This easy one-pot pasta with marinated artichokes and spinach is perfect for quick weeknight dinners. With the no-drain pasta method, the noodles simmer away in the same pot as the light garlicky sauce. The result is a well-seasoned vegan pasta and minimal clean up!
Thank you to Stahlbush Island Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
The One-Pot Pasta Method
One-pot pasta uses a method which is also called no-boil pasta: the pasta simmers in the sauce ingredients instead of having a second pot of boiling water for the noodles. This saves time because there's no need to boil a large volume of water! This also saves dishes because we use one less pot and no strainer!
As the pasta cooks, it releases its starches into the broth which naturally thickens creating a light sauce and perfectly cooked, al dente noodles.
With less than 5 minutes of preparation and this handy cooking shortcut, this magic pasta is our go-to when we're low on time and fresh produce! It's fancy enough for company, but also a great option for busy weeknights and even as a camping recipe!
This vegan one-pot spinach artichoke pasta is dairy-free, nut-free, and ready in under 20 minutes. It can also be made gluten-free, if desired, by using rice based or corn/rice based pasta noodles.
How to Make One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta
This vegan spinach artichoke pasta isn't like some of the one-pot pastas you may have tried. You know the ones where everything is dumped into the pot all at once? While those easy pasta recipes work, I find they're a little bland so I've bumped up the flavor! First, we sauté the onions and garlic for richer, umami flavors which infuse the oil, and then by deglazing with white wine. I also recommend simmering the pasta in vegetable broth rather than water for more flavorful noodles.
Here's how to make this easy vegan one-pot pasta:
- Sauté the onions and garlic with the herbs
- Deglaze with wine (or broth)
- Add the marinated artichokes, pasta and broth
- Simmer for 9-12 minutes, or until the noodles are barely al dente
- Stir in the rest of ingredient, and enjoy!
The trick to perfect one-pot pasta is using the right amount of liquid so that the noodles cook until al dente without burning, while also leaving a lightly creamy sauce behind. The broth should just cover the noodles in the beginning. At the end when the pasta is barely al dente, turn off the heat. There'll be about ½-inch (2 cm) of liquid remaining on the bottom of the skillet. Let the pasta rest for a few minutes to absorb more of the sauce and for the spinach and beans to heat through.
What Kind of Pot to Use to Cook One-Pot Pasta
The best pot to use for one-pot pasta is actually a large, wide skillet. My favorite is a 3.3 quart (3.1 L) enamel cast iron skillet - a 12" (31 cm) wide skillet or braiser work well. Avoid deep pots, Dutch ovens, or stockpots which can prevent the water from evaporating enough during cooking, resulting in overcooked noodles by the time the liquid has reduced enough.
Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat so the pasta just simmers which is ideal for just the right amount of evaporation and resulting silky sauce coated noodles. If you get distracted and the pasta boils for a bit and the liquid gets too low before you reduce the heat, try stirring in another ¼ cup (63 ml) of broth or water.
Stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other, or to the bottom of the skillet.
Feature Ingredients & Substitutions
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
In testing, we found this spinach artichoke pasta to be much more flavorful using marinated artichokes, not plain canned or frozen ones. There's little wonder though, as artichokes which have been marinated in lemon juice or vinegar, herbs, and garlic are going to round out the flavor of whatever you add them to!
White Wine
Deglazing after sautéing onions and garlic is key to lifting any stuck bits on the skillet. Those pieces are gold in terms of flavoring the pasta! White wine deglazes really well, and also elevates the flavors like you'd get at a nice restaurant.
If you prefer not to cook with wine, simply use 1 cup (250 ml) of vegetable or mushroom broth. Be sure not to skip this volume of liquid, though, as it's necessary for cooking the noodles.
Pasta Noodles
Most pasta shapes and sizes will work in this one-pot pasta recipe. If using a noodle with a longer cooking time listed on the package, this vegan pasta recipe will naturally take a bit longer to cook, too. Rather than going strictly by the package, near the end of of the cooking time listed, take a noodle out and test it.
I prefer medium-sized noodles like penne, fusilli, gemelli or rigatoni because they're easier to stir in a smaller amount of liquid. They are also less likely stick to themselves compared with longer pastas.
This recipe can be made with regular wheat-based or gluten-free pasta. A word about gluten-free ones though - I don't recommend using legume-based noodles (e.g. chickpea, lentil, edamame, green pea, etc.) They tend to release a lot more starch into the cooking liquid and will fall apart more easily. This can be frustrating as the liquid becomes too thick and the noodles start to stick to the pot before they are cooked properly.
