This super easy Vegan Cajun Pasta recipe is made with roasted red bell pepper, and chickpeas and cooked in a dairy-free creamy sauce filled with tomatoes and Cajun spices.
Every family loves pasta dishes, like my Hidden Veg Pasta, Vegan Baked Feta Pasta, or Red Lentil Pasta, and this Cajun pasta recipe will quickly become one of your favorite easy vegan dinners. It’s loaded with protein, healthy carbs, and so fulfilling and comforting as a family dinner!
A classic Cajun pasta recipe is made with chicken and typically cooked in chicken stock. So Cajun Pasta is not naturally vegan-friendly, therefore, you need to adapt the recipe for a plant-based version.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Olive Oil, vegan butter, or any vegetable oil you have on hand.
- Onion – I used yellow diced onion, but red onion adds a lovely sweet flavor to the dish.
- Canned Chickpeas – rinsed, drained before use. They add a lot of protein to the dish. You can also use cannellini beans.
- Garlic Cloves – for flavor.
- Red Bell Pepper and Green Bell Pepper – You can also use other bell pepper colors. If you can’t have pepper, large tomatoes can be used as an alternative.
- Cajun Seasoning – For flavor.
- Salt – If your seasoning doesn’t contain salt, if so, skip the salt to avoid overly salty vegan pasta.
- Pasta – I used penne pasta. Mine are high-protein pasta. For a gluten-free, vegan dinner, you can use gluten-free pasta like quinoa, buckwheat, or rice pasta.
- Vegetable Stock – You can use bottled stock or make it yourself.
- Fire-Roasted Canned Diced Tomatoes – or diced or crushed tomatoes.
- Nutritional Yeast – for a cheesy flavor.
- Cream of Choice – I love soy cream or coconut cream from full-fat canned coconut cream.
How To Make Vegan Cajun Pasta
There are many ways to adapt the classic Cajun Pasta recipe to make it vegan using vegetables you love and plant-based protein. Here I chose to combine colorful red bell pepper and chickpeas. Let’s see the ingredients you need for this easy vegan Cajun recipe.
- First, in a non-stick large deep skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Cook onion for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Then, stir fry the red bell pepper stripes and chickpeas for 4-5 minutes with one tablespoon of Cajun spices.
- When cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Cover the plate with a lid or a piece of foil to keep the mix of chickpea and vegetables warm.
- In the same skillet (no need to wash it), add the uncooked pasta, vegetable stock, remaining Cajun spice mix, and nutritional yeast. Stir in diced tomatoes too, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- When it’s boiling, reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is al-0dente, or cook longer for softer pasta. Your sauce should be thick and creamy. If you run out of liquid to cook the pasta, add water, 1/4 cup at a time, and keep cooking until the pasta is cooked to your liking and the sauce is thick.
- Return the vegetables to the pan, stir them to evenly combine the chickpeas and bell pepper with cooked pasta, and cook over medium heat.
- Whisk the coconut cream and cornstarch in a small mixing bowl to form a slurry with no lumps.
- Pour over the cooked pasta, stir and keep cooking over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and it forms a vegan creamy Cajun pasta sauce.
- Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley on top and a pinch of chili flakes if desired.
Cajun Seasoning Mix Recipe
If you can’t find a Cajun spice mix at your store, let me share how you can easily make yours at home. I like to make my own spice mix and store them in an airtight glass container in a dark, cool place in my pantry. They keep their flavor for up to 6 months and go very well in so many dishes.
You can also use this Cajun spice mix in my Vegan Jambalaya. For one pot of Cajun spices, stir all the below dry spices together:
- 2 tablespoons of Paprika
- 2 tablespoons of Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon of Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
- 3 teaspoons of Oregano
- 2 teaspoons of Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
- 2 teaspoons of Thyme
- 2 teaspoons of Salt
Storage Instructions
These vegan Cajun pasta store very well for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. You can freeze a portion of this vegan meal and thaw it in the fridge the day before serving. It’s a great lunch to meal prep and serve any time of the year.
