30 Minute Vegan Alfredo + Mushroom Pasta

Looking for a healthy vegan pasta recipe that’s quick AND family friendly? You’re going to fall in LOVE with this delicious vegan alfredo pasta recipe. It’s creamy, nutritious + it comes together in 30 MINUTES flat using only 9 simple ingredients!

During the week, I am the queen of the quick vegan dinner. Even though I cook for a living, I still know the crush of getting dinner on the table for a hungry family after work! Enter this creamy vegan alfredo pasta, that is both dietitian approved and one of those plant-based recipes that will have even skeptics asking for more. The secret? My amazingly simple 5 minute cashew alfredo sauce. And if you love this one, check out my cookbooks Eat More Plants + Good For Your Gut for more nutrient-dense vegan recipes that never sacrifice flavour for nutrition.

But wait, is pasta healthy?

Take it from a dietitian: yes it is my friends! Pasta (and other grain-based noodles) have been a part of traditional diets the world over, from Italy to China. Italian style pasta is a very simple food made from just wheat flour and water and – while I would absolutely love for you to eat more 100% whole grain pastas – here is what you need to know about regular ol’ white pasta:

1. When cooked al dente, white pasta actually has a low glycemic impact, with a glycemic index typically in the 40s (less than 55 is considered low GI).
2. It contains way more protein than you think it does, about 10 grams per serving depending on the brand.
3. Eating it with a source of healthy fats, plant-based protein + fibre will moderate the glycemic impact even further.

So YES, eat 100% whole grain pasta whenever you can for more nutrition. Toss with zoodles to boost veggie intake. Choose legume-based pastas when you want a protein boost. Or gluten free pastas if you have celiac disease. But don’t ever think plain old pasta is unhealthy! 

This vegan alfredo pasta with mushrooms is packed with nutrition, from the healthy fats in mineral-rich cashews, to B-vitamins from nutritional yeast and phytochemical-packed mushrooms.

Vegan Alfredo Pasta Ingredients

All you need to make this quick vegan alfredo pasta is 9 simple ingredients and 30 minutes!

• 12 ounce (340 gram) package of your favourite pasta, or a 1 pound (450 gram) pack for larger appetites!
• 1 pound (450 grams) mixed mushrooms, such as crimini, shiitake, oyster, or others
• raw cashews
• nutritional yeast
• garlic
• fresh or dried thyme
• parsley, if you want to add a punch of green
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Tips, tricks + substitutions

• Allergic to nuts? You can substitute either sunflower seeds or hemp seeds for the cashews. Even with a high-speed blender, sunflower seeds MUST be soaked for 4 hours (or soaked in just boiled water for 2) before using. Hemp hearts don’t need soaking but they have a bit of a grassier flavour. You can adjust for this by using a bit of lemon juice or some extra garlic powder. 
• Not into mushrooms? You could use absolutely any vegetable you wish. Toss in frozen peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta. Or wilt spinach by placing in the colander and then pouring over the cooked pasta and water to strain. Or roast up some broccoli.
• Gluten free? Use a legume-based gluten free pasta to make this recipe gluten free

More vegan healthy pasta recipes

• Easy Vegan Pasta Salad
• Vegan Hummus Pasta in 20 Minutes