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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I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I did the homemade cashew milk like you suggested and it was super easy to make anyway. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe again.
Awesome Krist! So glad to hear that!
Forgive me for coming to leave another review, I realize I already gave my feedback before but for some reason I didn’t leave a star rating and I just have to give this recipe the five stars that it deserves. I can’t get over how incredible this recipe is. I made it recently with elbow pasta and I was reminded how much I love this recipe!!! Best pasta dish ever!! I could eat this everyday and not get sick of it. In the past I have tried the sauce with rice and also I have tried it served over mashed potatoes and it is incredible served those was too. The sauce is simply perfect and versatile. (I hope the star rating works, I am on my phone and I have had issues before on my phone)
Oh, I LOVE the reviews, so thank you SO much Christina for sharing! Yes, it worked! Thank you a million for leaving the review, so happy it works on so many things!
Tried the recipe today and my husband commented that it was the best pasta he had till date. So thank you for such great ideas and this website has become my new go-to for oil-free vegan recipes. Love it.
I have been eating plant based for nearly 13 years. Now my 11 year old granddaughter has decided to have a say at meals prepared at my daughter’s house. I sent her a link to your web site and she already has a list of meals she wants to try. Thank you so much for the effort you put into cooking and enlightening others so they to can enjoy a plant based lifestyle.
So very sweet of you to leave this comment Linda! I really love hearing that about your granddaughter, that is just wonderful! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Wow! What a delicious meal. Comfort food with a little kick. This will definitely be in the rotation at our home.
I loved this dish! The only thing I will do different is chop the spinach a little and leave out the chili powder because my daughter can’t take the heat. I’ll just add it to mine on my plate and hope it’ll taste the same. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you loved it Tina, thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Do you think making the sauce ahead of time is a good idea?
And sorry, looks like I missed this comment…you must have made it really soon after you left the comment, haha! Glad it all worked out! I think the sauce is best made fresh since you are cooking it down with all the other veggies 🙂
Brandi, I just made this, then devoured a full bowl… comfort food for me. THANKYOU!!!
Yay Carol! SO happy to hear that!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I used Ripple pea milk, it was what I had on hand and it seemed to work. A definite keeper, I only wish I had doubled the recipe!
So happy to hear you loved it Kim, thank you!
Hi and thanks for the recipe! I am a winger of sorts when cooking but when trying something for the first time, I like to follow as close as possible, the actual written recipe. This was not the case here as I had to sub for spinach. I used frozen and added it after the onion and zucchini had cooked for about 3 minutes. Unlike another poster I did not thaw or drain it. I also added a block of silken tofu to the cashews in the blender to up the protein (invisibly).
We love it! I can see a few minor adjustments for our personal taste but the sauce, just yummy. Thanks again for sharing it and keeping up to date on your blog! Now I’ll have to see what other gems are hidden here. 🙂
Thank you Nadine! SO glad you loved it! The frozen spinach will have extra water and likely diluted the flavor a bit, so you can always defrost it next time and papertowel/ring out the excess water.
I don’t understand step #4 at all. If using coconut milk, what do you do? Remove the zucchini from the heat and treat the coconut milk the same as the cashew milk? Or leave the zucchini in the pan and add the coconut milk to it, along with all the other ingredient?? I think you need to edit that step!! I want to make this right now (bought all the ingredients); hoping someone can answer me quickly! Eek!
Yes, it’s the same thing, you are adding the milk (either one) at that step. You are not removing the zucchini from the actual pan, it just means to remove the pan from the heat WHILE you add the coconut milk and other ingredients. This is so it doesn’t overheat/cook while you are adding the other ingredients. Sorry for any confusion.
Please make sure that you are using the full-fat coconut milk and as noted in the recipe, it does not thicken as well as the homemade cashew milk, so you may need to cook it a bit longer to have it thicken up like the sauce seen in the photos.
Thank you for the fast reply! What service ! And I WAS going to ask again about light coconut milk, you mind reader. I get a little worried about the full fat stuff — so many calories! — but I’m guessing a little goes a long way, and the rest of the dish is so healthy. Going for it! Will report back!
