Vegan

Vegan Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

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Sautéed asparagus, mushrooms, and garlic combine with pasta and a light fat-free sauce in this delicious plant-based meal. Optional soy curls or chickpeas add heartiness, making this Asparagus Mushroom Pasta a very filling vegan main dish.

It’s amazing the things you can learn when you’re forced to order your groceries online, especially when you branch out and try different stores than you usually use. For instance, I haven’t been able to find whole wheat rotini or macaroni in months at our usual stores. There’s been plenty of penne and spaghetti and even bow tie pasta, but spirals and mac have been impossible to find.

But then “all of this” happened, and when Kroger started running out of a lot of the groceries I was ordering, I decided to give Walmart a try–and behold, all the whole wheat pasta I could want was suddenly available. It was a carb-lovers dream!

Other aspects of online ordering haven’t been as wonderful, especially the gamble you take when you allow someone else to choose your fruits and vegetables, Mostly I’ve been lucky, but once I received a package of raspberries that looked like they’d had a nasty encounter with a potato masher. Another time, we received 12 bananas instead of the 6 we ordered (yay, banana bread!)

This last grocery order brought me beautiful, crisp asparagus spears–the biggest I’ve ever seen at about 3/4-inch wide. Normally I try to select smaller asparagus, but I’m not complaining. Size really doesn’t matter when the asparagus is going into one of my family’s favorite pasta dishes.

I’ve been making variations of this asparagus mushroom pasta for ages, and I now have it perfected, with lots of fresh garlic and plenty of basil. The light sauce is just perfect for carrying the flavor without being heavy or obvious. To make it a heartier main dish, I add soy curls that have been rehydrated in “no chicken” bouillon, though feel free to add chickpeas or green peas to your asparagus pasta.

More Plant-Based Asparagus Recipes

While asparagus is plentiful, try some of my favorite recipes that use it:

Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

Sautéed asparagus, mushrooms, and garlic combine with pasta and a light sauce in this low-fat plant-based meal. Optional ingredients add heartiness and protein. Feel free to use your choice of pasta, including gluten-free. (I used whole wheat spirals.)

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta rotini preferred
1 1/2 pounds asparagus
8 ounces baby bella or regular mushrooms sliced
4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon (Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken preferred)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup soymilk or other unsweetened plant milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch (or potato starch or arrowroot)

Instructions

Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water according to package instructions. Just before it’s done, scoop out and reserve 1 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta and return to pan.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the asparagus by snapping off the ends: Hold the bottom of the spear in one hand and grasp it with the other hand about 2 inches away. Bend the spear and allow it to break. Discard the ends, and then cut the asparagus into pieces about 1 1/2-inch long.
Heat a large covered skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook for a minute or two. Add 1/4 cup water and quickly cover. Allow the asparagus to steam for 2 minutes. Uncover and add the mushrooms. Add a splash of water if it seems dry and cover. Cook for about 2 minutes or until mushrooms exude their juices. (If it seems too dry, add a splash of water.) Uncover, add the garlic, and cook for a minute or two.
Add the vegetables to the pasta and combine well. Keep warm on the lowest heat setting.
Put 1 cup of the pasta water into a small saucepan. Place it over medium high heat and add the bouillion, basil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and red pepper. As it comes to a boil, whisk together the plant milk and starch in a small bowl and add it to the saucepan. Cook, stirring, until it boils and thickens slightly. Pour it over the pasta and vegetables, and stir to coat. If it seems dry, add a little of the remaining pasta water.
Check the seasonings and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Optional Soy Curls

Place soy curls and bouillon in a small saucepan and cover with water just until they begin to float. Bring to a boil and simmer until soy curls are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and press excess water out of soy curls. Add to the pasta just before serving.

Notes

Options:

Instead of soy curls, add 1 cup cooked chickpeas or frozen (thawed) green peas.
Toss a few leaves of fresh basil into pasta just before serving.
Sprinkle with Almond Parmesan just before serving.

Nutrition Facts box does not include soy curls or other optional ingredients. One serving including soy curls contains 319 calories, 3g fat, 58g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 20g protein, 348mg sodium. All nutritional calculations use Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Broth; other bouillon may contain more or less sodium.

Note: This recipe is 1 point on WW Purple plan without soy curls and 2 points with soy curls. The points will be higher on other plans.

Nutrition Facts

Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 282
Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 0g0%

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 185mg8%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 17g34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Vegan

Keyword low-fat pasta, oil-free pasta

Vegan

Tofu Kondattam (South Indian Spicy Crispy Tofu)

Tofu Kondattam, a South Indian crispy spicy tofu is a fantastic side or appetizer! Tofu is crisped with spices then tossed in a thick sauce of aromatics, four types of chilies – Kashmiri chili powder, pepper, red and green chilies, curry leaves and Garam masala! Try this regional Indian recipe.

tofu kondattam in the pan after cooking and adding garnishes

I love this spicy crispy kondattam. This southern Indian spicy dish usually has chicken is marinated and then fried. I’ve made a version before, see my crispy Soy Curls Kondattam. For this version, I make it saucier and use tofu that is marinated and baked to get it nice and crisp without. Then, we make the sauce and toss all of that together for this amazingly flavorful dish that you can serve as a starter, side or as an entree.

Chicken kondattam is a spicy dish from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Traditionally, for this dish, chicken is marinated in a fiery red marinade and then fried to crisp. Then it is tossed with thick sauce of dried chilies, curry leaves, ground spices, and Kashmiri chili powder.

Tofu kondattam is really hot with four types of chilis bringing the heat: Kashmiri chili powder, black pepper, dried red chilis and green chilies! If you want it to be less hot, you can reduce the amount of dried red and the green chilies or choose milder versions. You can cut down on the black pepper and Kashmiri chili powder, as well. The color will change a bit, because the Kashmiri chili powder adds a lot of color to the dish, but there’ll still be plenty of flavor, even if you need to cut it a little bit.

This dish definitely tastes the best if you use real Kashmiri chili powder, because the chilies have a specific flavor profile. It will work with paprika instead, but for the real deal, get some Kashmiri chili powder.