So I promised you guys more easy, plant based recipes this year, and with just 4 ingredients, this one delivers… I know pasta and marinara sauce is often a cop out for a vegan meal that doesn’t require much effort, and if you’ve tried to find vegan foods in non-vegan restaurants, then you’ve probably already had your fair share.
I hear you. But this is one is different, in that its actually good 😂
Think thick creamy sauce, similar to a rosé sauce, with a cheesy flavor, but without dairy. It actually gets its creamy cheesy-ness from hummus. Which also adds a nice protein boost to the pasta as well. And because I’m all about getting in my greens, I add in a generous bunch of spinach too. This is usually my go-to Friday night dinner. After a long week, it’s nice to crash in front of the TV with a hearty bowl of pasta. I don’t typically watch a lot of TV, or eat a lot of carbs for that matter, so Fridays are kind of a two-for-one treat.
Now, you could make your own marinara sauce, but truth be told, I use jarred sauce here. I’m quite fond of Victoria’s White Linen Marinara Sauce. It tastes amazing and has short list of ingredients. When it comes to hummus, there I like to make my own. But of course feel free to use store bought, if that’s your jam. Personally, I always have cans of chickpeas in the pantry, so in less time than it will take to boil the pasta I can whip up a batch of my DIY Hummus, and have leftover for snacking throughout the week.
Throw together a quick salad while the pasta is cooking and you’ll have a healthy, delicious (kid approved) dinner ready in under 20 minutes. This is totally doable on weeknights. If fact, you’ll get this on the table faster than you can get a pizza delivered, and its loads healthier and doesn’t have any mystery ingredients. And while I like using gluten-free pasta, you can use plain semolina/wheat pasta instead. Or you can make this even healthier by substituting a box of chickpea or lentil pasta which is higher in protein and lower in carbs.
- 28 ounces marinara sauce, homemade or store bought
- 1 cup hummus, homemade or store bought
- 3 cups spinach, packed
- 1 box gluten-free pasta (approx 340 grams)
- Nutritional yeast for topping (optional)
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding a generous pinch of salt to the water.
- Cook the pasta according to manufacturer’s instructions, most take 7-8 minutes. Taste frequently to make sure they don’t overcook and become mushy. You’ll want them to retain some bite to them as they will cook further in the sauce.
- If making your own hummus, throw the ingredient together in the blender/food processor and give it a whiz while the pasta is cooking.
- Once cooked, drain the pasta into a large colander reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop it from cooking while you heat the sauce.
- In the same pot, over medium heat, stir the marinara sauce and hummus until just beginning to simmer.
- Add the pasta back to the pot along with the spinach and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. If the mixture seems too thick, add a splash of the pasta water to loosen it up.
- Serve hot with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.
You can make your own hummus using the recipe linked above, or use store bought. But with only a handful of ingredients I urge you to make your own. You can quickly whip up a batch while the pasta is cooking.
For the pasta I like to use Catelli's gluten-free pasta, but anything will work here. Just cook it according to the instructions on the box.
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