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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Made this last night and it turned out perfectly. Making the cashew milk was a snap and I have lots left over to use in smoothies. I made the cashew milk in my Nutribullet as I would put it up against a Vitamix for making cashew cream. I only made 2/3 of the recipe as that is all the Nutribullet would hold, but it turned out perfectly. I only cook for myself, so am happy to have 3 more servings awaiting me.
Tried it, loved it! Will definitely do it again ! Even my non vegan fiancé loved it (except the spinach 😂). The sauce was creamy, not too spicy… really perfect !!
Definitely recommend !
I am so going to make this for dinner tonight. I bet it would be yummy over a baked potato.
Brandi, I love all your recipes and I tell everyone to go to your blog and check it out. I just purchased your cool book and the Mac n cheese was a hit.
I would love more recipes that are calculated to feed a crowd. I have five kids and usually one or two extras over for dinner most nights and I find I need to do calculations and sometimes I’ve noticed just doubling the recipe made it not quite right.
Please more recipes calculated to serve 8 or more.
Thank you for sharing your talent with us all!
Thank you so much Annie! You are so very kind and I really appreciate you. So glad to hear the mac n cheese from my cookbook was a hit! And yes, thank you for the suggestion, I will definitely keep that in mind for more recipes! Just off the top of my head, one of my all-time fave recipes that definitely feeds a crowd and makes a huge pot is this Sweet Potato Lentil Soup. I love this recipe so much because it’s SO easy and all made in 1 pot and I can eat on it for days! https://thevegan8.com/sweet-potato-lentil-soup-vegan/
I haven’t made this yet, but am looking forward to doing that. What I wanted to say is how much I LOVE that you put weights in your recipe. It is disconcerting when recipe authors don’t do that and I am left trying to figure out what they consider a medium zucchini. So appreciated!!
My son has a knot and coconut allergy. What would be the next best alternative to the non-dairy milk? I have oat milk in the fridge.
Hi Jennifer, I honestly have never cooked with oat milk, so I’m not sure if it would turn slimy or thicken well at all. You can always try it, but just keep in mind that the homemade cashew milk thickens considerably and is very rich/creamy, so I don’t know how oat milk will compare.
First time trying one of your recipes which I came across on a Google search. We LOVED it! Thanks for a great dinner.
We loved this recipe, another great one!
I have made this twice now and both times were amazing!! The first time I made your homemade cashew milk and even though I have a vitamix it came out grainy. The pasta was still amazing though! The second time I used store bought cashew milk even though your notes stress not to… I still LOVED it!! My husband and I LOVE spicy food so we actually used two tablespoons of chili powder and a little cayenne pepper and it was to DIE for. We also used whole grain elbow noodles, and we ended up having too many noodles and not enough sauce – next time I’ll either make less noodles or more sauce (probably more sauce!!) I LOVE all your recipes!
That’s so wonderful, so happy you loved it so much Suzanne! That is very odd about your cashew milk though! I make a batch almost weekly and it’s 100 smooth in like 30 seconds! With all the water, it’s super easy and quick how smooth it gets. Never heard that before, especially with a Vitamix but I would just blend it longer because a Vitamix pulverizes anything to a smooth consistency.
I gave the homemade cashew milk another try and it worked! I’m not sure how it came out grainy the first time but I’ve figured out the perfect combo for this pasta. I make a half batch of the cashew milk, use 8 ounces of whole grain penne, substitute some Cajun for the chili spice, add a little more zucchini and about 1/4 cup extra for tomato sauce and sometimes we actually end up with a small one serving leftover! Love all your recipes including this one!
So glad you loved it Suzanne!!
I’m so excited to try this! Sadly I can’t afford a Vitamix. Out of curiosity, if I soaked the raw almonds overnight, would it be possible to process it smoothly enough in a food processor? Thanks in advance!
Just made this and it’s excellent! I did the same as another reader and drained a bit of the broth once the zucchini was done – no biggie, will just use a bit less next time. Followed the recipe exactly otherwise and it is absolutely delicious! Will definitely make this again. Thanks for a terrific recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it Lynne, thank you for the wonderful feedback!
I’m going to add this to my Keeper list. I love the chili powder with the Italian spice. Never tried that before. I needed a good tomato sauce recipe for my weekly list. This was great! I was lazy and just added the raw cashews into my Vitamin and made powder then added the onions and broth. Super creamy and yummy. Thank you so much.
This sounds so yummy. I just have one question. Can you make cashew milk if you only have a food processor? Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Yes, just you will need to soak your cashews for 8-12 hours in a bowl of water, drain and rinse them and then proceed. This will give them the best chance to get creamy. Run the processor for as long as needed to get the cashew milk smooth 🙂
So delish! My non vegan hubby loved it. So did I. I used the whole 8 oz can of tomato sauce because what would I do with 1/4 cup leftover?. Also added kidney beans for extra protein and because my mom used to make a similar dish with kidney beans we called hodge podge. I was so impressed how easy the cashew cream was. I just have a regular old fashion blender and it was totally smooth. I will be using it in other recipes. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear you both loved it Margie!! Thank you so much for the review!
