Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

August 01, 2011
Photo: Colin Clark
These vegetarian pasta recipes are filling, satisfying, and amazingly versatile.
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Vegetarian Bolognese

Scott Rounds
View Recipe: Vegetarian Bolognese

When it comes to meat sauces, Bolognese is the heavyweight champion of the pasta world, clocking in at over 800 calories with almost 1,800mg sodium. The traditional dish has a rich cast of characters—up to three kinds of meat, cream, cheese, pasta—and packs half a day’s worth of sat fat into just one serving. Here, tempeh and two types of mushrooms mimic the texture of ground meat while adding plenty of savory depth. By upping the veggies and nixing the cream, we leave plenty of room for the good stuff—Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

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Pretty "Parslied" Spaghetti

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Pretty "Parslied" Spaghetti

Leftover flat-leaf parsley is likely lurking in your crisper. This unassuming herb has a bright, grassy personality that, combined with cheese, garlic, and good olive oil, makes this dish sing. Try embellishing with lemon zest, toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or even sardines.

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Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese

This veggie-studded dish delivers nearly a third of your daily fiber. Freshly grated cheese—not preshredded—is key to achieving the creamiest sauce. The anti-caking ingredients in preshredded cheese make your sauce less creamy.

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Skillet Vegetable Lasagna

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Skillet Vegetable Lasagna

The best part of this vegetable lasagna—aside from the flavor—is the low-cleanup: Vegetables take turns cooking in a single cast iron skillet, not several. A stovetop simmer quickly cooks the noodles through, so there's no need for a separate pot to boil them. Then the pan shifts easily to the oven for a last-minute broil to melt and meld the cheeses. Perfection!

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Rigatoni with Kale Pesto

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Rigatoni with Kale Pesto

Whole-wheat pasta would be a tasty option here, complementing the earthy flavor of kale.

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Pasta with Chickpea Sauce

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Pasta with Chickpea Sauce

Onions, carrots, and garlic cook in olive oil until buttery soft, then get blended with chickpeas and water to form a deeply savory puree that coats pasta beautifully. It’s a satisfying dish that just happens to be vegan. Try to let the blender run for a minute or two when pureeing the ingredients; the smoother the sauce, the better the dish. A flourish of fresh herbs at the end brightens and freshens the dish; you can use all parsley or all basil if you don’t have both on hand.

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Basil-Ricotta Ravioli with Spinach

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Basil-Ricotta Ravioli with Spinach

Wonton wrappers are the secret to these seemingly from-scratch pasta pillows. Skip the fancy folds; just make sure to seal the ravioli well. The ravioli fare better with a delicate sauce—here, just a drizzle of olive oil and lemon.

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Pasta with Charred Broccoli, Feta, and Lemon

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Pasta with Charred Broccoli, Feta, and Lemon

Author Colu Henry loves taking vegetables to the edge by roasting until they are deeply browned and caramelized, giving them great texture and amping up their flavor. The feta cheese emulsifies in the pasta water, creating a velvety sauce for the pasta.

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Caramelized Cabbage with Whole-Wheat Penne and Provolone

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Caramelized Cabbage with Whole-Wheat Penne and Provolone

This pasta toss is inspired by a similar dish at Franny's restaurant in Brooklyn. The cabbage caramelizes in the pan and becomes just tender enough to bind with the pasta without losing its toothsomeness. Fresh red chile is a must for a pop of color and heat—don't skip it.

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Fettuccine Alfredo With Asparagus

Photo: Colin Clark
View Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo With Asparagus

Cut the heavy cream and save a day's worth of sat fat with this cheesy, veggie-packed pasta.

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