This Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta combines summer vegetables with hearty cannellini beans, red chili, and fresh basil for a delicious meal. It all comes together in under 30 minutes.
How to Make a Traditional Italian Recipe Vegan
This recipe is a vegan-ized version of a traditional Italian dish. In the traditional recipe, spicy Italian sausage is used, as well as parmsan cheese.
- Skip the Meat: Instead of meat, I like adding creamy cannellini beans to this recipe. You build lots of flavor with the onion, garlic, red chili flake, tomato paste, and basil. The beans add healthy plant-based protein and fiber (with none of the cholesterol, sodium, or saturated fat in sausage)
- Swap Out the Cheese: Instead of finishing this dish with Parmesan cheese, sprinkle with a dash of nutritional yeast or Cashew “Parm”
5 Tips on How to Saute Without Oil
Sauting without oil might seem daunting at first. However, like with any new skill, once you practice, it becomes easier and second-nature. Here are a few key steps to saute without oil:
- Preheat the pan: Whether using a non-stick saute pan, stainless steel, ceramic, or cast-iron, preheating the pan helps create a heat barrier. When the vegetables hit the pan, that barrier will help prevent sticking and allow some browning.
- Stir immediately: As soon as your veggies hit the hot pan, start stirring. This helps release their moisture and prevents sticking and burning.
- Add water, but only as needed: If your onions start to burn, add a splash of water and turn down the heat. And a splash is literally a splash (1-2 tablespoons)…just enough to get the veggies moving and to cool down the pan.
- Satue means “jump”: The literal translation of the French word “saute” is “to jump”. Keep this in mind…you want those veggies jumping around the pan (a combination of the hot pan + lots of strirring).
- Brown? Stir around. Burn it? Start over. Brown onions and mushrooms mean caramelization and deep umami flavor. Black, burnt bits, however, mean burnt. If you burn onions (and especially GARLIC), it’s best to toss it out, clean out the pan, and start over. Burnt bits have a bitter flavor that can be very off-putting for most people.
What is High Protein Pasta?
The pasta game has totally changed. There are so many healthy and delicious high protein, whole-grain pastas on the shelves. For this recipe, I went with the Brami brand radiator shape. Brami uses white lupini beans to make a protein-packed pasta that looks and tastes like traditional white pasta. Plus, it’s incredibly affordable. I’ve used it many times to trick kids (and adults) into eating a healthier pasta.
While I used Brami for this recipe, you can take your pick from lots of other brands. Some of my favorites include: Banza (made from chickpeas), Ancient Harvest (using quinoa and corn), Barilla (whole wheat), and The Only Bean (black bean and edamame pastas). For this particular recipe, opt for a smaller shape, like radiators, curly mac, shells, or penne.
Chef Katie Budget Tip: Keep an eye out for sales in the pasta aisle. When you see a brand you like on sale, stock up. It’s alsways nice to have a box of pasta on-hand for quick weeknight dinners.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need for Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta
This simple recipe for Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta only requires a few ingredients. You’ll need:
- Tomato Paste: This is a staple ingredient I always have on-hand. It is condensed tomato and serves as a wonderful base for sauces and soups. Buy it in the tube, rather than the can, for easy use and long-term storage.
- Italian Seasoning: A no-salt Italian seasoning blend adds classic flavor to this recipe. Most blends include some combination of dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram.
- Cannellini Beans: Cannellini beans are creamy white beans. You can find them in the canned bean aisle, cooked and ready to use. Simply drain and thoroughly rinse the beans before using. If cannellini is not available, you can susbstititue with another small white bean like Navy or Great Northern
- Nutritional Yeast: This plant-based ingredient is a vegan superstar, replacing cheese in many dairy-free recipes
- Fresh Basil: A must-have for this. Adds a pop of bright, fresh flavor.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
Veggie Variations: While I love the zucchini and onion in this recipe, you can mix and match with other ingredients in season and on-hand. Swap out the onion for leeks, shallot, or garlic scapes. Instead of zucchini, you can use yellow summer squash, patty pan squash, or mushrooms.
Make Ahead: You can make this pasta dish ahead of time and then simply reheat to serve. For best storage, cook the pasta, drain, and rinse well under cold running water. Store separately from the pan-sauce, which you can make as directed. To reheat, you can combine a small portion in a pan or microwave in a bowl.
Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta
You’ll love this recipe for Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta! It’s
- Hearty and Satisfying
- Loaded with Plant-Based Protein: 29g per serving!
- Oil-Free, Plant-Based
- Gluten-Free Adaptable
- Ready in Under 30 Minutes
- Great for Weeknight Dinner
- Full of Classic Italian Flavors
Pin It to Save It:
Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Brami protein pasta radiator, shells, curly mac or similar squiggly shape
- 1 onion diced
- 2 medium or 3 small zucchini diced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend, no salt added
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water as needed
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast to garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
To Boil Pasta:
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 8-10 minutes. When the pasta is tender but still “al dente”, “with a bite”, drain. Set aside until ready to mix with sauce.
To Make the Spicy Zucchini White Bean Sauce:
- Heat a large, wide pan over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini. Saute, stirring often, until the veggies soften and the onion starts to brown, about 7-8 minutes. You don’t need any oil. If the veggies start to burn, reduce your heat and add a splash of water.
- Clear a space in the center of the pan. Add the tomato paste, garlic, red chili flake, and no-salt Italian seasoning blend. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, to allow the tomato paste to caramelize.
- Add the grape tomatoes, cannellini beans, and water. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any tomato paste bits.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are completely tender.
- Add the cooked pasta and basil. Stir well to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and serve.
Nutrition Facts for Spicy Zucchini White Bean Vegan Protein Pasta
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 489 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 4 g | 6 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 1 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 415 mg | 17 % |
| Potassium 1541 mg | 44 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 90 g | 30 % |
| Dietary Fiber 16 g | 64 % |
| Sugars 8 g | |
| Protein 29 g | 58 % |
| Vitamin A | 25 % |
| Vitamin C | 56 % |
| Calcium | 15 % |
| Iron | 33 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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