This easy and healthy vegan penne recipe is ready in under 20 minutes, from start to finish!
My favorite vegan penne recipe
- One pot pasta. Literally everything, from the noodles to the broccoli, cooks in the same pot. It could not be easier to prepare, and cleanup is a breeze.
- Dairy free sauce. The savory sauce is thick, cheesy, and deliciously creamy.
- Full of nutrition. Each serving gives you over 15 grams of protein and 42% of the RDA for fiber. The recipe is low calorie, low fat and cholesterol free.
- Gluten free option. Just use your favorite gluten free penne if you want a gluten free vegan meal.
For dessert, make Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Step by step recipe video
Vegan penne ingredients
Broccoli – The recipe calls for four cups of raw broccoli florets. Buy fresh broccoli with bright green buds and firm stems, avoiding broccoli with yellow or brown spots. When preparing florets, you want to chop off most of the stems and chop into large bite size pieces.
Penne pasta – The sauce covers eight ounces of uncooked penne pasta. This can be traditional durum semolina pasta, whole wheat pasta, or even gluten free penne.
*You can use other shapes of noodles or pasta instead of penne. Just note that the total cooking time may change.
Nondairy milk – I like coconut milk because it yields the creamiest sauce. Soymilk or oat milk are also good options. For a lower calorie dinner, try unsweetened almond milk.
Garlic – You need one and a half tablespoons of minced garlic, either fresh or jarred. Personally, I think buying a jar of minced garlic is much easier.
Spices – Nutritional yeast adds an umami cheesy element, as well as iron, fiber, vitamins, and protein. You can use vegan Parmesan cheese if preferred. Salt and an optional dash of ground black pepper give depth of flavor to the pasta sauce.
Optional ingredients – Shallots add even more complexity to the meatless dish. And a tablespoon of olive oil imparts a buttery finish.
Leftover broccoli? Try this easy Broccoli Salad
Recipe variations
Add roasted broccoli: Instead of cooking the broccoli with the pasta, roast it in the oven and stir it in at the end.
Use other vegetables: This recipe is super versatile. Omit the broccoli and add roasted, sautéed, or steamed carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, red peppers, or tomatoes just before serving. Or throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale before removing the recipe from the heat, and stir until wilted.
Make it higher protein: Stir in cooked peas, baked tofu, or chickpeas near the end for a filling, high protein vegan dinner or lunch.
Add cheese: Sometimes I will toss in a handful (I never measure) of dairy free shredded cheddar cheese. As with the spinach version, you want to stir this ingredient in just before removing the pan from the heat.
How to make vegan penne with broccoli
This is one of those “throw all my favorite foods together” vegetarian weeknight dinners.
Broccoli, check. Garlic, check. Penne pasta, check.
- First, sauté the minced garlic and diced shallots in olive oil or fat free spray over low heat in a medium saucepan. You can sauté in water if you prefer an oil free option.
- Once the garlic begins to brown, add the uncooked penne, milk, salt, nutritional yeast, and raw broccoli right into the pan. This saves extra steps of having to boil water and cook the pasta and vegetables ahead of time.
- Cover the saucepan, and bring to a boil over low medium heat. Then uncover and stir.
- Continue to cook the recipe, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente. The broccoli should be soft, tender, and vibrantly green. (If you like your cooked broccoli on the crunchy side, you can always steam it separately instead and stir it in at the end.)
- Season with black pepper and additional spices if desired, and serve hot.
- Let leftover pasta cool before transferring to a covered container and refrigerating for up to five days. The vegan penne recipe makes four main dish servings, and leftovers reheat well if you add additional milk of choice or nondairy creamer to the pan before reheating.
- I am personally not a fan of frozen pasta, but you technically can freeze the recipe for up to two months.
More vegan pastas
Vegan Penne With Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic (22g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (12g) (optional)
- 2 diced shallots (optional)
- 8 oz uncooked penne pasta (230g)
- 1 1/2 cups nondairy milk of choice (I like coconut milk) (360g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups broccoli florets (260g)
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan cheese (12g)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil, water, or cooking spray.
- 2. When garlic begins to brown, stir in the uncooked penne, milk, salt, nutritional yeast, and uncooked broccoli.
- 3. Cover the saucepan. Bring to a boil over low medium heat, then uncover the pan and stir.
- 4. Continue to cook the vegan penne recipe, stirring occasionally, until penne is al dente and broccoli is soft and tender. (If you prefer more crisp broccoli, feel free to steam it separately.)
- 5. Season with additional spices or vegan Parmesan if desired. Enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
Easy plant based dinner ideas
