You will love this delicious creamy Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake recipe. It’s like having spinach and artichoke dip, but for dinner! Dairy-free, plant-based & so easy to make. Jump to Recipe
Just when I thought pasta could not get more comforting, creamy and delicious, than my Fettucine Alfredo, I used my Spinach Artichoke dip for inspiration for this Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta, topped with breadcrumbs.
It’s fresh yet oh so creamy, fancy yet very easy to make any day of the week, and as tasty as can be. It’s basically the same concept as a restaurant-style spinach & artichoke dip but served as a pasta bake. I use tofu for the creamy base in this one. To make it without soy, just use my nut based spinach artichoke dip. Thin it a bit with non dairy milk, mix in the pasta and done.
This pasta bake is a great dish for an easy weeknight dinner, but as it is such a crowd-pleaser, it would also be perfect for a big party!
Many creamy vegan pasta dishes rely on soaked blended cashews for that perfect silky texture. Here I wanted to offer you a nut-free version so we use tofu. My tofu-based sauce has the same smooth consistency as cashews with zero prep effort as you don’t have to remember soaking the nuts and the dish only has a fraction of the fat and calories.
The silken tofu and non-dairy milk make the sauce so sinfully creamy, and the nutritional yeast adds such a wonderful cheesy flavor.
To really give the umami notes in this dish a boost, I added a small amount of miso paste and I recommend you do the same. It’s just so good.
On to the obvious main players in this recipe: We pack a good 5 oz of spinach and an entire can of artichokes in there. I don’t have to tell you just how well those two go together. This creamy vegan spinach pasta tastes just like the restaurant dip served up as a filling main. GENIUS!
Ingredients needed for making Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake:
- Pasta – go with your favorite type and shape and cook according to the instructions on the package. I opted for mediumshells for this recipe, but fusilli or penne would also do.
- Spinach – I used frozen and thawed spinach but you could also use fresh.
- Artichokes – the canned variety. I used the ones packed in water as opposed to the oily ones. Make sure to drain them.
- Nutritional yeast for that signature cheesy taste we love about spinach and artichoke dip.
- Tofu makes this dairy-free pasta sauce wonderfully creamy. I recommend using firm or silken tofu, which easily blends into a smooth and creamy sauce but firm works as well.
- Miso is a Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans and has a rich, salty flavor. In traditional Japanese cuisine, it’s used in sauces, soups, and stocks, but it also works so well as an umami booster for many other dishes like this vegan pasta sauce!
- Seasonings: onion powder, ground mustard as well as some dried basil or dill
- A dash of fresh lemon juice cuts through the richness of the sauce.
- Breadcrumb Topping – a blend of breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, salt and dried Italian herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary
Tips and Variations for making this Vegan Pasta Bake:
- As the pasta will bake in the sauce for an additional 20 minutes, you absolutely get away with undercooking the pasta a bit. At least make sure you don’t overcook them before baking as they might turn too soft.
- For some added spice, add in some chopped green chiles or jalapeños halfway through sauteeing the onions.
- If you are using marinated canned artichokes, you might not need to add that many dried herbs.
- Feel free to add a dash of Cajun seasoning for a Southern twist.
- You could serve this vegan spinach pasta topped with sliced green onions for fancy date night presentation.
- Want some crunch? Add some chopped water chestnuts before baking.
- Soy-free: Use my nut based spinach artichoke dip for thee sauce
How to make Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta recipe – Step by Step
3. Sautee the onions until golden.
4. Transfer the onions to a blender together with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth
5. Add olive oil to a baking dish.
6. Add the cooked pasta, spinach, chopped artichokes, and the blended sauce. Toss to mix well. Rinse out the blender with 2 tbsp water and add.
8. Bake the pasta at 400 F for 22 mins. Broil for a minute or so to brown the top. Remove from the oven, serve
Can I make this vegan pasta recipe on the stovetop?
More vegan pasta recipes from the blog:
- Vegan Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo
- Cajun Cauliflower Pasta
- Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper Chickpea Pasta
- Cauliflower Parmesan Pasta Bake
- Vegan Sundried Tomato Pasta
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226.8 g) pasta , such as shells, penne or ziti
- 5 oz (141.75 g) spinach (thawed if frozen, finely chopped if fresh)
- 14 oz (396.89 g) can of artichoke hearts drained and chopped
Sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 7 oz (198.45 g) firm tofu or silken tofu
- 1 1/4 cup (295.74 ml) non dairy milk such as almond, oat, or soy
- 1 tsp flour
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried basil or dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp miso
Topping
- 1/4 cup (27 g) breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried italian herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary
- a good dash of salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to instruction and set aside. thaw the spinach if using frozen. Chop the artichoke hearts.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced onions, garlic and pinch of salt and cook until golden.
