Hearty, vegan, "meaty" pasta without the meat! This 30 minute Tempeh Mushroom Pasta is an easy and super satisfying weeknight meal.
This is a hearty, vegan, "meaty" pasta without the meat!
Tempeh (made from fermented soybeans) is a great healthy substitute for ground turkey and beef.
It is filled with protein and fiber, and many other nutrients. (Check out the World's Healthiest Foods page for more nutritional info.)
The tempeh and mushroom combination gives this sauce such great hearty texture and leaves us feeling pleasantly satisfied.
Ingredients for Tempeh Pasta
For this recipe you will need:
- Pasta of choice: I enjoy gluten-free fusilli made with brown rice & quinoa.
- Tempeh
- Mushrooms: I like cremini, but use your own favorite.
- Jarred pasta sauce: I try to find organic when possible.
This meal comes together quick and easy thanks to jarred pasta sauce, but feel free to use your own homemade sauce if desired. (Such as this oil-free marinara sauce.)
Zucchini and spinach are awesome additions as well. If you have never cooked with tempeh before, this is a great recipe to try!
For more inspiration, browse all pasta & noodle recipes or main dish recipes.
Tempeh Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta (gluten-free if desired)
- 8 oz. tempeh*
- 10 oz. mushrooms (I use cremini)
- 26 oz. jarred pasta sauce
Optional additions:
- Onion, garlic, spinach, bell pepper, zucchini, or fresh herbs for serving
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, crumble tempeh and slice mushrooms.
- In a large pan over medium heat, sauté tempeh and mushrooms about 8 minutes or until mushrooms soften. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/veggie broth for no-oil sauté method, adding more as needed.)
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in pasta sauce and 1 cup pasta water.
- Stir occasionally until sauce is heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach during last couple minutes (if using).
- Spoon sauce mixture over cooked pasta. Serve warm and garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you are enjoying this easy vegan tempeh pasta, also check out:
Follow The Garden Grazer on Instagram, Pinterest, or RSS for more updates and inspiration.
Kara Fisher
Hi Kaitlin! I recent stumbled on one of your recipes and my husband and I have made a few Just this week and we’re in love! I’m fact, we plan on making your enchiladas tonight. Anyway- We plan on making this tempeh mushroom pasta sometime this week but quick question- when you sauté the Tempeh and mushrooms, do you use oil? I normally just Saute our veggies with water but wasn’t sure how that would work with the tempeh. Looking forward to your reply.
Kara
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hey Kara! Thrilled to hear you're enjoying the recipes, thank you! I've been (mostly) oil-free for a year or two now so I just sauté with broth/water and that seems to work great. If the tempeh sticks a little, just throw on a splash more broth/water. Hope you continue to enjoy the recipes!
Kathy Cotton
Hi Kaitlin! I would love to see a homemade pasta sauce for your recipe. I use a can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and dried basil to taste. That is perfect for my family. We aren't a big fan of Italian seasoning, but if you like it, use it! Of course, we add all the veggies, too. You make so many of your recipes from scratch and they look divine! I am a newly converted vegan, so I was so happy to find your website and Facebook page! I look forward to trying your recipes. One thing that I really love is that you don't use tofu much. I can't eat soy except in fermented form, like soy sauce. Have a fantastic day!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Kathy - thanks so much for sharing your homemade pasta sauce. So quick and easy, I love it! Fun to hear you recently went vegan. I hope you're enjoying the new lifestyle! I couldn't believe how much more fun I was having in the kitchen once we went vegan. I truly hope you enjoy the recipes here - thanks for your kind words!
Trixie
Do you need to steam the tempeh before adding to the pan? Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! When I first started cooking with tempeh I steamed it because I thought that's what you were supposed to do. But then I found it didn't make much of a difference (at least to me) taste-wise. So now I skip that step and just crumble it and go! Some people say they prefer to steam it first, so it's all based on individual taste!
Katie Risch
How do you steam the tempeh? In the microwave? I do not own a steamer. Thanks!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
You could either steam it on the stove in a covered saucepan with about a cup of water, or in the microwave. Just use a microwave safe bowl with a lid, moisten the tempeh, and heat for about a couple minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Maggie Wilson
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I always steam/saute tempeh before I cook with it, it is the only way it tastes good to me.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So glad you enjoyed!