews, vegetable broth, and cajun seasoning. That's where the magic comes together. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning combines salt, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic, so look for that ingredient profile.
Cajun Pasta Recipe Substitutions
- For nut allergies, substitute the same amount of white beans, silken tofu, or ¼ cup of flour of choice (gluten-free flour also works).
- Substitute your favorite cajun seasoning blend.
- Choose any pasta. I chose whole-grain Rigatoni because I love the large noodles, deep ridges, and broad surfaces. A suitable substitution is a penne or ziti.
- Add chopped kale, collard greens, or arugula for a peppery option.
- For a sweeter onion, choose red onions for white or yellow ones.
I love spicy, but only some share in my spicy excitement. I suggest adding a small amount of cajun seasoning, taste, and then adding more. So, add ½ teaspoon at a time because you can always add spice, but you can't take spice away.
How to Make One-Pot Pasta in Under 20 Minutes!
- Step 1: Begin with a 10. 5 quarts or larger pot with a tight filling lid. Then, saute the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent.
- Step 2: Next, add the mushrooms and cook them until browned. Even though the vegetables should provide enough natural moisture, if your vegetables start to stick, add a little vegetable broth or water.
- Step 3: The next step is adding the ingredients, except the cashew cream and spinach. The cashew cream and spinach are added at the end.
- Step 4: Once the mixture begins to boil, cover it with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook for 13 minutes.
- Step 5: When the time expires, add the cashew cream and cook for a few minutes. As a result, the sauce will thicken (or substitute with flour, silken tofu, or white beans).
Storing the Pasta
On rare occasions, I have leftovers. This pasta recipe reheats well in the microwave for lunch or another dinner. However, I suggest reheating on the reheat setting so as not to recook the leftovers.
Or, it will last 5 days in the refrigerator in sealed containers.
If you plan to freeze vegan cajun pasta, leave an inch or more space between the pasta and the freezer-safe container top. As a result, you will not get a freezer burn. For best results, thaw the vegan cajun pasta entirely before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional cajun pasta combines mayo, cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and tomato paste.
Cajun is best described as having a bold, spicy taste. But you can always make that milder by adding less seasoning.
Cajun is robust, rustic food found along the bayous of Louisiana, combining French and Southern cuisines. It was brought to Louisiana by the French, who migrated to the state from Nova Scotia 250 years ago and used foods right from the land.
Tips
- When making a recipe with cajun seasoning or other spicy ingredients, I suggest adding smaller amounts than the recipe specifies. Everyone's spice preference is unique. You can always add spice, but it can't be removed once added.
- Soak cashews overnight to make them easier to blend. A quick way to expedite cashew softening is to boil them for ten minutes, drain them, and then blend them.
- Using a quality high-speed blender makes it unnecessary to soak or boil cashews.
- For a gluten-free option, choose your favorite gluten-free pasta. However, because gluten-free pasta tends to have thicker pasta water, I suggest cooking it separately and adding the pasta at the end once it's drained.
- If using gluten-free pasta, and cooking it separately, reduce the vegetable broth to 1 ½ cups instead of the 5 cups in the recipe.
The next time you're feeling a little spicy and looking for a quick and easy dinner idea, give vegan cajun pasta a try.
Try Quick And Easy Vegan Recipes
If you love this spicy vegan cajun pasta, give it a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 white or yellow onion cut into thin slices, or diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper slice into think strips or diced
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
- 8 ounces pasta of choice I used whole grain Rigatoni
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme if using dried thyme use 1 Tablespoon
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Cashew Cream
- ¼ cup cashews For nut allergies, substitute the same amount of white beans, silken tofu, or ¼ cup of flour of choice (gluten-free flour also works).
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 3 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Seasoning or cajun seasoning of choice. Begin with a teaspoon and taste before adding more to meet individual spice preference
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Soak cashews overnight, if you do not have a high-speed blender. If you have a quality high-speed blender, soaking isn't necessary.
- Drain cashews and combine with vegetable broth and cajun seasoning.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Set aside.
Vegan Cajun Pasta
- Saute garlic and onions in a 10.5 quart or larger pot.
- Once onions are translucent, add mushrooms and thyme.
- Saute until mushrooms are browned.
- Add a small amount of vegetable broth, if vegetables begin to stick.
- Add red bell pepper, stir.
