Vegan Fajita Pasta with Chickpeas and veggies. Easy Weeknight pasta with Taco seasoned veggies and beans mixed with creamy pasta. Vegan Soyfree Recipe. Can be gluten-free. Jump to Recipe
Long long ago (undergrad), a friend used to make a version of a chikin fajita pasta. Just a simple fusion meal with pasta, cream, spiced things added in. For a vegan version I use chickpeas and peppers.
The veggies and chickpeas are tossed in taco spices and crisped. The pasta is simmered in a cashew cream sauce with tomatoes and a few flavor ingredients. A portion of veggies and chickpeas is mixed in and the rest is used to top the dish when served. Add other veggies or beans of choice or some crisped tofu or vegan meat subs, soy curls, jackfruit etc. Dreamy, spicy and fun.
Video:
To make this without cashews use any of my nut-free alfredo sauce or roux based garlic sauce.
More weeknight pastas
- Garlic Pasta with Cajun Cauliflower – super popular
- Cauliflower Parmesan Pasta Bake – sliced cauliflower, baked then dressed in vegan mozz and baked over pasta
- Pumpkin Sage Pasta with pumpkin cream sauce and crisp Sage
- Black pepper Mac and Cheese with Potato Carrot Cheese Sauce
- Chickpea Chorizo, Quinoa shells in tomato sauce. GF
This Pasta is just perfect for Weekdays. Simple, Smoky, Delicious!
Vegan Fajita Pasta with Chickpeas and Peppers
Ingredients
Fajita Chickpeas and Veggies:
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 (0.5) medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 (0.5) red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 13.5 oz can of chickpeas drained or 1.25 cups cooked
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic granules
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) onion powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) dried basil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt or to taste
Pasta:
- 6 to 8 oz (6 oz) pasta like fusilli or penne , use gluten free pasta for glutenfre
- 1 large juicy tomato finely chopped
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 cups (357 ml) cashew cream blend 1/3 cup cashews with 1.5 cups of water or unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic granules
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground mustard
- 3/4 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast less or more to preference
- 1 tbsp flour , use rice flour for gluten-free (blend this into the cashew cream)
- fresh or dried basil to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the veggies and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown on the edges
- Add the chickpeas, spices, salt and toss well. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add some chipotle pepper or cayenne for additional heat. Take off heat.
- Meanwhile Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package. Drain and transfer to a skillet.
- Add olive oil, tomatoes and mix. Add cashew cream, garlic, mustard, nutritional yeast, salt, and mix in. Partially cover and bring to a boil. Fold in some basil. Taste and adjust salt, flavor. Add more non dairy milk if needed.
- Fold in half of the fajita veggies + chickpeas lightly. Serve in bowls topped with additional fajita veggies and a sprinkle of vegan parm and black pepper or red pepper flakes, some lime if needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Karyn G
I made this last night. There was nothing leftover and I’ve already had requests to make it again!! So delicious! We just moved and I have not been able to get all my pantry staples, so I had to leave out the nutritional yeast and mustard. I cannot imagine this getting any more delicious, but I’ll try it next time. ;0)
Vegan Richa Support
Perfect new home meal.
Sabrina
This has become a staple in our rotation. So good!
Vegan Richa Support
so good to know, thanks SAbrina
Alice
If using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, when should I add it?
Kimma C
This was really tasty. Easy to prep and cook and looks like it’ll be great for leftovers.
Loved the creaminess of it.
Next time I’ll personally add more hot spices. (I didn’t add it when it the recipe said to and I should have.)
I’ll definitely make this again and bring it to share at family and friends dinners.
Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!! Do leave a rating too!
Lindsay
This is one of my new favorite recipes! So yummy. I used red lentil pasta 🙂 Thank you for the great recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
nice GF choice, thank you
Jennifer
OMG!!! This just became my favorite recipe. I made it exactly as written (to the best of my ability) and it was amazing. It would be fun to serve at a casual dinner with friends. .. it was that good!!
Tertia Smit
I was looking for a quick tasty recipe and found this. Urghh, how I enjoyed it. Thank you very much.
I wish they would use recipes like these when you travel on planes. It can be so simple to make delicious vegan food.
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
Shawn Simon
Two questions-what can I substitute for cashew cream?
What can I substitute for nutritional yeast?
