A hearty, vegan, "meaty" pasta... without the meat! This 30 minute Tempeh Mushroom Pasta is an easy, satisfying weeknight meal with lots of plant protein.
This is a hearty, vegan "meaty" pasta... without the meat! It's similar to a tempeh bolognese sauce.
Tempeh (which is made from fermented soybeans) is a great healthy substitute for ground turkey and beef. It's filled with protein and fiber, and a variety of other nutrients.
The crumbled tempeh and mushrooms gives this sauce such a hearty texture and leaves us feeling pleasantly satisfied.
Plus it's so easy to simmer up on a skillet for an easy weeknight meal filled with plant-based protein.
Ingredients for Tempeh Pasta
For this recipe you will need:
- Pasta of choice: I enjoy gluten-free fusilli made with brown rice & quinoa. But you could use spaghetti, penne, or other noodles of choice.
- Tempeh: This typically comes in an 8 oz. patty. Some are multi-grain and include wheat products, so if you need gluten-free be sure to check the ingredients and find one that is 100% soy-based.
- Mushrooms: I like cremini, but use your own favorite, or a combination.
- Jarred pasta sauce: 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.) Jarred pasta sauce typically contains olive oil, so be sure to find an oil-free one if desired.
Customizing
Veggies: Zucchini, yellow onion, bell pepper, fresh diced tomatoes, grated carrot, and spinach are great flavors to include as well.
Herbs + spices: Or stir in other spices to taste such as a teaspoon of dried oregano, Italian seasonings, etc.
Garnish: Top your bowl with fresh herbs such as a tablespoon of fresh basil or parsley before serving for added flavor.
Storing
Store the pasta and sauce in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. We find they keep for about 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
For more inspiration, also browse all pasta + noodle recipes or main dish recipes.
Tempeh Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta of choice (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)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Kara Fisher
Hi Kaitlin! I recently stumbled on one of your recipes and my husband and I have made a few just this week and we’re in love! In 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 sauté our veggies with water but wasn’t sure how that would work with the tempeh. Looking forward to your reply.
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 method for homemade pasta sauce. So quick and simple, I love it. We enjoy this homemade marinara sauce as well. I hope you enjoy any recipes you try and wishing you all the best on your new vegan journey!
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!
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
Thank you for sharing! So glad you enjoyed.