Spicy Vegan Cajun Pasta

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!

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 Oil-Free Vegan 20 Minute One-Pot Wonder Pasta, vegan cajun pasta all cooks in one pot in under 20 minutes! 

Jump to:

• Cajun Pasta Ingredients 
• Substitutions
• How To Make Cajun Pasta In Under 20 Minutes!
• Storing Pasta
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Try Quick And Easy Vegan Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

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! 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 to 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 in 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 seasonings is the saucy component of the 20-minute one-pot wonder combining raw cashews, vegetable broth, and cajun seasoning. That's where the magic comes together.

Substitutions

• For those with nut allergies, substitute the same about of white beans, silken tofu, or 3 Tablespoons of flour of choice (gluten-free flour works as well). Substitute your favorite cajun seating blend. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning combines salt, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic, so try to look for that ingredient profile.
• 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.
• Choose chopped kale, collard greens, or arugula for a peppery option.
• For a sweeter onion, choose red onions for white or yellow ones.

As a result, I may use more than you prefer for your taste buds. So, add 1 teaspoon at a time because you can always add spice, but you can't take spice away.

How To Make Cajun Pasta In Under 20 Minutes!

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.

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. 

The next step is to add the rest of the ingredients, except the cashew cream and spinach. The cashew cream and spinach are added at the end.

• Red Bell Peppers
• Fresh Thyme
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• Pasta of Choice
• Vegetable Broth

Once the mixture begins to boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the simmer, and cook for 13 minutes.

When the time expires, add the cashew cream and cook for an additional few minutes. As a result, the sauce will thicken. 

Storing Pasta

On a rare occasion, 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 freezer burn. For best results, completely thaw the vegan cajun pasta before reheating. 

Recipe FAQs

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 it's added.
• Soak cashews overnight to make them easier to blend. A quick way to expedite softening of cashews is to boil them for ten minutes, drain them, and then blend.
• 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 the pasta separately and then 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

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