This vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta combines flavorful sun-dried tomato, fresh garlic, and spinach in an easy sauce made with cashew milk. This satisfying dish is simple to prepare and only 30 minutes. It is great for lunch or dinner! (Gluten-free option.)
Let's make a pan of vegan Creamy Mushroom Tomato Pasta!
This satisfying pasta dish combines flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, and spinach.
Plus it comes together in just 30 minutes for an easy lunch or dinner.
To simplify the cream sauce, we won't be soaking whole cashews or needing to blend anything in a blender. Instead, we will use a shortcut with cashew milk and cheesy nutritional yeast!
Ingredients
For this recipe you will toss together in a large skillet:
- Penne pasta: Or use your own favorite shape such as fusilli, fettuccine, linguine, etc. Use gluten-free pasta if desired. (I like brown rice + quinoa pasta.)
- Mushrooms: I use cremini mushrooms, but use your own favorite. Shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, oyster, or white button would work well.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I use dry packed sun-dried tomatoes. (Most often I buy the "Mediterranean Organic" brand which come in a 3 ounce bag.) But an oil-packed jar of sun-dried tomatoes works as well.
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Cashew milk: Be sure to use plain and unsweetened milk. You can also substitute another dairy-free milk if you wish such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.
- Vegetable broth: Use low sodium if desired.
- Nutritional yeast: This gives the sauce a rich, cheesy, savory flavor.
- Garlic powder
- Fresh basil: Or your own favorite fresh herbs like parsley or thyme.
- Fresh spinach: Or substitute with other greens like kale or arugula.
Customizing
Flavors: Change it up with your own variations. Add fresh lemon juice, Kalamata olives, more fresh herbs, or different greens such as arugula for a peppery taste.
Vegetables: Add other veggies to the mix like onion, grape tomatoes, asparagus, shallot, roasted bell pepper, peas, cauliflower, etc.
Vegan sausage: Pair this with your favorite vegan deli sausage for even more plant-based protein and fiber. (I like the "Field Roast" brand Smoked Apple Sage sausage.)
Looking for more inspiration? Try this creamy Mushroom Pesto Pasta as well!
Serving
Garnish: Top your bowl with vegan parmesan cheese, pine nuts, or herbs like basil or fresh parsley before serving if desired. (Or salt and black pepper to taste if needed.) If you like it spicy, sprinkle on some red pepper flakes.
Pairing: This pasta is great served on its own, with a side salad, or toasted sourdough bread.
Storing
This creamy vegan mushroom pasta is best served the same day since the pasta tends to soak up the sauce.
However if you would like to store leftovers, then simply place them in an airtight container in the fridge. Then reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
For more inspiration, also browse all pasta + noodle recipes.
Vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato
Ingredients
- 8 oz. penne pasta (gluten-free if desired)
- 8 oz. mushrooms (I use cremini)
- 1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes*
- 3-5 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups cashew milk (plain, unsweetened)
- 2/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp. fresh basil
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or arugula, etc.)
- Salt/pepper to taste
Toppings for serving (optional):
- Fresh basil or parsley, kalamata olives, cashew parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, leaving al dente (tender, not mushy). Drain when finished.
- Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté mushrooms for about 7 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/veggie broth for no-oil sauté method.)
- Meanwhile, mince garlic and dice sun-dried tomatoes (yielding about 1/2 cup diced tomatoes).
- Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet. Stir and sauté 1 minute.
- Add cashew milk, broth, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine.
- Heat 3-4 minutes or until lightly simmering.
- Meanwhile, chop/julienne the basil.
- Add basil and drained pasta to the skillet. Toss well and heat for 5-10 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce. (The sauce will be thin at first, but will thicken upon heating and even more after sitting.)
- Stir in spinach during last couple minutes to wilt. Salt/pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
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Jennifer
We really enjoyed this recipe! Simple to make on a weeknight. Very happy to have found your website. We have enjoyed each and every recipe that we’ve tried from you. Thanks!
Kaitlin
Aww, thrilled to hear you found another one that your family enjoys! I appreciate you giving the recipes a try and coming back to leave such kind feedback. Thank you, Jennifer!
Amanda
I made this recipe for lunch today and just loved it. I found your website a little over a week ago and have prepared at least four of your recipes. I've enjoyed every one of them, and have been sharing them with my friends and family on Facebook.
I have one question. Where can I find the serving sizes? Thank you!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Amanda! That's awesome - so glad you've been enjoying the recipes! And thanks for sharing them with your friends/family as well.
The servings for each recipe are listed right above the ingredients. I usually don't mark down a specific measurement (i.e. 1/2 cup per serving), but rather how many servings the recipe typically makes for our family (such as 5 medium bowls, etc.) I realize that's not very precise, but hope it at least gives a rough guideline if you're keeping track of nutritional content, etc.
Tara
The first time I made this I thought it was pretty good. This time, I doubled the recipe but tripled the mushrooms and added a diced onion. It was amazing! My family loves it.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Tara! That's fantastic. I love your extra mushroom and onion addition. Thanks so much for sharing your kind feedback! Wishing you and your family a beautiful weekend. -Kaitlin
Jana
Thank you for this recipe! It is delish! I didn't have spinach, so I used arugula, and doubled the mushrooms, as they needed to be used, and added a whole onion at the beginning. Very good! Saved it to my favorites.
Kaitlin McGinn
Awesome to hear that, Jana! Really love your wonderful adaptions - many thanks for sharing.
