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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
- 7-8 oz pasta, , such as shells, penne or ziti
- 5 oz spinach, (thawed if frozen, finely chopped if fresh)
- 14 oz can of artichoke hearts drained and chopped
Sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 7 oz firm tofu or silken tofu, , see notes for Soyfree
- 1 1/4 cup non dairy milk such as almond, oat, or soy
- 1 tsp flour
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried basil or dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, more if needed
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 -2 tsp miso
Topping
- 1/4 cup 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). Some tofus can take over the flavor so add more of the herbs and nutritional yeast if needed.
- 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.
Video
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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This 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!
I 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!!!
great! store bough milks can have sweeeteners added, so get unsweetened when possible for savory dishes. beans also add a slight sweeter profile.
Hi! What kind of miso do you use / where do you get it from?
mellow white
I 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!
aewsome
I was pleasantly surprised – the sauce had a great “mouth feel” and flavour. Definitely going to make this again.
aweesome! thanks
I made this for dinner tonight. It was easy and delicious. Thank you for another great recipe that I’ll definitely make again!
awesome!
Can this be made without the nutritional yeast?
Thanks!
yes , add a bit more miso
Thanks!
Hello! Could you use plain jack fruit instead of artichokes??
yes you can . Rinse and squeeze out all liquid, shred and use
Would never have thought of that!
Great idea!
well, it said “blend sauce ingredients” and spinach/artichoke were listed IN sauce ingredients. bummer
updating, those are not blended
Great recipe. We don’t eat onion or garlic so I substituted roasted red pepper for the onion and asafoetida (hing) for the garlic. The roasted red pepper imparted a pinkish color to the sauce but was really good. I used more spinach since I thawed the whole bag. Still came out great! Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
Good 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.
oops, yes those arent blended. i’ll update it