This looked so enticing & delicious–I had to make it for myself! Unfortunately, my sauce did not thicken up like yours 🙁 The flavors were amazing, but it was really soupy. Any ideas about why this might have happened? The only thing I can think of is that my ninja didn’t blend up the cashew milk very well–I was left with a lot of cashew meal at the end of the process. Let me know your thoughts!
Hi Andrea! Yes, unfortunately that is exactly the reason. The ninja unfortunately isn’t as powerful as a Vitamix or Blendtec and will leave too many cashews unblended, therefore most of what you added to the dish was more water than actual cashews. It makes SUCH a difference in how it thickens up. I make this weekly and it’s always super creamy like in the photos and video. What I would try next time is to soak your cashews for 8-12 hours minimum so they get super soft. Drain them and then proceed. Blend your milk for several minutes as needed until it gets super smooth. That should work a lot better!
This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it. I have a question about your cashew milk, though. Have you ever made a thinner cashew milk say 4c/1c instead of 3c/1c? Do you think it would hold up in this recipe well? (I’m trying to cut calories and this seems like an easy way).
Hi Erin! You can try it, but just keep in mind it’s not going to be as rich/creamy! It will still be better than other milks though.
Thanks so much!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that if you make the larger amount of milk (4 cups water) I wouldn’t add all of that or it will make the sauce too runny and bland. Maybe a cup less and add more if needed.
What does it mean – Serves About 2 cups? Does anyone eat pasta from cups? Also, 2 cups of pasta + bunch of zucchini, stock and milk = 2 cups of the final meal?
Hi Tomas. Sorry for any confusion! I have edited it. The whole dish yields about 8 cups and when I serve it, I put about 2 cups in the bowl for serving. That’s what that means. This doesn’t mean literally eating from cups, but it is to give an idea of how much I noted as a serving. Yes, it includes the whole dish, not just pasta. Hope that makes more sense!
It does make more sense now, thank you! 🙂 So 8 cups = about 4 servings.
Thank you for the recipe Brandi! Would it at all be possible to leave out the tomato sauce? My wife as terrible reflux and the acid from tomatoes really doesn’t work for her. Thanks.
Hi Tiffany! Hmmm, that’s a tough one. The tomato sauce gives a ton of flavor and it will be much more bland without it. It needs something acidic to punch up the flavor of the herbs and milk. You could try adding some cooked and pureed red bell peppers, some lemon juice or maybe some mashed sweet potatoes. It’s definitely going to change the Italian flavor some, but you could try that and just adjust the spices/salt if needed. Maybe a little bit of balsamic vinegar too would be good.
Thank you! I’ll try that.
Brandi, I just made your Creamy Spicy Zucchini & Spinach Pasta dish for dinner tonight. I’m soooooo looking forward to serving this tonight. The sauce is DELICIOSO!! You amaze me with your ability to create delicious meals with only 8 ingredients. I am creating a binder for use here at home of my 30 favorite dishes to rotate in/out weekly or even monthly. One can become incredibly overwhelmed with all the vegan recipes out there, so this makes it easier for me and makes me feel no-so-overwhelmed if I keep the “family favorites” all in one place versus surfing the web for it. I can see there will be plenty of Vegan 8 recipes in that binder. Please keep of the great work. You ARE appreciated!!! Kathy Williams, AZ
Aww, thank you so much Kathy for this wonderful feedback! So very happy to hear you loved it so much! Thank you!
Making this right now!!!
Yay!!
HEY! I LOVE YOUR BLOG! And I cannot wait to try this recipe! I was wondering what site you used to make your blog?? I’ve tried a couple different websites, but none that I can find have the recipe format as you have the printable version here, let me know!
Thank you so much Gracia! I have a wordpress site but use a recipe plugin called mealplanner.
Oh. My. So happy when a vegan recipe turns out. So far they have not all been winners.
I had broccoli but not zucchini. Delicious.
Wow.
Thank you.
