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.
How would you prepare the artichokes if you wanted to use fresh instead of canned?
I like these methods: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+cook+artichokes&oq=how+to+cook+art&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l6j0i10j0.3597j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
I just now made this and it’s delicious! 😋
I can’t wait for my husband to get home – he’s going to love it.
Thank you!
I”m excited for you two!
My carnivore husband loved it too! 😋
What kind of breadcrumbs did you use?
Panko
I made this for dinner tonight and it was outstanding. I made a double batch because there are five of us and we’re good eaters, plus we like extras for our lunchboxes. This ought to make great leftovers. The only changes I made was to add a couple more teaspoons of lemon juice and an extra teaspoon of miso.
Thank you so much for the recipe. I’m going to try a few other recipes of yours and I will probably buy your book. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that I can make delicious food that is animal-friendly, planet-friendly, and pleases everyone at the table. Bravo!
–Anne
thank you so much for your support ❤️❤️
Thanks Richa, for another great recipe. I’ve made it twice now and this time I added more nutritional yeast, miso and lemon juice for more flavour. I also baked it covered in foil for the first 10 minutes as last time it was a bit dry, especially on the top. It was perfect. My son had two helpings and I suspect by tonight there will be none left over.
Awesome!
What size baking dish do you use?
9 by 9 inch
Thank you! It’s all prepped ready to pop in the oven for dinner 😋
Thank you! It’s all prepped ready to pop in the oven for dinner 😋
I’ve made this 4-5 times now and it will stay in my cooking rotation. Sooo good! Thank you!
Another winning recipe Richa, and sure to become a family favourite. I will be adding more artichoke next time I make it though – we simply love their flavour!
Thank you.
Hoping to try the artichoke/spinach dip soon..
I love this recipe! I did make some changes. I substituted chickpea pasta for regular pasta, as I have a gluten-intolerance. It worked quite well, held up nicely in the recipe plus added more protein to the dish. In the sauce, I used a small handful of fresh dill (I will double this next time as I really love fresh dill), increased the miso to 1 tablespoon, increased the nutritional yeast to two tablespoons, increased the onion powder to 1/2 teaspoon, and added a tablespoon of stoneground mustard. While mixing all the ingredients together (I did this in a bowl before placing in the baking dish), I added about 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (helped round out the flavors). I did use the entire 10 ounce bag of frozen spinach, as I didn’t want to waste any. I topped the dish with a mixture of gluten-free panko and grated vegan parmesan. I love the flavor combinations-spinach and artichokes! Richa….I love your recipes! Thank you for sharing them!
Sounds delicious !! thank you
Delicious recipe. I even messed it up and blended the artichokes and spinach into the sauce :)) No matter, I just added more spinach and some frozen peas to my “green goddess” sauce before baking and voila!! Still delicious and I snuck some extra veggies in for my picky eaters!
perfect addition
I love this recipe 😋. Experimenting with variations of it. Next time will try it with cashew nuts.
mmmmm cashews
I can’t stop dreaming of this recipe. Totally, outrageously incredible. This recipe is so delicious AND a nutritional powerhouse. The photos of the dish coming out of the oven are deliciously inspiring. Thank you for this recipe.
❤️❤️
This was delicious and easy to make! We also added some chopped sundried tomatoes on top when we had leftovers the next night. Yum!
sounds yummy. thank you
Didn’t have everything so tweaked as per the cupboard! Spinach, mushroom, courgette and pickled peppers. Realised not to liquidise the veg lol just the onion and garlic! Will definitely use as a sauce on pasta dishes again.
This is absolutely fantastic! The best part of this recipe is convincing my wife to try a dish made with artichokes, tofu and spinach! She gave a look that would kill but after trying it, she ate the rest of of what I made. So, off I go to buy more artichokes, tofu, kale (a texture-plus substitute for spinach). Thanks for the wonderfully nutritious and delicious recipe!
okee dokee artichockee!!! good on you, thanks
This looks amazing. I’m about to try ot but wondered if ground mustard is dry mustard?? Seems like that is what’s being asked for but not sure….please advise.
Thanks!!
yes, they are the same. enjoy! thanks for checking
What do I do with the tofu? I don’t see it include in the steps.
it’s in the ‘sauce ingredients’ so after step 2 it’s in step 3. Transfer them (onions & garlic from step 2) to a blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend everything until smooth. Taste and adjust flavor(salt, tang, cheesyness).
Do you squeeze all the water out of the tofu? Crumble it?
No no need to press the tofu, just drain and blend. Tofu makes up the sauce
Delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll be making it again & again.
that’s great! – Thank you so much.
Making this tonight! So excited. Wondering if I can add baby bella mushrooms to this dish?
Yes!
Oh my gosh, this is one of those dishes that we’re talking about hours after eating. We did the baked version with silken tofu and it tasted super decadent without any guilt! Thank you for another keeper that I can’t wait to eat again.
wow!! that’s awesome Amy. thanks a million
This was a tasty and easy to make meal.
I used lacinato kale instead of spinach and it came out nicely.
I’m definitely going to make it again and also use the sauce in other recipes.
Mmmm… great idea! Glad you enjoyed this!
This really came out like the picture for me! It was super delicious and it really hit the spot for the dip I’ve been missing since going Vegan. I was heavy handed on miso, nutritional yeast and salt. I recommend al dente pasta or a mild crunch to it for the perfect texture once it comes out of the oven. I went for it and added some fresh basil from the garden, still turned out great. This recipe is fairly fool proof, plenty of opportunity to test the sauce before baking. Thanks for this one! It’s a new comfort staple.
if there’s any sauce left for baking, right? great, thanks Brittany.
Made this last night with chickpea pasta. This recipe is a definite keeper.
thanks Heather!! a keeper. that’s cute
I accidentally bought full artichokes quartered in the can instead of artichoke hearts, will it matter for taste or texture?
I made this dish tonight and glad that I doubled the recipe. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
This recipe was creamy and delicious, it had an amazing texture that was created by the silken tofu and although I replaced the miso with Braggs liquid amino acids, it was still amazing! Thank you for this new household staple, the family loved it!
perfect! thanks
I’ve been following your blog and making your recipes for a few years. This past week I made three of your recipes. This was the third and it was a hit. Our family eats pasta only once a week. I was really wanting to use up our fresh spinach and came across this recipe. We had all the ingredients on hand except for the miso, so I omitted that. I did add extra herbs and seasonings to the sauce.
I’m so glad I now have time to rate and review recipes from you during this pandemic. Thanks for fantastic vegan recipes for our family. This one is a keeper.
I fixed this today and it was SO good! My husband is not vegan, but he went back for seconds! Can’t wait for leftovers. It’s going into my rotation.
Thanks. It was sooooooo delicious 😋
Thanks! 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.
Can 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.
yes you can. Just layer with alternate sauces and fillings of choice. Cover and bake.
I 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!
awesome
Can I make this without the tofu? My litte one has a soy allergy.
yes 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
I added some cut up sun dried tomatoes to the mix. Tasty!!! a keeper!
This was so tasty! Really creative!! Thanks so much.
Would marinated artichokes work or just olain canned ones?
yes, they should.
Just made and even our toddler approved! I used a little kale since I only had 5 oz of spinach. Will definitely make this again!
Made 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!
Richa, 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!
you 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
We 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! 😂
yay
Wonder can I omit the miso or substitute something else as I can’t find it anywhere?
omit it
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
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