Allergy Swaps
- Gluten-Free – You can use gluten0-free pasta for this recipe. Watch their cooking time carefully, as most gluten-free pasta cooks a bit faster than wheat, especially the buckwheat pasta that quickly turns mushy.
- Chickpea-Free – If you don’t like chickpea, you can use any other can of cooked beans like brown lentils, or black beans, or skip it and cook some sliced mushroom as a vegan protein source instead.
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
Below I listed some more delicious vegan pasta recipes for you to try.
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Vegan Cajun Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion - peeled, finely diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves - crushed
- 1 can (15 oz) Chickpea - rinsed, drained
- 1 Red Bell Pepper - deseeded, cut into 1-2 inch strips
- 1 Green Bell Pepper - deseeded, cut into 1-2 inch strips
- 1 ½ tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
Pasta sauce
- 12 oz Penne Pasta - uncooked
- 2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- 1 can (15 oz) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2 ½ cups Vegetable Broth
- ½ cup Coconut Cream - or almond milk
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
To serve
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley - finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, warm olive oil over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
- Stir in the bell pepper strips, garlic, canned chickpeas, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes until the pepper is roasted and golden brown.
- Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate. Cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet (don't clean it!) add the uncooked pasta, remaining 1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning, nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, and diced canned tomatoes. Stir to combine, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to low heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the pasta is al-dente or cooked to your liking, and the sauce is thick. If the pasta is not cooked to your liking and all liquid is absorbed, add an extra 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cold water, cover, and keep cooking until the pasta is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the slurry. In a small bowl, whisk coconut cream and cornstarch. You can also skip cornstarch and only add the cream, but the sauce won't be as thick.
- Pour the slurry in the skillet along with the cooked chickpeas and bell pepper.
- Stir to combine and keep cooking for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
Storage
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze and thaw in the fridge the day before.
My whole family and friends, even those that aren’t vegan, absolutely loved this! The only alteration I made was halving the nutritional yeast. No one could tell I used coconut cream for the sauce. Fabulous – thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this lovely feedback!
I really enjoyed this recipe! I think the only thing I’d change next time is the coconut cream. I noticed a small coconut taste that doesn’t go with Cajun. Next time I’ll use a cashew cream to keep it neutral. I loved the texture of the pasta cooked this way! Thank you!
This was soooo good!! I’ve been looking for a Cajun pasta that didn’t include heavy cream and that didn’t feel like you’re missing something if there’s no chicken or shrimp.
In addition to the veggies you have listed + chickpeas, I added ~2/3 cup small diced carrots, 1 small diced zucchini, and ~1/2 cup frozen lima beans that I’ve been looking for a way to use up. Then I used 8oz of veggie pasta – Cybele’s green lentil, cauli, and parsnip rotini. I have had such bad luck with the consistency of veggie pasta, I knew with this recipe there was enough spice and other ingredients to cover up if the pasta got really gloopy.
It felt so filling and indulgent with the coconut cream but was totally vegan – I’m using that slurry + nutritional yeast trick to thicken and make other pasta cheesy/creamy in the future!
I’m new to the vegan lifestyle and LOVED this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This is delicious. I’m eating it right now with a side of. Green beans and broccoli.
I’m cooking a la Julia ,(with a glass of red wine in my hand,) so maybe it’s me but I didn’t see where to add the garlic. I put it in after the peppers sautéed for awhile. Also, I’m saving the the.chickpea.juice . It’s Aquafaba. An egg.white alternative.
Great work,!
Thanks for the lovely feedback I updated the garlic btw, thanks for spotting my mistake!
Very tasty. My onions were a bit overcooked by the time the peppers were done. Next time I will set them aside once cooked, then cook the peppers( they took longer than I expected) and add them to the cooked onions. Excellent recipe will definitely cook again.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, I am happy you love this dish too!