- Transfer them to a blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend everything until smooth. Taste and adjust flavor(salt, tang, cheesyness).
- Add some olive oil to a baking dish. Add the cooked pasta, spinach, chopped artichokes and the blended sauce. Toss to mix well. Rinse out the blender with 2 tbsp water and add.
- Sprinkle the pasta with breadcrumbs, pepper flakes, herbs, and a little salt and optional vegan parm. For the perfect brown topping, spray or drizzle with some olive oil.
- Bake the pasta at 400 F (205 C) for 22 mins. Then broil for a minute or so to brown the topping.
- Remove the dish from the oven, and serve. Store: Cool completely and refrigerate for upto 3 days.
For making this on the stovetop:
- Combine the spinach, chopped artichokes and sauce and bring to a boil.
- Add the cooked pasta and mix well to combine. Cover and cook for 2 mins. Sprinkle in some pepper flakes, dried herbs, and vegan parm.
Notes
- As the pasta will bake in the sauce for an additional 20 minutes, you absolutely get away with undercooking the pasta a bit. At least make sure you don't overcook them before baking as they might turn too soft.
- For some added spice, add in some chopped green chiles or jalapeños halfway through sauteeing the onions.
- If you are using marinated canned artichokes, you might not need to add that many dried herbs.
- Feel free to add a dash of Cajun seasoning for a Southern twist.
- You could serve this vegan spinach pasta topped with sliced green onions for fancy date night presentation.
- For Soy-free: Use my nut based spinach artichoke dip as the pasta sauce. Add non dairy milk as needed.
LP says
February 16, 2020 at 3:48 pmGood recipe, but you might want to remove spinach and artichokes from the sauce section. Before you see the pics, the instructions say to blend all the rest of the sauce ingredients, which would seem to include the spinach and artichokes.
Richa says
February 16, 2020 at 4:13 pmoops, yes those arent blended. i’ll update it
Kimberley Hodgdon Landsman says
February 16, 2020 at 3:56 pmwell, it said “blend sauce ingredients” and spinach/artichoke were listed IN sauce ingredients. bummer
Richa says
February 16, 2020 at 4:13 pmupdating, those are not blended
Kait says
February 16, 2020 at 6:52 pmHello! Could you use plain jack fruit instead of artichokes??
Richa says
February 16, 2020 at 9:11 pmyes you can . Rinse and squeeze out all liquid, shred and use
JoAnne says
February 17, 2020 at 3:26 pmCan this be made without the nutritional yeast?
Thanks!
Richa says
February 17, 2020 at 4:01 pmyes , add a bit more miso
JoAnne says
February 19, 2020 at 9:55 pmThanks!
Ruth Johnston says
February 17, 2020 at 5:28 pmI made this for dinner tonight. It was easy and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe that I’ll definitely make again!
Richa says
February 17, 2020 at 7:28 pmawesome!
Kayte says
February 17, 2020 at 6:04 pmI was pleasantly surprised – the sauce had a great “mouth feel” and flavour. Definitely going to make this again.
Richa says
February 17, 2020 at 7:26 pmaweesome! thanks
Reid Harris says
February 19, 2020 at 1:57 pmI saw this pop up in my feed and I RAN to the kitchen to make it. I’m having a little love affair with artichokes right now (and always need to get more spinach in my diet) – it did not disappoint!
Great recipe. I did blend the artichokes and the spinach into the sauce, but reserved some as well… I thought it was great.
I’ve had it for dinner, lunch or snack for the past 3 days – I can’t wait for my break at work so I can go dig in again. Home run for this gal – thank you!
Richa says
February 19, 2020 at 5:28 pmaewsome
Rachel V. says
February 20, 2020 at 7:45 amHi! What kind of miso do you use / where do you get it from?
Richa says
February 20, 2020 at 1:31 pmmellow white
JoAnne says
February 20, 2020 at 8:18 pmI made this recipe tonight with some tweaks. I used fresh broccoli florets that I parboiled before chopping and added some white navy beans that I had cooked last night. As a Vegan I’m always looking for ways to add a bit more protein.