- Add fire-roasted tomatoes and dry pasta.
- Stir together.
- Add vegetable broth; stir.
- Bring mixture to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer for 13 minutes.
- Remove top and stir in cashew cream and chopped raw spinach.
- Cook a few more minutes, uncovered; the sauce will thicken. Remove from heat.
- Serve in individual bowls.
Video
Notes
- For a nut-free option, choose the same amount of white beans, silken tofu, or 3 Tablespoons of flour instead of the cashews. Blend with the cajun seasoning and add at the end after the pasta cooks.
- If choosing gluten-free pasta, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it after it has been cooked and drained at the end with the cashew cream and spinach.
- If using gluten-free pasta, and cooking it separately, reduce the vegetable broth to 1 ½ cups instead of the 5 cups in the recipe.
- For easier cooking, cut the vegetables in advance, and throw this dish together in mere minutes.
- I served the pasta with toasted sourdough bread on the side. The sauce is so good, that you'll want to drag bread through the bowl while you're eating.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Shannon
I am definitely making this! I love cajun food!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shannon, it's delicious. My family loves it.
Gayle Roberts
I really enjoyed this recipe. It was simple fast and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Gayle, I'm so glad you liked it. It is my daughter's favorite. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Bev Wheatcraft
oh my goodness this is delicious!! I’m enjoying it right now. I used oat flour to thicken and added kale. Will definitely be a repeat recipe. Thank you!!!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Bev, I'm so glad you liked the vegan cajun pasta. Check out my other one-pot meals if you want quick and easy one-pot meals. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Joyce A Stevens
I don't like Portebello mushrooms. Is there something I replace them with? This looks so delicious.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Joyce, you can choose any vegetable you enjoy to replace the mushrooms. I think zucchini, eggplant or artichoke heart would work well. Let me know if you enjoy the recipe. I would love to hear from you.
Rocky
Pasta is very good, however, it was a more like a soup which i wasn't expecting. I would make this again, however, I would use a lot less broth.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Rocky, it sounds like you didn't let it thicken with the cashew broth or flour mixture for thickening at the end. It takes a few minutes to thicken.
Constance Goodman
V Cajun Pasta was awesome, Kathy! I doubled the cashew cream and used 12 or so oz of pasta and it was just enough for three of us, lol. That said, add'l veggies that had to be used were added, such as Brussel sprouts and shucked corn. Also doubled the mushrooms as well as added four vegan sausages. Love your recipes; will try to be better w reviews. Thank you! Connie
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Connie, I'm so glad you liked the cajun pasta recipe. I love the addition of corn and Brussel sprouts! My boys would love the sausage too. Thank you so much for the great ideas and the feedback. I appreciate it. Let me know if you try any other recipes.
Shellie
This sounds amazing and I'm looking forward to making it for dinner tomorrow. Can I do this in my largest pot, 8 quart, or do I need at least the 10.5 quarts you mention?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shellie, Sure! Just make sure when you first put the top cover on the pot that you are at a simmer, so it doesn't creep up on you and come out the top. Let me know if you enjoy the recipe.
Kathy
I’ll be making gluten free pasta. I will cook on the side as you suggest but I was wondering since I’m cooking the pasta separately should I reduce the amount of broth in the recipe? I’m sure that amount of broth would be used because the pasta soaks it up while cooking.
Kathy Carmichael
Kathy, yes! I'm so glad you asked. I should have put that in the directions. You only need 1 1/2 cups of veggie broth. I will add it to the recipe. Thanks for the question and head's up. Let me know if you enjoy the recipe.
Kelly
Just made this tonight - flavors are super delicious but I think I may have overcooked the pasta. 🙁 Next time I'll keep a closer eye on it , but will definitely be making it again. 🙂
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kelly, I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my family's favorites.
Donna
I have many dietary restrictions that have guided me to vegan. Since cashews are one thing a cannot eat is there something I can substitute?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Donna, yes there is. If you cook a small potato and blend it with the vegetable broth to make the cream component that works. Or you can do the same with 2 Tablespoons of flour blended with the vegetable broth. Either option works to get the creaminess. I hope this helps. Let me know if you like it. And stay safe and healthy.
Sharon
I just started eating Vegan and love trying new recipes!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Sharon, welcome to the best eating of your life. Please let me know if you try and enjoy any of the recipes. I look forward to hearing from you. Stay safe and healthy.