Learn how to make Vegan Chili Pasta with Veggies! This vegan gluten-free Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini, Spinach and Pasta will have your taste buds dancing! It is incredibly creamy and rich, but oil-free! Just whole food ingredients. So much flavor from Italian dried herbs and chili powder and tomato sauce.
VEGAN CHILI PASTA
If there was ever a throw-together meal that is almost a 1 pot vegan recipe that turned out amazing, this is it!! I’m sharing another sauce and pasta dish today. Sauces are one of my favorite things to create, as if it wasn’t obvious by now. My collection is huge. Well, this is so good, creamy, amazing, filling, “restaurant-worthy”, as my hubby said.
I love vegan comfort food that fills your craving, but is also healthy, plant-based and made with good for you ingredients. There is nothing processed like store-bought fake meats or cheeses in my recipes, just whole foods!
This recipe is gluten-free and soy-free and oil-free!
This vegan chili pasta is made with the most delicious Creamy Chili Sauce that has the flavors both a chili and Italian pasta. A surprising combo that works amazing. Served with delicious healthy veggies like zucchini and spinach. With the flavors I used here, it will remind you of a vegan chili mac!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Full amounts on recipe card below.)
- Pasta: Use wheat or gluten-free if needed.
- Low-sodium vegetable broth: I love the Trader Joe’s brand, Pacific and Imagine brands as well. All are great.
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Chili powder: Store-bought or my homemade chili powder is amazing!
- Italian seasoning: Store-bought or use my homemade Italian seasoning that is way better than store-bought.
- Tomato sauce: Also called passata.
- Onion
- Homemade cashew milk: This is what makes the sauce so creamy. See below how to make. This cannot be subbed with store-bought cashew milk or other milks, unless it’s a very very thick/creamy one. Otherwise, your sauce will turn out very watery and bland. Homemade cashew milk thickens up incredibly while cooking.
- Liquid smoke: Adds a lovely compliment to the chili powder and extra dose of flavor.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHILI PASTA
Step 1: Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, start the sauce.
Step 2: Cook the onion in broth about 5 minutes, add the zucchini, cover and cook until mostly tender.
Step 3: Remove the zucchini from the pan and add the homemade cashew milk and remaining ingredients (except the pasta). Add the spinach in batches, cooking until it cooks down and the sauce thickens into a creamy consistency.
Step 4: Add the cooked pasta, stir well, taste and add any more salt/spices if desired.
HOW TO MAKE DAIRY-FREE SAUCE CREAMY
This creamy vegan sauce is both dairy-free and oil-free and made with healthy whole food plant-based ingredients. But to make it creamy like a dairy sauce, I used homemade cashew milk, my favorite milk in cooking, which is the secret to an incredibly creamy vegan pasta sauce. I love the richness and creaminess it provides. It also has a very subtle sweetness to it, which just makes everything taste better.
I love proving you don’t need animal products to make a delicious dish. Vegan substitutes are so easy. Instead of dairy cow milk, I love to use cashew milk, coconut milk and even almond milk. My favorite is cashew milk though, homemade, because it is the creamiest.
MORE VEGAN PASTA RECIPES
- Easy Vegan 20 Minute Alfredo
- Vegan Lemon Florentine Pasta
- Pimento Cream Sauce and Fusilli
- Easy Vegan Meatballs and Spaghetti
- Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
NOTE: A couple of readers have stated that their sauce has turned out watery. Please read the recipe carefully. Make sure to measure accurately, which is why I give weight in grams. I make this weekly and it always, always turns out creamy. I have noted very clearly that I used my homemade cashew milk for the recipe. As you can see in the photos, that it is very creamy and not watery at all. This is because of the homemade cashew milk. If you do NOT use the homemade cashew milk, yours will NOT turn out creamy. Store-bought cashew milk is loaded with fillers, not actual cashews like homemade, therefore it will NOT THICKEN the same as mine. If you absolutely cannot do the homemade cashew milk, then use full-fat coconut milk.
