15-Minute Vegan Pasta Recipes for Summer (2024)

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Serving size: 4

• ▢ 8 ounces (227g) short-to-medium pasta, such as orecchiette, fusilli, or penne (can use gluten-free pasta)
• ▢ 4 ounces (115g) asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• ▢ 4 ounces (115g) green beans, trimmed and cut into-2 inch pieces

Lemon-Tahini Sauce

• ▢ 1/3 cup (75g tahini
• ▢ 1 small lemon, zested
• ▢ 2 ½ – 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1 medium lemon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ 4 tablespoons water, to thin
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce / 440g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 cup (12-15g) soft tender herbs, chopped finely (I used parsley, dill, and basil)
• ▢ ¼ cup (30g) pine nuts, toasted

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add pasta and cook according to the box but add 1 minute to the maximum cook time (e.g., if range is 9-11 minutes, plan to cook the pasta for 12 minutes). When there is 5 minutes of cooking time left, add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes; then add the asparagus and cook for another 3 minutes.

• While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl of water with ice and cold water.

• As soon as the pasta is al dente and the veggies are crisp tender, drain immediately and transfer to an ice bath (or use a strainer to directly transfer them from the pot to the ice bath). Drain the pasta and veggies from the ice bath in a colander. Shake off the excess water, but it’s okay if the pasta is still a little damp because it will help bring the sauce together. Lightly sprinkle the drained pasta and veggies with a bit of kosher salt.

• While the pasta and veggies are cooling, make the Lemon Tahini Sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Stream in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until pourable yet still somewhat thick.

• Once the pasta and veggies are cooled, add them to the sauce. Toss well to coat. Add the chickpeas, pine nuts, and fresh herbs, then toss to combine. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper as needed.

*Salt the pasta water a bit more generously than usual since we’re cooking pasta and veggies together. Also, cooking the veggies with the pasta usually adds an additional minute of cooking to the pasta. If your pasta box cook time gives a range of 9-11 minutes, plan to cook the pasta for 12 minutes.

**To toast pine nuts, heat a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the pine nuts and toss occasionally until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

This is a double tomato pasta that is an excellent use for summer tomatoes. There are only 6 ingredients, so I highly recommend using the best-quality ingredients you can find and afford.

This pasta is light and lovely and perfect for al fresco dining, but if you want to bulk it up, serve with pan-fried cannellini beans or your favorite protein. Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold!

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Serving size: 3 (or more, if protein is added)

• ▢ 8 ounces (227g) thin long pasta, such as capellini, spaghetti or angel hair pasta (can use gluten-free pasta)

Fresh Tomato Sauce

• ▢ 14 ounces (400g) of best-quality tomatoes
• ▢ 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 extra large garlic cloves, or 4 small garlic cloves

Skillet-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

• ▢ 1 pint (280-310g) cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup (~10g) fresh basil, slivered
• ▢ Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water generously. Add the pasta and cook according to the package. Drain pasta and set aside.

• Make the Fresh Tomato Sauce. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes (they’ll get pureed, so no need to be precise). In a food processor or blender, add the tomatoes, salt, olive oil, and garlic cloves. Blend until you have a puree with only small pieces remaining. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt as needed.

• Make the Skillet-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it’s smoking – it should take 4-5 minutes to start smoking. Add the 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, followed by the cherry tomatoes. Stand back, as the oil might sputter. Cook until the tomatoes are charred in spots and are slightly wrinkled, 4-5 minutes, tossing the pan occasionally. Take the pan off the heat, and toss the charred tomatoes with the slivered basil.

• Transfer the cooked pasta to a serving bowl. Add some of the fresh tomato sauce, coating well. Add more sauce as needed. Mix in the charred cherry tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and more fresh basil.

This noodle salad might not technically be pasta but it is extremely delicious and flavorful. It features some of my favorite Asian ingredients: hearty Japanese noodles, spicy Thai sriracha, and a generous kick of toasted sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.

For the crunchy veggies, I use snow peas, cucumber, yellow bell peppers, and red cabbage, but feel free to use whatever fresh crunchy vegetables you have on hand or enjoy most.

To keep this gluten-free, use brown rice noodles (or another gluten-free noodle of choice). Some soba noodles are gluten-free (soba = buckwheat = gluten-free), but many varieties of soba noodles also contain wheat and are therefore not gluten-free.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Cuisine: Thai-Inspired

Serving size: 3 (or more, if protein is added)

• ▢ 6 ounces (170g) udon noodles or soba noodles (use brown rice noodles for gluten-free)

Sesame-Ginger Almond Sauce

• ▢ 4 tablespoons creamy almond butter
• ▢ 1/2 – 1 ½ tablespoons Sriracha (use 1/2 tablespoon for a mild version; 1 ½ tablespoons for a spicy version)
• ▢ 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ ½ tablespoon agave nectar (can substitute cane sugar or maple syrup)
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 1 ½ inch piece ginger, grated or minced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons water
• ▢ 2 cups finely chopped crunchy raw veggies, such as bell peppers, snow peas, cucumbers, red or Chinese cabbage, carrots, or sugar snap peas
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (225g) shelled edamame

Toppings

• ▢ 1 small handful cilantro, chopped
• ▢ 3-4 scallions, sliced on an angle
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds

• Cook the noodles according to the package directions, then drain and submerge in cool water until chilled.

• Meanwhile, make the Sesame-Ginger Almond Sauce. Place the almond butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Warm for 25 seconds until somewhat runny and smooth. Add all of the other ingredients except for the water, and whisk until combined. Add the water to thin into a pourable sauce. You could also skip the microwave step and mix all of the ingredients in a food processor (if you do, no need to finely mince the ginger and garlic).

• Once the noodles are chilled, add to the large bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Add the chopped veggies and edamame, toss again to combine. Garnish with the cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds.