This vegan one-pot pasta dish is a perfect meal for weeknight dinners: just add everything to the pot (yes, the uncooked pasta goes right in there!), cook and stir for about 15 minutes. Cabbage, spinach, tomatoes and lots of garlic slowly cook all together with the whole wheat pasta to create a luscious sauce without much effort.
I was so worried about making a one-pot meal with pasta for the blog, expecting it to become an overcooked mushy concoction.
Well, I was so wrong! The pasta surprisingly cooks perfectly while slowly creating this silky coating sauce, thanks to the starch released by the pasta. I just cannot believe how easy it is to make and that I was missing on one-pot pasta dishes my whole life!
Also, I have to admit my surprise when my husband Christopher kept going back to the pan to eat more. I knew I got this recipe right when I was watching the scene totally in shock. He is my primary recipe tester and let's just say that pasta is not his thing.
I believe he could go over the rest of his life without never eating pasta (can you believe that?). Quite an unbalanced household we have in here with me as a pasta obsessed! Anyway, this is just to tell you how delicious this dish is.
What you will need to make this vegan one-pot pasta dish
You will only need simple wholesome ingredients to create this quick and delicious meal:
- Whole wheat spaghetti
- Onion - Garlic - Dried spices
- Green cabbage
- Canned tomatoes
- Spinach
- Fresh basil
How to make this dish within 15 minutes
This is going to be one of the easiest recipe you will ever make!
- In a large pan or pot, combine all the ingredients except for the spinach.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, keeping the pot covered and stirring regularly.
- Add the spinach and stir. The leaves should wilt quickly in the very warm sauce.
Top with vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
A few notes on making this vegan one-pot pasta dish
- It's best to eat this meal immediately to really enjoy the luscious delicious sauce. This is not a good one to make ahead since the texture of the dish changes while resting in the fridge.
If you are looking for a pasta meal you can prepare ahead of time, then I recommend you to check out these vegan tofu bolognese, hidden vegetable tomato pasta or hearty marinara sauces. - This recipe is made with whole wheat pasta. Please, do not substitute for white pasta! The amount of liquid and the cooking time was tested with whole wheat noodles.
- You can substitute the green cabbage for other types of cabbage, like Napa cabbage or Savoy cabbage. Also, any other leafy greens instead of spinach would work well for this recipe. Just keep in might that you might need to add them earlier in the cooking process depending of their texture to make sure they have enough time to soften.
Other one-pot dishes you might like
- One-Pot broccoli curry ramen
- Vegan white bean chili
- Vegan hamburger helper
- Vegan American goulash
- Cajun orzo and bean skillet
- Gnocchi marinara skillet
- Pasta curry
- One-pot French onion soup pasta
I hope you like this one-pot pasta dish as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was.
Don't want to miss anything? Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest and also subscribe to my Newsletter to stay in the loop!
📖 Recipe
Vegan one-pot pasta with tomatoes and spinach
Ingredients
- 13.25 oz whole wheat spaghetti - uncooked
- 1 white onion - thinly sliced
- 4-5 cups green cabbage (about half of a cabbage) - thinly sliced
- 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried spices (oregano, italian mix or parsley)
- 4 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced or crushed
- ½-1 cup fresh basil - more for serving
- 4 cups veggie broth - or water
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 3-4 handfulls of spinach
Instructions
- In a large pan or pot, combine all the ingredients except for the spinach (everything raw, including the noodles!).
- On medium-high heat, bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Keep cooking, covered, for about 12 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the noodles don't stick together or to the bottom of the pot.
- When the noodles are cooked al dente, turn off the heat, add the spinach and combine well. The spinach should wilt quickly. If most of the water evaporated and you want the noodles to cook longer, then add a splash of water, cover and cook until the noodles are done to your taste.
- Serve immediately. Add some extra chopped fresh basil, red pepper flakes and vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- This meal is better enjoyed immediately!
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
NUTRITION
This is delicious. We love making it during the week, so easy, and we use other veggies like mushrooms or zucchini.
Hi Lucia! Thanks for taking the time to comment 😊