Vegan Chili Pasta with Veggies
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry elbow pasta (I used GF brown rice pasta. You can use spiral or other short pasta, but wouldn't recommend long noodles)
- 1 cup (240g) low-sodium veggie broth (I like the Pacific brand)
- 1 loosely filled cup (130g) finely chopped onion
- 2 small (365g) zucchini, sliced into half moons 1/4 inch thick
- 1 cup (240g) homemade cashew milk (SEE NOTE below. DO NOT sub with store-bought cashew, it will NOT thicken like my version and will RUIN the dish)
- 1 cup (240g) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian spice blend (with no salt or red pepper added)
- 2-3 teaspoons chili powder (I use my homemade blend)
- 4 large handfuls (100g) fresh spinach
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (notice in directions you are adding salt at different times)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- I only recommend making this with my homemade cashew milk. DO NOT USE store-bought, see note above recipe card why it doesn't work. I make my own cashew milk by adding 1/2 cup raw cashews to 1 1/2 cups filtered water and blend in a Vitamix until completely smooth. That's it, NO need to drain. You will ONLY be using 1 cup for the recipe. Store extra in fridge and I use it for baking, smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Cashew milk is absolutely going to give the BEST creamy results, so do not sub.
NOTE 2
- Regarding the chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons will give it a very mild level of heat and chili flavor, whereas 3 teaspoons will give it a noticeable level of heat, I love the full 3 teaspoons but it may be too much for sensitive people and for kids. My daughter thought it was a tad too spicy, so if you are unsure, start with 1 1/2 teaspoons and you can always add more at the end after tasting.
Instructions
- Make sure your veggies are chopped/prepared at the beginning, as the sauce comes together pretty quickly.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for your pasta. Adding a lid will make it boil faster. Make sure to salt the water well so the pasta is well seasoned.
- Add the onion and broth to a large sauce pan over medium heat. Once it begins to simmer, cook 5 mins and then add the zucchini and just 1/4 teaspoon of salt at this time. Stir well and cover. Lower the heat to medium-low. It's important to cover the zucchini so it cooks through well.
- Cook about 8 minutes until the zucchini is tender (no longer crunchy), but not mushy. Check a couple of times to stir it and make sure there is enough broth to keep the zucchini cooking. Add a bit more only if needed. You basically want most of the liquid gone though before the next step.
- Once the zucchini is tender, remove the pan from the heat and add the 1 cup cashew milk (or coconut milk), tomato sauce, Italian spices, chili powder (start out with 2 teaspoons if sensitive-I used the full 3), nutritional yeast, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and liquid smoke (if using). Stir well.
- Return back to the heat over medium heat and add the spinach. The spinach will look like a ton but will decrease significantly. Cook and stir the spinach continuously until it cooks down and the sauce thickens just a bit. You don't want to overcook the sauce, you want it fairly creamy/saucy but it should be creamy thick, not watery.
- Taste the sauce and add more salt or chili powder if desired for more spicy. The salt amount can vary depending on the tomato sauce used and how well you salted your pasta. I used the full 1 tablespoon chili powder and loved the perfect kick of heat and chili flavor. Remove from heat.
- The pasta should be done. Drain and scoop in desired amount of pasta into the sauce, leaving plenty of sauce to enjoy. Devour! How much you end up with will depend on how much pasta you add, but this makes a good amount of sauce.
Notes
- CASHEW MILK: I only recommend making this with my homemade cashew milk. DO NOT USE store-bought, see note above recipe card why it doesn't work. I make my own cashew milk by adding 1/2 cup raw cashews to 1 1/2 cups filtered water and blend in a Vitamix until completely smooth. That's it, NO need to drain. You will ONLY be using 1 cup for the recipe. Store extra in fridge and I use it for baking, smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Cashew milk is absolutely going to give the BEST creamy results, so do not sub. If you are allergic to nuts, try subbing with FULL-FAT coconut milk (well shaken/blended first).
- CHILI POWDER: 1/2 tablespoon will give it a very mild level of heat and chili flavor, whereas 1 tablespoon will give it a noticeable level of heat, which both my hubby and I thought was perfect. But it may be too much for sensitive people and for kids. My daughter thought it was a tad too spicy, so if you are unsure, start with 1/2 tablespoon.
Nutrition
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This is so good! I have made it twice within the last week. My husband and I are just starting the Vegan journey, so I was glad to find a winner. Just a note, the second time I made it, I didn’t have tomato sauce so I subbed with salsa. I was a bit worried how it would turn out, but I liked it every bit as much.
I’m so happy to hear this was such a hit Katie, thank you so much for the feedback!
Just finished eating this! I loved it, thank you. I used 14 ounces of pasta and there was enough sauce to cover it all well. I followed the recipe as written. All the yums! Going to make porridge with the remaining cashew milk and use it in coffee. So good! Thank you.
Wonderful Lisa, I am so happy you loved it so much, thank you for the feedback!
New to your blog. I am a lapsed vegan, looking for great recipes to come back to eating well.
Your blog looks wonderful and I am excited to make this for dinner tonight!
Thanks!
Wonderful Darby, so glad you found me!
Hi. I love the look of this recipe and so looking forward to making it! Just one question. …is the tomato sauce pasata or similar to what you call tomato ketchup? I’m in Australia so some terms are different. Thanks,!
Hi Kay, so sorry I just saw your comment! Tomato sauce is basically just pureed tomatoes, not actually ketchup. I hope that helps!
Thank you for all of your careful work and willingness to publish it! I finally started cooking and this recipe astounded me (coming from me!). I’ve made it several times in the last weeks and love the leftovers the next day, even cold.
I’m so very happy to hear that Barbara! Thank you for the feedback!
This was amazing! I actually had the no cheez sauce that needed to be used so I used it instead of cashew milk and oh man was it awesome. Thanks for this great recipe.
Oh wow, that’s a great idea!! So happy you loved this Trina, thank you so much for the feedback!!
I have been making vegan recipes from Pinterest etc, that are oil free sugar free, some good ,some not so good ! But can I tell you being from Louisiana we are used to really good food, so when I took my first bite, I was like OMG!!! Finally a comfort vegan dish that is soo delish!i have made it twice this week and my husband is hooked!Thanks so much for your creation! I will even be making this for non vegan eaters!!
Awww thank you so much Carolyn! So glad it was my recipe that finally satisfied y’alls tastebuds! That is so aweome to hear! So happy you loved this, thank you for the feedback!
My daughter has been begging me to make this ever since you posted it, Brandi, and last night I finally had the ingredients and time to do so. What a huge hit! I had gluten-free macaroni on hand, and used a bit more than half a tablespoon of chili powder, per your suggestion. So creamy and decadent- tasting!
I thought it was funny when you wrote that your daughter thought 1TBS had a bit too much heat, whereas you and your husband felt it was perfect. I actually had to add a bit more tomato sauce and cashew milk to mine, but my daughter and husband said it could have used a bit more chili powder! It just goes to show you everyone’s tastes vary, but we all thought the dish was absolutely delicious! 🙂
So so happy to hear that Colleen! Haha, so funny! That’s probably why yours needed more chili powder if you added more liquid! I’m so glad everybody loved it, thank you so much Colleen 🙂
Please keep making more videos! I love sharing them on FB so that we can have more vegan recipes circulating there 🙂
Aww thank you so much Jennifer for sharing, that really means so much and helps me out a ton! I will definitely keep making the videos, I’m so glad you are enjoying them!
Made this for dinner! It is delicious! So creamy and just the right amount of kick to it.
So happy to hear that Debbie, thank you so much!
So bomb made it twice all ready!!
Yay, so happy to hear that Britt, thank you so much for leaving feedback!!
Just discovered your blog—wow! I so enjoyed this. Easy to make and so very flavorful. I refuse to feel guilty about eating pasta. This recipe has good nutrition and is soul-satisfying. Husband approved as well. Love your writing style and the photographs as well. Have stopped going to Italian restaurants since the only vegan option is a watered down tomato sauce—but who needs them when people like you enable people like me to make such glorious meals at home?
Aww so sweet Ellen! Thank you so much for the kind words, so glad you are enjoying my blog and that you loved this recipe so much! Thank you for the feedback!
We used an entire pound of pasta, doubled the sauce and veggies using a full can of tomato sauce and added a can of diced tomato. Used 1 Tsp of chili powder and zucchini and yellow squash. Sauteed in EVOO (didn’t use any broth) and added a veggie broth cube to the sauce. Didn’t add the spinach as we don’t like that we reheating leftovers. YUMMY!!!
So glad you loved it Angie, thank you so much for the feedback!
Ohhhh, I agree with your hubby, definitely restaurant worthy dinner!!! Looks delicious and I love chilli, so this sounds like my kinda thing! Thanks for sharing 🙂 x
Thank you so much Anna!