I made this last night, and it was sooo very good! I added minced garlic, mushrooms and some shredded carrot and made a little extra sauce. Served over whole grain rotini pasta. This will definitely go into the regular rotation!
So happy to hear that Miriam, thank you so much for making it!
I made this with chickpea elbow pasta for a little extra protein, came out great! I played it safe on the chili powder but I’ll do the full tablespoon next time. I was thinking to myself adding some minced garlic might work nicely too.
I made this tonight and it is so good!!! I am sensitive to chili spice and used the half amount of chili powder, otherwise followed the recipe and it was great. The zucchini was perfectly cooked, tender but not mushy. And just enough heat for me.
The cashew milk was super easy to make in the Vitamix and worth it. It really is very creamy.
So glad to hear you loved it Maggie! Thank you so much for making it and leaving the awesome review!
I’m blown away by how delicious this came out! To be honest I was skeptical at first. I usually stay clear of recipes without oil to saute but the positive reviews convinced me to give it a try and I’m glad I did. Only change I’ll make is to use less broth. Most of the liquid wasn’t gone before the next step because the zucchini rendered liquid which resulted in extra liquid so, I drained it rather than cook it past it’s time and run the risk of mushy zucchini. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. I’m confident in trying more recipes from thevegan8.
Wonderful Mina! I’m so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this! Thank you for the lovely review!
Made this last night and the whole family absolutely loved! Thanks for an easy and delicious recipe!
So happy to hear that Jamie, thank you!!
WOW. This is delicious!! I followed it EXACTLY and I’m so excited to eat this at work tomorrow. I just discovered your website, and I’m so excited to try your recipes now
Wonderful! So very happy to hear that Gabrielle! Thank you so much for making it and coming back to leave this amazing feedback!
Oh, and thank you for fowolling the recipe exactly, Haha! I tell people all the time that it really makes a difference, especially with my recipes being so few ingredients, each one is key to the end result!
Made this for dinner last night and it was SOOO good and flavorful. Definitely a keeper 🙂
Yay! Thrilled to hear that!
I made this last night and it’s a keeper! So delicious! Thank you! I don’t know if you know this, but the video isn’t working and when you print the recipe it cuts off a little of the left side. Maybe, it’s just my computer. I wasn’t sure. Just thought you’d want to know. 🙂
Oops! I forgot to rate it! 5 stars!!!!!
Hi Tina! Oh, so happy to hear how much you loved it! Thank you so much for letting me know about the video and I just double checked to print it and it printed out normal for me! Maybe double check yours isn’t set on landscape for print. 🙂
Hi Brandi, We rate this 5 star! I think I missed rating it when i first posted my comment. We love this recipe! We subbed a large farmer’s market eggplant, peeled and cubed, for the zucchini. Super tasty! Thanks for your delicious, fun, simple, health-filled recipes!
Mary
That’s so wonderful to hear Mary, thank you so much for the lovely review!
Hi Brandi, We love this recipe! We subbed a large farmer’s market eggplant, peeled and cubed, for the zucchini. Super tasty! Thanks for your delicious, fun, simple, health-filled recipes!
Mary
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so salty my husband and I couldn’t eat it. I put it in a container to try to doctor up for my lunches while it lasts so it isn’t wasted. I was very disappointed after so many positive comments from people who made it as-is. I have learned to spice sparingly. I can always add more later. I took a photo but am not sure how to post it.
We absolutely loved your Rice Bean Avocado Bowl.
Thanks for all your ideas.
Hi Shannon, so sorry to hear that yours was salty, but that sounds really odd to me. I’ve made this many times and it’s never too salty and no other readers have ever had a problem with that, so I’m curious if you used LOW-sodium veggie broth or accidentally added too much salt? It definitely should be nowhere near too salty to eat, that definitely isn’t right. I use the same taste for salt in all of my recipes, so if you loved the Rice Bean Avocado Bowl, which is no less salty than this (taste flavor wise), then I definitely think something wrong happened here with the broth or salt. Especially seeing that so many have loved this, as you mentioned. If it was too salty to even be eaten, many more would have commented that. I’m just sorry to hear this because you’ve rated it rather low and it’s not a salty dish, bummer! Thanks for trying it.
DELICIOUS as the 2 other recipe that I tried so far on your blog. I put 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke and it was PERFECT. I also made the zuchinni cook longer in the broth so my daughter wouldn’t noticed them and it worked out. Easy, simple and as tasty as in a restaurant.
Yay! So glad you loved this Catherine, it is definitely one of my faves! Thank you for the lovely review!