This vegan creamy mushroom and asparagus pasta is one of the easiest vegan pasta dishes that you can make! Taste is out of the world!
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There’s this period of time between winter and spring where you can’t decide if you are ready to switch to cooler/less filling foods or you want to keep the carbs. This vegan creamy mushroom and asparagus pasta is there for this in between time.
It’s usually during these few weeks that asparagus seasons starts to hit and it is easy to find really great tasting asparagus.
Today we are combining all these favorites – creamy pasta, mushrooms and asparagus in order to give you one epic, easy vegan dinner idea.
This easy vegan dinner idea is also great for meal prepping and to feed both vegan and non-vegans alike. Seriously, who doesn’t like pasta!
We’ll give tips in the post for additions to make it go even further and as always, we’ll give tips on making it allergen friendly!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this vegan creamy mushroom and asparagus pasta Top 8 Allergen Free?
The ingredients that we need to look at here are the pasta, vegan butter, coconut milk, and vegan parmesan.
To start, you want to use a gluten free pasta. There are so many choices available now, so just use the one that you like the best.
For the vegan butter, ensure that it is soy free. We prefer flora or earth balance soy free when it comes to this. It comes in a red tub.
Then, we have coconut milk. While it makes the dish creamier, you can swap it with other dairy free milks. We’d suggest oat milk for this because it’s creamier.
And then we have the vegan parmesan cheese. We are use Violife in this recipe, which does contain coconut oil, but no other allergens. If you have a coconut allergen, you can use Follow Your Heart parmesan.
We also have a vegan parmesan on our site that you can make with sunflower seeds; however, it doesn’t melt well which is why we recommend using one of the store bought brands.
What can I substitute for canned coconut milk?
Canned coconut milk is thick and makes the pasta sauce extra creamy; however if you don’t have that on hand, you can still make this pasta recipe.
If you don’t have canned coconut milk, you can use any dairy free milk. We would suggest oat or soy milk because they tend to be creamier.
What can I substitute for vegan parmesan cheese?
If you don’t have any store bought vegan parmesan on hand, you can make our homemade vegan parmesan on our site that you can make with sunflower seeds.
We would recommend sprinkling this on top once the dish is already plated as it doesn’t melt well.
Alternatively, you could use another vegan cheese that melts; however it will change the texture and flavor of the dish.
Can I replace the vegan butter with another oil?
Yes you could. Coconut oil would be the best replacement and then another like olive or avocado oil. It will not have the same creaminess though.
How can I make this oil free?
You can just add more vegetable stock in the beginning. It will drastically change the taste and not be as rich, but if you are used to being oil free then you will likely not mind.
Can I omit the mushrooms?
Yes. Feel free to omit and add another “meat” replacement. More vegetables, protein source, etc.
DOES IT MATTER WHAT TYPE OF PASTA THAT I USE?
We are using bowtie pasta in the photos; however, you can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
It also does do well with tubular shaped pasta, like penne, and even ones like rotini or shells that can pick up and hold onto all the sauce. But truly, whatever you have on hand will work perfectly.
Can I add anything else to the dish besides the pasta and sauce?
Absolutely. Here’s some ideas:
- vegan chicken strips
- crispy chickpeas
- crispy tofu pieces
- broccoli
- cannellini beans
- spinach or kale
Can I prep this vegan pasta ahead of time?
Yes! We’d recommend letting this cool completely and then storing in an air tight container for up to 5 days. If you meal prep you can split this up into individual containers.
You may want to or feel like you need a splash or two of dairy free milk when reheating.
Can this be frozen?
We don’t recommend freezing this dish.
What size skillet should I use for this vegan pasta dish?
You want a large skillet, approximately 12 inches; however, you don’t want it so large that the sauce is too spread out.
The larger the skillet the more quickly the liquid will reduce. So you want it large enough that it will evenly cook the pasta, but not so large you cook down your sauce too fast.
You could also use a large pot or dutch oven, but try to keep the size the same.
WHAT SIDES TO SERVE WITH THIS VEGAN CREAMY PASTA DISH?
There are endless possibilities but a side salad and some bread are great starting points.
Here’s some bread ideas:
- Vegan Italian Cheesy Bread Rolls (photo shown above)
- Vegan Garlic Bread
- Easy Vegan Dinner Rolls
What other vegan pasta ideas could I make?
Who doesn’t love pasta? Especially in colder months, it can be a total comfort food. Here’s some more delicious vegan pasta dishes:
- Vegan Mac and Cheese Pasta
- Vegan Pumpkin Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Vegan Alfredo
- Vegan Cheesy Hamburger Helper Skillet
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Spinach and Walnut Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Carbonara
- Vegan Creamy Broccoli and Chickpea Pasta
And if you are looking for some cold pasta ideas, try out:
Pin this vegan one pot creamy garlic parmesan pasta for later!
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Creamy Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ lb bowtie pasta (sub for another kind of pasta or GF pasta)
- 1 lb fresh asparagus
- ½ sweet onion (about ½ to ¾ of a cup)
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, carefully rinsed
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoon chickpea or almond flour (can sub all purpose)
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 15oz can coconut milk, shaken (sub with another thicker dairy free milk)
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
- ⅓ cup vegan parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper, more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- While waiting on water, trim the ends of the asparagus and cut each stalk into 3 pieces (or smaller if desired), sliced mushrooms (including stems), dice onions, and mince garlic. Set aside.
- Once water is boiling add the pasta and cook for half the instructed al dente time. After time is up, add asparagus and cook for remaining time (at least and no longer than 4-5 minutes). Immediately drain once done.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, add vegan butter and let melt.
- Add in diced onions and cook for 2 minutes or until starting to become softened.
- Add sliced mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add in minced garlic, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and thyme sprigs.
- Sprinkle flour and whisk until combine. Slowly pour in vegetable broth and coconut milk. Stir together.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 3-4 minute or until it starts to thicken.
- Add in salt, pepper, vegan parmesan and vegan mozzarella. Stir together until cheese has melted.
- Add in cooked asparagus and pasta. Stir together. Cook until heated through.
- Remove from heat and discard the thyme sprigs. Add more salt and pepper if desired.
I just made this and it was absolutely delicious! Yum. I had asparagus and wanted to do something other than pan-seared with butter and garlic. I searched asparagus on this site and this came up. I went and got the other ingredients that I didn’t have and wellah! I am not a cook but this came together so well and the results were amazing. It was easy and very flavorful. I am thinking I might like to add sun-dried tomatoes. This will definitely be my potluck, go to meal.
Wow, thank you so much! I’m thrilled you loved the pasta and that it worked out so well for you, especially as someone who doesn’t usually cook! That’s exactly what I hope for with these recipes.
This was delicious! I was skeptical of the coconut milk as was afraid it would overpower the taste of the dish but it you couldn’t even tell! I omitted the Parmesan cheese as I found it tasted fine with just the vegan mozzarella. Next time I will incorporate some crispy tofu!
crispy tofu would be a great addition for this, so glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent dish! I didnt have vegan cheese & didnt want to use dairy cheese I had so I omitted the cheese completely & instead added some cajun seasoning and did broccoli instead of asparagus (bc i kinda hate asparagus lol) & it was a HIT!
haha, love it!