Vegan Pasta Recipe – Leek and Mushroom Pasta Sauce
I’ve been going to the farmer’s market near my house almost every Saturday morning this summer, availing myself of the wildly fresh and beautiful fruits and vegetables. The only problem with me is that I get a little over enthusiastic. I mean, while I’m there I swear up and down that I’m going to use all the things I want to buy and cook up a storm and create new recipes, and pack lunch for my daughter, and let my friends taste test, blah blah blah.
So I end up buying too many things, and too much of it because my fantasies get derailed by how much work I have to do during the week, and how tired I am by the evening.
Which led me to the situation I was in a few weeks ago where I looked in the refrigerator and realized I’d bought leeks that I needed to use before they started to turn into something monstrous and scary. I also had a few shitake mushrooms and a package of baby bellas (crimini) mushrooms I didn’t know what to do with.
The ingredients
After rummaging about in the cabinet and thinking about my options, I came up with this very tasty leek and mushroom vegan pasta sauce that I think you’ll enjoy as much as we did. The flavors permeated the pasta so each bite was filled with deliciousness. Yum! Plus, the entire house smelled like something devine was going on in the kitchen.
I like that part. Makes me feel super “cheffy”.
Not sure where I picked up that box of pasta, but I love the fact that it was full of texture and had ridges which held the sauce. I’ll have to try to find it again, because I loved it.
Serve your leek and mushroom vegan pasta sauce over the pasta of your choice along with a salad, and you can have dinner on the table in just 30 minutes.
Instructions on how to make this vegan pasta sauce are below – nothing fancy. My only suggestion is that you consider how thick you want your sauce, which will determine whether you opt to use potato starch as a thickener, or something a little lighter like arrowroot powder or cornstarch.
I started with just arrowroot powder, but decided to remove some of the broth, added a tablespoon or so of potato starch, and mixed it back into the pot to make the vegan pasta sauce thicker.
After adding not-chicken broth as mixture simmers to develop flavors
Please come back and post a picture of your vegan pasta creation, and give the recipe a rating. We love to see what you do!
- 1 12 oz package of sturdy pasta of choice
- 1-2 tsps fresh minced garlic
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms (crimini and shiitake were used here)
- 2 cups thinly sliced and chopped leeks (white part and light green only)
- 2 tsps. vegan buttery spread
- 1 tsp. Himalayan pink or sea salt
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1-1.5 tsps minced fresh rosemary leaves
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
- 3 Tablespoons cold water
- 3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or 2 Tablespoons potato starch
- 1 cup pasta cooking water
- 2-3 Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon mushroom (or vegetable) seasoning paste
- 1-1/4 cups plant milk (unsweetened)
- 2-3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Vegan parmesan cheeze (optional)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (sliced into ribbons) (optional)
- Put large pot of water on to boil, and add 1 tsp of sea salt if desired. When water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to manufacturer's directions.
- Remove 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain (DO NOT RINSE) pasta and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, place vegan butter in large non-stick pan. Once melted, add sliced/chopped leeks and mushrooms. Cook until soft, then add garlic. Saute for 45-60 seconds, then add 1 cup of water.
- Simmer vegetables for 10-12 minutes with top off.
- Dissolve arrowroot powder in 3 Tablespoons of cold water and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- After vegetables have simmered for 10 minutes or so, add remaining spices, seasoning paste, plant milk, nutritional yeast, and arrowroot mixture.
- Simmer another 5-8 minutes until mixture reaches desired thickness.
- Serve immediately over pasta. Top with basil ribbons and vegan parmesan cheeze if desired.
Category: Entrees
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