I omitted the Nutritional Yeast as it causes fierce migraines and upped the miso as you recommended. I used oat milk which I won’t do again. I didn’t have any of my homemade almond milk on hand. I’ve heard people rave about oat milk and decided to give it a try. It was too sweet to me even though it had no added sugar.
As a Gluten-free Vegan of twelve years I’m always looking for new recipes. I’m happy to have found your blog recently!!! Thank You for the healthy goodness!!!
Richa says
February 20, 2020 at 8:33 pmgreat! store bough milks can have sweeeteners added, so get unsweetened when possible for savory dishes. beans also add a slight sweeter profile.
Stephanie says
February 22, 2020 at 3:38 amThis looks so creamy ad crispy at the same time! I have a thing for warm gooey pastas. I am adding this to my weekend cooking list. Thanks!
Michelle Taylor says
February 22, 2020 at 9:51 amWonder can I omit the miso or substitute something else as I can’t find it anywhere?
Richa says
March 8, 2020 at 2:54 pmomit it
Kristen says
February 24, 2020 at 4:44 pmWe made this for dinner tonight (stovetop version) and it was delicious! Even my picky four year old who rarely eats his dinner cleaned his plate! I even scooped up the remaining bits from the pan with tortilla chips it was so tasty! 😂
Richa says
February 24, 2020 at 5:24 pmyay
Bett says
February 25, 2020 at 2:18 pmRicha, I wonder whether you might be able to recommend a replacement for the pasta. I love artichokes, but can’t have pasta because of blood sugar issues.
I’ve thought of beans and cauliflower so far, or maybe even roasted veggies (alas can’t use potatoes, more than a carrot or two, rice or other starches, again, because of blood glucose.) Maybe roasted broccoli, brussels sprouts and the like.
Anyhow, I thought “I bet Richa would know what would be good instead!
Any thoughts?
Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
Richa says
February 25, 2020 at 2:23 pmyou can serve it as a dip with whichever raosted veggies. have you tried my chickpea flour pasta? you wont need tot bake it, just use stovetop option. https://www.veganricha.com/2015/03/vegan-chickpea-noodles-with-garlic-tomato-sauce.html
Heather says
February 27, 2020 at 9:35 amMade this for dinner and it’s delicious, I think the next time I make it I’m going to add some more yeast to give more of a cheese favour,,, thanks Richa for this recipe, more like this please,,, also love your everyday cook book!
Beth says
February 29, 2020 at 6:33 pmJust made and even our toddler approved! I used a little kale since I only had 5 oz of spinach. Will definitely make this again!
Shannon says
March 4, 2020 at 5:22 amWould marinated artichokes work or just olain canned ones?
Richa says
March 7, 2020 at 6:12 pmyes, they should.
Diane Morris says
March 7, 2020 at 8:07 amThis was so tasty! Really creative!! Thanks so much.
B says
March 15, 2020 at 10:50 amI added some cut up sun dried tomatoes to the mix. Tasty!!! a keeper!
Renee says
March 24, 2020 at 10:36 amCan I make this without the tofu? My litte one has a soy allergy.
Richa says
March 24, 2020 at 11:41 amyes the alternate optitons are mentioned in notes and the post, using nuts or pumpkin seeds. use any of my nut frere alfredo veganricha.com/?s=alfredo
Lauren F says
March 25, 2020 at 5:48 pmI made this tonight and the family (including two kids) all really loved it! From the photo, it looks like it could come out gummy or dry (and mine came out looking very similar), but it’s surprisingly moist and not dry at all. I did add a bit more salt than the recipe called for and maybe 3-4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, which I think was just to our taste. I had almond milk on hand, so that’s what I used, and I think that worked well as it didn’t have any artificial sweetness like some other plant-based milks tend to have when used in savory recipes. I’ll definitely make this one again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Richa says
March 26, 2020 at 3:49 pmawesome
Ruchama says
March 30, 2020 at 2:14 pmCan I use this with lasagna noodles and a tomato sauce? I saw a spinach/artichoke lasagna recipe on another vegan blog, but I like your sauce better.
Richa says
March 30, 2020 at 2:57 pmyes you can. Just layer with alternate sauces and fillings of choice. Cover and bake.
Ruchama says
March 30, 2020 at 6:05 pmThanks! And thanks for sharing your creative energy and above all your time with us . I’m very much an introvert, so avoiding crowds comes naturally to me. But even we introverts find virtual human contact comforting.