I just made this tonight and it was awesome! I shredded the zucchini because I don’t like the consistency of the mushy middle of the zucchini. I used thawed,drained, frozen spinach and soy milk. I also added organic, frozen peas at the very end. It was soooo good. Next time my husband told me to just make the sauce and serve it in a bowl with a big chunk of bread for dipping. Yes…one less pot to clean 🙂
This sauce will be added to the weekly meal plan for sure. Thanks so much.
So, so awesome to hear that Dayna! I really appreciate you leaving feedback, that means so much to me!
And yes to just dipping the sauce into bread…yup, that sounds like my husband, he LOVES this sauce! Ha!
I have a bunch of zucchini just waiting to be used for this recipe haha ughhh I can have pasta everyday!
Thank you for a great recipe ,
Claudia
zeebalife.com
You are so welcome Claudia, I hope you love it!
Made this last night and this is now my new favorite pasta dish. It was so amazing and creamy. I got a little over zealous with the pasta so it wasn’t as soupy because of that but it was still so perfect. Loved the flavor and the texture it was simple perfection. I am kicking myself for not doubling the recipe. Hahaha Thanks for sharing the recipe. You are brilliant. Oh and P.S. are the hamburger buns coming soon? Hahaha still waiting. Not to push you can take all the time you need but I am just anxious for those 😛
Yay Christina!! So funny because this is now MY favorite pasta dish too, even more than the alfredo, haha! Simply because I just love food with a bit of kick and chili powder is probably my favorite spice, hence the inspiration for this dish. I’m so glad you loved it so much, thank you for the awesome words and feedback!!
OMG, I totally forgot about those buns, oh my goodness I am so sorry. I have become so totally busy and sidetracked with the constant writing and wrapping up the cake deal, that I simply forgot. I will get to working on that so it can be posted in July!!!
I can totally understand that life gets busy no worries. I was kind of wondering if maybe you forgot about it cause you teased the recipe on Instagram but then you weren’t posting. It’s understandable no apologies necessary. But I will look forward to it for July 😃
Yummy! This looks like the perfect comfort food, Brandi! 🙂
Wow! Just made the Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini, Spinach and Pasta for dinner and it was a BIG hit. I topped off the meal with a warm Chicolate Pumpkin Cake Brownie. Thanks Brandi for making being a vegan relatively easy. I so do appreciate all that you do!
Hi Diana! Oh, I’m so happy to hear that you loved this AND the chocolate pumpkin cake brownie!! So wonderful!! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Brandi,
This is definitely another winner from you! My husband tasted it and promptly requested that this recipe go into the rotation. It’s a great dish for those times in Summer when something substantial is wanted, but without a lot of cooking. I had hoped that there might be leftovers for lunch, but we couldn’t keep from devouring the whole thing in one sitting.
Regarding careful measurements, I almost never did this before finding your blog. Now I am grateful to have this level of detail so that I can be assured of turning out the same masterpiece repeatedly. Sometimes it just pays to heed the directions.
Hi Molly! Yay, so glad to hear it was such a hit with both you and your husband!! Yes, doubling is probably a really good idea! I had made this on a whim and wanted to post it quickly so it’s definitely just enough for a one dinner meal.
Yes, to the measuring. That is why I try to be so precise for all of you, it ensures the recipe is a success….I’m very detailed for this reason.
What a great way to get more spinach in your meals. This looks wonderful and creamy and just right.
FINALLY….MADE IT YESTERDAY (my very FIRST of your recipes!)…..WE UTTERLY AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!….HAVING IT AGAIN TODAY!!!…..DEFINITELY 5 STARS!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH BRANDI!!! Wanted to take a photo of it—used whole wheat farfalle (“bowtie”) pasta–didn’t have time….too busy EATING IT!!!
PS: See there? I CAN write short(er) comments!!! (Personally, I think SHORT is BORING, though SHORT(ER) is passable!!..haha!)
Love, your usually loquacious, but ALWAYS adoring & appreciative reader……DGL
Oh wow Daryl!! That makes me so happy to hear you loved it so much! Sorry, I haven’t responded to your other comment yet, trying to play catchup today but just saw this one come through! Thanks so much for the feedback, thrilled it was a hit with everybody!
Yum! This is what I wanted last night but we were out of pasta 🙁 Shopping to buy more today!
I’m the same way with measuring and writing down! There have been many times where I’ve created something amazing and then had no idea how I did it haha!
This looks so comforting and so delicious! Love throw together meals!
Yummy! Kids have it 2 thumbs up…better that chef boyardee any day!!! Thank you for sharing