Learn how to make Vegan Scampi in Lemon Wine Sauce with fresh simple ingredients and hearts of palm instead of scallops! This recipe is elegant, full of flavor and a delicious plant-based meal!
VEGAN SCAMPI IN LEMON WINE SAUCE
I’m excited to share this really delicious recipe, Vegan Scampi in Lemon Wine Sauce from Jenn Sebestyen’s new cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook! Jenn is the author of the blog, VeggieInspired. She shares all vegan recipes. This book is perfect for those looking to eat more plant-based meals and consume less meat or who are already vegan! It is a fully vegan cookbook.
I simply LOVED this recipe. I have never had hearts of palm before, gasp, and couldn’t believe how amazingly, delicious they were! They totally remind me of artichokes (which is my favorite) but more mild in flavor. The texture of them cooked and seared is divine. The pasta is cooked in a wine and lemon and garlic liquid and then topped with salty, perfectly seared hearts of palm instead of traditional scallops. It is simply delicious!
Not to mention, your house will smell AMAZING. I had left to pick up my daughter from school after making the recipe and when I returned, I was excited to smell the aromas my house was still filled with.
In this cookbook, you will find everything from tips on how to start cooking meatless to tools, ingredients and ways to get your children involved.
The chapters range from Hearty Soups, Satisfying Salads, Loaded Handhelds, Bountiful Bowls, Perfect Pasta, One Pot Wonders, Comforting Casseroles, Center Stage Vegetables, Breakfast for Dinner and Sauces and Staples. There is not dessert chapter in this book.
The recipes are vegan, wholesome, filling and perfect for lots of different taste buds in the family. There really is a large variety of recipes to choose from in this book!
Now, let’s get to this delicious vegan scampi recipe, shall we!
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN SCAMPI
- Hearts of palm
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh lemon
- Fresh parsley
- White wine
- Veggie broth
- linguine or pasta of choice
- red pepper flakes
- panko bread crumbs
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SCAMPI
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt and the pasta. Cook according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, sear the hearts of palm on each side until browned.
Add the garlic and white wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Add the broth and lemon juice and cook for 5 minutes until it has reduced.
Pour the liquid over the cooked pasta and toss with the hearts of palm, red pepper flakes, parsley and top with the bread crumbs.
MORE VEGAN PASTA DINNERS
- Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo
- Vegan Pimento Cream Sauce
- Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini, Spinach & Pasta
- Vegan Cream Cheese Alfredo
- Easy Vegan Meatballs and Spaghetti
- Vegan Chickpea Tomato Ragu
- Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells
“Reprinted with permission from Jenn Sebestyen and Fair Winds Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. © 2019.”
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Scampi in Lemon Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45g) olive oil (SEE NOTE for oil-free)
- 1 jar (14.8oz, 420g) hearts of palm
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 8 oz (225g) linguine or pasta of choice (use GF if desired)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup (120g) dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup (235g) low-sodium vegetable broth
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (use GF if desired)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
NOTE
- As indicated within the post, this recipe is not mine, but from The Meatless Monday Cookbook. Her recipe calls for oil, but since I try to avoid oil and know the majority of my readers also avoid oil, I have provided an oil-free option listed under NOTES at the bottom AND you will see in the directions what I did in place of the oil. If you do not avoid oil, then of course, follow the amounts she has listed and in the instructions.
Instructions
- Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, carefully slice the hearts of palm crosswise into ½-inch (1 cm) slices.
- Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. OIL-FREE OPTION: Since searing of the hearts of palm is important to the recipe, to make this without oil, I used my well seasoned cast iron skillet that I let preheat until hot. I did not need oil and as you can see in the photos, they seared beautifully. If you do NOT have a cast iron skillet or it is not well seasoned, you may need the oil or add a light amount of nonstick spray and gently wipe off the excess. You must use a nonstick pan for this option, or the hearts of palm will stick horribly and fall apart. I used a thin spatula to flip them over. Once the oil (if using) is hot, add the hearts of palm. Sprinkle with¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. NOTE: My hearts of palm were extremely salty already from the brine they were soaking in from the jar, so I just lightly sprinkled them with salt. Sear until gold brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip each slice over. I used a thin metal spatula to flip mine carefully. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Sear for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
- Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Make sure to salt the pasta water well so that the pasta does not turn out bland.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of olive oil over medium heat. I simply used broth instead. Sauté the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid reduces by about half. Add the lemon juice and vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and glossy. PLEASE SEE NOTES AT BOTTOM for the oil-free sub I did here with the broth.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add the seared hearts of palm to the skillet along with the parsley and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir together the panko bread crumbs and the nutritional yeast, if using. Sprinkle over the pasta and toss everything to combine.