Lillian
Tried this today, I didn’t have nutritional yeast, and used almond milk and cornstarch. Still So delicious, will definitely make it again as written.
Your blog has been a life saver. We went vegan almost 2 years ago and You have helped me prepare so many great meals. I absolutely love it and been telling everyone I know about it.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Lillian! That's so wonderful to hear, and great substitute with the cornstarch to thicken it up! Thrilled you're enjoying the blog and thank you so much for sharing it with others. Really appreciate your kind words. Wishing you a beautiful rest of the weekend! Take good care. -Kaitlin
Chiseche Rachel Kapapa
Absolutely delicious, I used unsalted cashew butter to thicken my sauce.
Kaitlin McGinn
Wonderful substitute! Thanks so much for sharing your creative adaption.
Janet
This is one of my favorite recipes at our local Italian Restaurant. I order it but usually pay for it later as I don’t do well with dairy products. I searched the web for a vegan version and found your recipe. Absolutely finger licking good. My husband loved it too. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Kaitlin McGinn
So lovely to hear you both enjoyed it Janet! Thanks so much for the kind feedback.
Genevieve
Just made this recipe and LOVED it! It tasted like Alfredo sauce! I used a quinoa and brown rice blend of fusilli pasta (because they didn’t have penne and I’ve become addicted to the combo). Also used oat milk instead of cashew and it was the perfect consistency, and subbed asparagus for mushrooms since I’m not a fan. It all turned out great, can’t wait to make it again.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hey Genevieve! Awesome to hear you gave this a try and enjoyed. I love the oat milk & asparagus substitutions. And I agree, quinoa & brown rice pasta is my favorite too!
Jennifer
I made this last week and everyone loved it. My non-vegan husband added some parmesan cheese but the rest of us added vegan parmesan cheese. Loved it. So happy I found your site! Thank you.
Kaitlin McGinn
So fantastic to hear it was enjoyed by all. Thanks for the kind feedback!
Kate
Made this tonight using Almond Milk with a touch of cornstarch to thicken it up. This dish was amazing-both my husband & I really enjoyed it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Kaitlin McGinn
Awesome, Kate! Perfect substitution with the almond milk + cornstarch. Thrilled to hear you both enjoyed!
Allyson
I made this last night. It was really yummy! My man and I enjoyed it last night. I had leftovers for lunch today and the sauce kinda disappeared. I added a bit of veggie broth to the bowl last night, but the noodles must've soaked it up over night. Any suggestions or did I make too little sauce? I probably need to add broth right before microwaving..
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Allyson! Great to hear you both enjoyed it. This recipe works best if eaten the same day, as leftovers do tend to soak up the remaining sauce as you found. (Apologies that was unclear - I just added a note to clarify.) You could certainly add a touch of milk or broth before reheating to re-hydrate a bit if desired however!
Nataleigh
OMG. I'm new to cooking, despite being plant based for quite a while, so most of my experiments I've been pretty modest about...okay, yeah, it tastes good, but could it be better?
This? This here? NO QUESTION. Truly. I love an easy, one pan dish that allows me to multitask, and mega bonus that it was ready in under 30 minutes. I had extra mushrooms I needed to use up, so I went ahead and doubled the recipe, and thank goodness I did. Everyone had seconds and I still managed to squirrel a bit away for my lunch today.
The only substitution-ish thing I made was that I didn't have cashew milk, so I used unsweetened almond milk and threw a tablespoon of cashew butter in, and I thickened the sauce with cornstarch in the very end (this probably wouldn't have been necessary if I had slowly added the double of the milk, rather than follow it to a T, but as I said, newbie!)
Kaitlin McGinn
So great to hear that! And I love your idea to use almond milk + cashew butter. Smart! Hope you continue to have fun with your plant-based cooking journey & experiments! Wishing you a beautiful week! -Kaitlin
Bronnie
It was just ok, a little bland for our taste.
Ashley
OH my goodness, absolutely amazing!!! All of the flavors are spot on! I used soy milk and had no issues with it thickening up. I added peas and tomatoes and used lentil pasta. Even my meat eating husband said it tasted good! Thank you for sharing!!!
Kaitlin McGinn
So glad you both enjoyed this! I absolutely love your additions, yum! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such sweet feedback - very appreciated! Wishing you and your husband a most beautiful week! -Kaitlin
Grace
Just made this exactly as written!!! YUM!!! I am so happy to have discovered your blog! Have a ton more recipes pinned to work my way through!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Grace! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this one (and found more inspiration on the site as well!) Hope you enjoy any others you try!
Trish
I made this last night and it was super delicious! Definitely a keeper. Super easy to put together too. Glad I doubled the recipe. My almost 18 year old son is super picky and more than often isn’t a fan of my plant-based cooking, but this one he devoured and had seconds as did my husband. Thanks for a fab meal!!! Will definitely be making this often.
Kaitlin McGinn
So great to hear you all enjoyed. Thanks so much for coming back to rate the recipe and leave such a sweet comment!
Terri
I made this tonight. It is amazing! The creamy sauce made with the cashew milk and nutritional yeast was spot on! I did not miss the cream or cheese! Wow! I will use the simple sauce in other dishes, for sure. But this dish is a keeper, and I can't wait to make it for my vegan daughters! Problem - I couldn't stop eating it.
Kaitlin McGinn
Loved seeing your photos on Instagram! Hope your daughters enjoy it too! Definitely an easy sauce to use for other recipes - would love to hear what you come up with! Thanks for taking the time to comment & rate it!