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear that Becky! Thank you so much for the feedback! Broccoli sounds amazing, so going to try that next time 🙂
I fear I’m beginning to run out of adjectives to describe how much I love your recipes. But I’ll try and write something coherent!
This is simply one of my favorites of yours. It’s creamy and spicy and rich and warm and comforting. I’ve tried it on gluten-free pasta, forbidden rice and mung bean pasta. All wonderful.
I have a terribly cheap blender but even still, my first ever try at making homemade cashew milk was a success. I think the key is patience; I blended for several minutes as I chopped my veggies. Several scrapings with a spatula, stored the leftovers in the fridge for my tea and coffee.
I write about my blender because I don’t want folks who don’t have a vitamix to be turned off and not make this recipe. Just use what blender you have, you’ll be so pleased with the results, and store-bought cashew milk does not remotely compare to homemade! No fillers, no funky aftertaste!
I also used Penzeys (I adore Penzeys; they have a few store fronts but I order mostly online, they should pay me to be their spokesperson as I buy all my curries and other spices solely from them haha, and I’m always recommending them!) “hot” chili blend. This girl likes spice and I find a heaping tablespoon of the hot chili powder to be just perfect in this recipe.
Well, anyway, I’ve gone on enough. Thank you again for such a fabulous “accidental” recipe, it’s gone on the regular rotation as something that is easy and wonderfully delicious. No stress comfort food for sure.
Oh, Caroline, you are just the sweetest!! I’m so happy you loved this so much! Haha, Penzeys is great, aren’t they? I have so many of their spices as well, all are so delicious. Oh, the hot chili powder sounds amazing, I will have to get some of that!
This dish is so yummy. It is now on regular rotation.
Yay! So happy to hear that Lindsey, thank you so much for the feedback!
I’m wondering what I did wrong. Came out very watery and soupy. I used store bought cashew milk. Is that the problem? And the flavors were all just kind of blah. Maybe fresh herbs rather than a jar of dry “Italian seasoning” would have been better? I also realized after the fact that this dish was oil-free and I usually wind up not liking dishes with no fat or oil. I think it adds flavor. Maybe if I was consistently not using oil this wouldn’t feel so plain. I think if I ever make it again I will use flavored pasta sauce instead of canned tomato sauce, and I will add some Gardein crumbles or Tofurky sausage. And I will make my own cashew cream. I really wanted to like this! I loved the zucchini and spinach. But I feel like I could have poured some store bought pasta sauce over the macaroni and added sauteed zucchini and spinach on top and wound up with more flavor 🙁
Hi Alexandra, sorry to hear yours didn’t work out, but yes, definitely watery and soupy is wrong. It is because you used store-bought cashew milk which I’ve stated specifically homemade is crucial to the recipe. It is MUCH thicker, creamier and rich in flavor. The fat in homemade milk absorbs all the flavors better and using store-bought is so watery that it doesn’t absorb the flavors. It simply does not work here. This being oil-free I assure has nothing to do with lack of flavor, because it is not fat-free. The cashew milk has plenty of fat.
I finally made this recipe and it was terrific. The pasta stayed soft in the leftovers due to all the sauce and we had it two nights running. Thanks for a great recipe.
So glad to hear you loved it Laura, thank you for the feedback!
I just finished a BIG bowl of Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini, Spinach and Pasta. This has me wanting seconds after my first bowl was filled to the brim. My carnivorous husband even dug in.
I changed a few ingredients slightly because of availability:
-coconut cream from the can instead of cashew milk
-chili powder/paprika/cayenne pepper because I ran out of chili powder
-last but not least I used Gnocchi for my pasta which was an amazing choice, I recommend it.
Thank you for sharing your creativity. I will be back to try more of your vegan recipes as I am transitioning to a plant based diet.
So wonderful to hear you loved it so much Amber! Coconut cream is very similar to cashew cream, so yes it would basically yield the same results! Gnocchi sounds interesting, I’ll have to try that sometimes in place of pasta!
Great flavor! Loved it. I’m excited to have leftovers for the rest of the weekend.
So glad to hear that Lindsey!!