Shrimp scampi has been my easiest and most delicious weeknight dinner, so I had to try this! We have a lot of food sensitivities in our house that don’t allow us to be vegan, but we rarely eat meat and have been drastically cutting back on seafood as well (plus, the good stuff is so pricey). I used gf spaghetti, and low-fodmap garlic oil and garden scallions. Also, I tossed in several tablespoons of fish sauce along with the wine for the salty/savory flavor and omitted bread crumbs. It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and said that it was at least as good as the shrimp kind – and it’s even easier to make. This will be on repeat at our house for the foreseeable.
Sweet! I used king oyster mushrooms instead of hearts of palm it was awesome 😎☮️
Tried this tonight and it was delicious. The next time, I think I’m going to add some dulse flakes to give it -more of an ocean-y flavor. I’ll also add a bit more garlic and red pepper and maybe a glug or two of dry white wine and sprinkle a bit of oregano at the end. I enjoyed this immensely.
This recipe is totally fantastic. I made the no oil version and this was first time I had hearts of palm. Brandi, do you think you could create some dishes with this great ingredient? I love lemon so this dish was totally up my alley. I’m glad you picked this recipe from the book!! Highly recommend
Had this lady night and making it again tonite. Really good. I will be making this a lot in the future!
I made this a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The fresh lemon made the dish really pop with flavor. Leftovers were yummy too.
Have made it twice now and added it to my “favorites” file for regular use. Thank you!
This is by far my new favorite recipe!!!! But as usual…I can’t leave well enough alone. I added spinach and roasted cherry tomatoes (added 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes when they finished roasting). I’ve made it 3 times now. In a week!!! Lol
That looks simply fabulous. Thank you for sharing your expertise and for the detailed instructions.
I wasn’t hungry before, but I am now 🙂
You had me at hearts of palm! Made this tonight and it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
I had to make this last night because for one, it just looked so creative and I love creative plant based ‘play on omni food’ recipes. Second reason is I have never tried heart of palm, so what better way to do so! I broke my no oil rule and used it to fry the veggies because I don’t have a seasoned skillet. I did replace the other oil with the coconut milk as you suggested. I LOVED the meal! My husband was not a fan of the heart of palm, but I think he decided that before he tasted it because he made the mistake of smelling it right out of the can :/ One of my boys had three bowls!
Aww yay Nina! Isn’t it so yummy! Hearts of palm are new for me too and I couldn’t get over how delicious they are! Thank you for making it!
I made this last night and wow did it please! First of all I love anything lemon and second, hearts of palm makes an excellent substitute for scallops (or lobster). But even my not-so-loving-lemon-flavor-pasta partner went back for seconds (and he was originally frowning at what I had fixed)! This meal comes together quickly and was easy for a weekday meal, but gosh it seems fancy. Pair it with salad and some fresh, warm bread and you’ve got an elegant dinner. This will be in our dinner rotation for sure.
Yay! Really fabulous to hear this!
Going to make this tonight and I have no doubt that it’ll be amazing! A note to fellow vegans – there are plenty of websites where you can check if your preferred wine is vegan or not. I found out in my journey that my favorite wasn’t, so I’ve had to switch brands!! 🙂
Awesome, hope you enjoy it!
If you don’t have access to hearts of palm (I’m not really sure since I’ve never heard of them), would artichoke hearts work? This recipe sounds divine, that’s just my concern. Thank you!
Artichokes are not mild enough in flavor in my opinion and not as firm as hearts of palm, so you really need those. You can find these at pretty much any grocery store. They are down the same isles as canned and jarred veggies, even as the artichoke hearts are. Very easy to find! Even Walmart carries them!
We love hearts of palm. In our house they are known as the “ever popular hearts of palm.” Where we live we can buy them already sliced in cans. Makes this recipe a easy go-to for a quick supper. Thanks!!
Yes, I’m now definitely a fan of hearts of palm!
Brandi, thank you for this wonderful review! I’m so happy you love the recipe!
My pleasure, I really enjoyed it!!