The best gluten-free noodles for one-pot pasta are rice based, or rice and corn based pastas.
Spinach
I used Stahlbush Island Farms frozen cut spinach for this spinach pasta recipe. I love how freezing vegetables preserves their color, nutrients and flavor! Simply thaw the spinach (overnight in the refrigerator or use the microwave 'defrost' setting.) Squeeze dry before adding to the pasta.
If you have some fresh spinach to use up, wash and roughly chop it before using. Baby spinach can be added to this recipe as whole leaves.
White Beans
Cooked white beans, like navy or cannellini beans, are a great protein rich addition to pasta. They blend in nicely in terms of texture and color without overpowering the meal. Chickpeas are also nice in this easy plant-based pasta dish!
Optional Add-Ins for Spinach Artichoke Pasta
This vegetarian one-pot pasta is easily customizable to whatever extras you have on hand! Below are some suggestions:
Sliced Vegan Sausage: if you'd like the sausage to keep its texture, fry it before starting the pasta recipe and then remove it from the skillet, adding it back into the finished pasta at the end. Otherwise, it may fall apart but will be infusing the pasta with sausage flavor as everything cooks. Proceed as desired!
Vegan Chicken Pieces (or Seiten): as with the vegan sausage suggestion, I recommend frying the seiten first (per package directions) and then removing it from the skillet before starting the pasta recipe to maintain the crispy bits. Otherwise, seiten is delicious simmered in with the noodles!
Capers: about 3 tablespoons (22 g) of drained capers are a nice briny addition - add them at any point in this recipe.
Pitted Kalamata Olives: about ½ cup (90 g) of olives added in just before serving adds a nice salty kick.
Fresh Cherry Tomatoes: add 1-2 pints of sliced cherry tomatoes at the time you add the spinach and beans for a burst of color.
Shredded Vegan Mozzarella: add some cheesiness by stirring in a couple of handfuls of shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, or serving on top!
Make Ahead and Storage Suggestions
This vegan one-pot artichoke spinach pasta is best served right away. As with any pasta dish, the longer the pasta sits, the more sauce it absorbs and the softer the noodles become.
If you'd like to minimize the prep work even more, you can pre-cut your ingredients ahead of time, and have your broth heated already. You can preheat the broth in a separate pot, have a kettle of boiling water to add to a bouillon cube for the broth, or heat in a bowl in the microwave.
Store leftover spinach artichoke pasta in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can be frozen in an airtight container for about 3 months, but will naturally be much softer once defrosted. To avoid this as much as possible, slightly undercook your pasta if you know ahead of time that you'll be freezing it.
When reheating leftovers, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil (or a pat of vegan butter) and some salt to help brighten the flavors.
More Vegan One-Pot Dinner Recipes
- Garlic Miso Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
- Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Chili Pot Pie
- Baked Greek Lemon Chickpeas and Rice
If you make this Vegan One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta, please give it a rating in the recipe card and leave a comment below! Follow along on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes! You can also follow me on Pinterest for vegan recipe inspiration and on Facebook. Thank you for reading!
One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta (Vegan)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium brown onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 15 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 cup white wine
- 12 oz medium-sized pasta noodles (Such as Gemelli, Penne, etc)
- 4½ cups vegetable broth
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (See Notes for Substitutions)
- 15 oz white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast, plus more for serving
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large, wide [12-inch (31-cm)+] skillet or braiser, heat the oil over medium heat.
- When shimmering, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes or until softened but not yet browning. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30 seconds.
- Add the artichoke hearts and wine. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the pasta.
- Pour the broth over the noodles. The noodles should be covered with broth, press them down if poking out. Bring to a boil, then quickly lower the heat and simmer for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the noodles are *nearly* al dente, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If the heat is too high and the liquid evaporates too soon, add ¼ cup (63 ml) at a time of broth (or water.)
- Stir in the spinach and white beans, cooking and gently stirring another minute or two until the beans are heated through and the noodles are al dente. Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter and nutritional yeast. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan, or as desired.
- This one-pot artichoke spinach pasta is best served right away. As with any pasta dish, the longer the pasta sits, the softer the noodles become.
Nutrition Info:
Notes:
The Nutrition Information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the Nutrition Information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
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