Richa
Any other non-dairy cream. Or use other nuts to make cream. Or pumpkin seed cream. 1/2 tsp miso will add cheesy flavor
Vegan Richa Support
for the cashew cream try my nut-free alfredo sauce: and for the yeast: Vegan Parmesan Recipe – How to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Jessica
This is one of my favourite pasta recipes. It’s creamy and full of flavour. Leftovers keep really well (unlike a lot of vegan pasta sauces which dry out quite quickly) and it tastes amazing hot or cold!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you Jessica. great to hear – usually it doesn’t make it to leftovers in my house!
Harley Claunch Gibbs
Delicious!! Will use white beans next time though, hubby is not a fan of chickpeas. Thanks so much!!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you – white beans would be perfect
Lisa B
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! My daughter is vegan and sent me this recipe. It is so flavorful, creamy, and delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Vegan Richa Support
excellent!
Kari
I have not tried this yet but have a question. Is an equal amount of unsweetened almond milk a substitute for the cashew cream or a substitute for the water used to make the cashew cream? Hope that makes sense. TIA
Richa
Substitute for the water.
Cheryl Davis
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome. Something different for a pasta dish, with just the right amount of spicy kick. My partner loved it too. Will definitely be making it again.
Terri
Just made this tonight and it is SO GOOD!! No changes to the recipe for me and I doubled so I could cook the box of pasta and so glad since I’m expected boys home tonight, one arriving on a late flight and he will be so happy for a big bowl of this!!!
Richa
awesome!
LT
For any fellow tomato haters out there, I doubled this recipe and used a small 8 oz can of tomato sauce instead of two tomatoes. Kind of made a nice vodka-looking pink sauce. I also subbed unsweetened almond milk for the cashew and was worried it would be runny, but it all came together. It was very good!
Richa
awesome!
Carmen
I’m writing this while sprawled out on my couch, hoping to quickly overcome my massive food coma so that I can go back for more rounds of this pasta. WOW! This recipe is amazing! It tastes like the type of pasta I thought I’d never have again as a vegan. THANK YOU. This was phenomenal! If I were on death row, I would choose this as my last meal.
Richa
Awesome! You get the prize for the best comment this month! Thanks!
Melanie
Oh my gosh, this was SO GOOD!!! Normally my husband does the cooking in our house but I found this recipe through your Instagram and decided that I would make it. It was super simple and full of so much FLAVOR! I love the fact that it both Mexican and Italian (since you use pasta!) The cashew cream sauce was delicious but didn’t overpower anything. I had to make a couple of changes: I didn’t have ground mustard so I left it out. I also didn’t have a fresh tomato but I did have a canned of petite diced tomatoes so I drained the can of tomatoes and then added them to the dish along with a little bit of the tomato juice left in the can. Just wanted to share that in case someone else finds themself without a tomato. 🙂 Thank you so much for your (always) amazing recipes!!
Richa
yay! So glad you found it, tried it and loved it!
Kelsey
Started being Vegan about 3 weeks ago and this is the first recipe that really knocked my socks off. It tastes like I just went to a restaurant and ordered something I’d never get the recipe of.
I added some vegan butter to give it a bit more creaminess since I was using Coconut milk [instead of cashew cream] and adjusted to make sure the sauce wasn’t too watery~
Amazing!!!
Richa
yay!!
aaron
Awesome!!
Richa
thanks
Jessica
10 stars!!! This recipe will definitely become part of my weekly rotation (along with the butter “chicken”). We subbed soy curls for the chickpeas, but used chickpea pasta. We also used masa flour for the thickener. This dish is nothing short of magical!!!!
Richa
yay!!
Stephanie
Fantastic recipe! Every one of the members of my family enjoyed it. This recipe is taking a permanent place in our recipe collection.
Richa
yay!
Deborah
Had to make a few modifications to work with the ingredients I had on hand: macaroni instead of penne, canned tomatoes instead of fresh, soy milk instead of almond. It was delicious–like mac & cheese with a mexican twist. Will definitely make again! Thank you.
Kaitlyn Modz
Just tried this tonight! I think I prefer it with more salt, nutritional yeast, and chili powder than is listed–I also feel this could really benefit from a little acid, maybe from some lime juice. Overall though a really fast and yummy recipe, definitely what I needed at the end of the day
Richa
awesome!
Sabrina
This was soooo good! My husband can’t eat dairy or nuts, so we made this with coconut milk instead of cashew cream. We used a bit more pasta too and a little cayenne. Will definitely add this to our regular lineup. We love your recipes!
Richa
awesome!
Sue
This was GREAT a thank you for sharing your recipes
Dareth
Hello,
I am on the Daniel Fast at this time and can not use any yeast or regular flour, but I can use wheat flour. Will this recipe work without the yeast and using wheat flour instead? Thanks
Richa
yes it should work fine. you might need to add more taco spices for flavor with the missing nutritional yeast
Jenalee Coburn
Oh yum! I didnt have a tomato so i used alittle mild rotel, i did have to salt it more though! But, over all so yummy!
dabhpb
I just made this for a picnic tomorrow – I am going to taste it cold to see if I can take it cold or if I need to reheat it before heading out. What do you think?
Kay
I making this for the second time in 2 weeks.I first did it after a long day and i just put all the ingredients in one pot (i used mylk instead of the cashew cream) and boiled the pasta separately then I mixed it all together and it came out absolutely delicious. This dish seems to be really fool proof, no matter how you prepare it it tastes amazing. Great recipe, loving it!
Richa
awesome! i like flexible recipes that everyone can work out here and there!
Kristin
If I wanted to leave out vegan cheese or nutritional yeast what could I use as a substitute?
Vegan Richa Support
onion powder and a 1/4 more salt
Kaia
I’ve read through the recipe several times but don’t see where the flour comes in? Am I blind? Haha
Richa
it gets blended or mixed into the cashew cream before its added to the pan
Valerie
Made this today and it was great. Ended up serving it over red lentil pasta for added protein. YUM!
Michelle
This was absolutely fantastic. I added vegan chicken strips and some frozen corn. This will be a regular dinner in our household.
PS – I think you’re such a rebel for using two different types of pasta 😉
Richa
awesome! I ran out of penne 😉 and its was sunny, so i wanted to take photos anyway, else it would be some days or weeks before i would find time for the photos
DaVerne
Enjoyed this for dinner last night – the hubby went back for seconds! Leftovers for lunch today 😊. We are not vegetarians, so I added chicken. The spices are the perfect combination. I used 3 minced garlic cloves instead of granules/powder. I have a dairy allergy so I used coconut milk/cream instead with good results. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Definitely will be making this again!
Teniah
This was so amazing! You always come up with fabulous recipes. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Nicole
This recipe is incredible! We’ve eaten it two nights in a row now. My husband, toddler daughters and I, all love it. That’s when you know the recipe is a winner. We actually haven’t tried a recipe of yours that we didn’t like. Thank you for all the delicious recipes you post. They have made veganism a breeze.
Richa
so awesome! so glad you all loved it!
Cassie Thuvan Tran
Looks wonderful! I definitely want to make this for my friends someday!
Terri
Made this for dinner a couple nights ago and everyone loved it (even non-vegans)! Thank you for the awesome recipe. This will definitely be a repeat dish for my family.
Richa
Thats awesome!!
Marissa
This turned out AMAZING! I made it with Explore Cuisine chickpea pasta. Loved how creamy it was.
Mirjam
WOW, whant to do this tomorrow! I have a question about the quantity of the pasta….6 to 8 oz pasta for 4 people? Is that correct? Maybe I am a big pasta eater but this sounds very little to me. Thank you for all the great recipes always!
Richa
Maybe add some more veggies and serve with a side salad. It probably also depends on the type of pasta, I am probably a less amount pasta eater. Assume it serves 2 for you 🙂
Ida
Absolutely awesome! Definitely a command performance for me. I followed the recipe and added a little more pepper. Very creamy and full of flavors; I’ll be making again.
Richa
Awesome!
Zayn
This looks fantastic, I am so happy to find your website. I can’t wait to try out this recipe.
Mona
Loved! Loved! Loved This! I didn’t have chickpeas on hand so used White Beans instead. There were no leftovers. Thank you!
Richa
yay!
Paula
This looks wonderful. I have been sick for over 3 weeks with a never ending cold. This recipe will make me happy
Jennifer H
ughhh this looks so amazing! I saved it so fast!! Thank you for the new recipe! Happy New Year!
Eliane
We did it tonight, it was great, thanks!
Richa
Awesome!!
Julie Bigras
Hello, this recipe looks yummy! but i don’t think they sell ” garlic granule” in canada, only garlic powder and garlic salt. what can i use to replace it? thanks!
Richa
its the same as garlic powder.
Jeanne
The Bulk Barn sells minced garlic, which would be similar to garlic granules.
Tambi Dalman
Costco sells granulated garlic, it’s great