30-minute Creamy vegan zucchini pasta with wilted kale and artichoke hearts has stolen my heart! The garlicky zucchini sauce is all that I want in a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that satisfies and nourishes at the same time! If this is your idea of getting a delicious vegan dinner on the table in a jiffy, then we are speaking the same love language!!
A creamy vegan pasta sauce that’s so simple it doesn’t need tofu and there are no nuts or seeds either. I love that this easy recipe is also allergy friendly making it the perfect option to serve for guests, or just on an average Tuesday when you need to get dinner on the table FAST. Serve this with a simple cucumber and onion salad and you’re golden!
Ingredient Notes
- Pasta: the thick and creamy vegan zucchini sauce in this recipe lends itself to any shape pasta, including spaghetti and gluten-free varieties, so have at it!
- Artichoke hearts: I like to use water packed, already cut into ¼s, since they’re less expensive than the whole ones. If you’re using frozen, let them defrost on a paper towel to blot some of the liquid. The marinated varieties of artichokes will drastically change the nutritional information, so keep that in mind.
- Greens: Personally, I prefer the sturdier texture and the way the kale holds up when cooked to something more tender like spinach, but I totally get the allure of a spinach pasta dish. It wilts a bit more quickly. Oh, but I have tons of kale in my garden, so there’s that.
Step by Step
Put a medium pot of water on to boil the pasta. Cook according to package directions, but start checking about 2 minutes before the box says it will be done. Al dente pasta is the goal in this recipe. You will need 1 cup of the pasta water to make the sauce, so make sure you set that aside before draining the pasta.
You can slice the zucchini by hand, use a mandoline or even an inexpensive handheld mandoline, but make sure you’re getting thin slices, and keep safety in mind by wearing a cut resistant glove. Peel the garlic and roughly chop.
Heat a heavy skillet (seasoned cast iron is a great choice) over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, add the zucchini and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
The zucchini will become golden and tender, shrinking by about half. Add the roughly chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Turn off the heat. Transfer 1 ½ cups to blender cup and leave the rest in the skillet.
Before draining pasta, use a glass pyrex measuring cup and grab 1 cup pasta water. Set aside to use in the sauce. Set aside drained pasta to add to the skillet in a few more steps.
Transfer 1.5 cups of the cooked zucchini + garlic to a personalized blender cup or a tall vessel to use with your immersion blender. Leave the remaining zucchini in the skillet. Add ½ cup of the pasta water you set aside and the nutritional yeast.
Blend until creamy. Add another ¼ cup pasta water and blend again. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper. Check the consistency, adding another tablespoon or two pasta water as desired. Set zucchini pasta sauce aside.
Return to the skillet with remaining zucchini and garlic mixture. Turn heat to medium.
Remove kale from stems and rip into small pieces, adding to the skillet along with the artichoke hearts.
Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes as kale wilts and artichoke hearts are heated all the way through.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet of veggies. Mix well.
Pour about half the sauce into the skillet and mix well.
Taste and add more sauce as desired, mixing well after each addition. If you like a super creamy, saucy pasta then use it all!!
Serve warm or at room temperature. If you didn’t use all the zucchini sauce, pass it around! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Get the water boiling for the pasta right away…honestly, it’s the part that takes the longest in this recipe, and you can’t get going on making the sauce without some of the pasta water.
- I like mine spicy, but I understand that not everyone does, so I save the sprinkle of crushed red pepper for my own bowl.
- If you don’t use all the sauce, save it in a jar with tight fitting lid in the fridge and use it when you reheat any leftovers over low heat in a skillet on the stove.
- Add any additional green veggies like broccoli or asparagus in the step where the kale was added.
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📖 Recipe
Zucchini Pasta with Artichoke Hearts and Kale
Equipment
Ingredients
Zucchini Sauce
- 3 medium zucchini
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 cup pasta water
Pasta
- 8 oz. penne pasta
- 3 cups kale torn into small pieces
- 1 8.5-oz can artichoke hearts packed in water, cut into ¼s
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, checking it 2 minutes less than what it says on the box. Before draining, scoop up 1 cup pasta water with a glass pyrex measuring cup and set aside.
- Meanwhile, use a mandolin or a sharp knife to cut zucchini into very thin slices. Peel garlic and roughly chop.
- Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. Zucchini will become soft and tender, some of it will be golden and it will shrink to look like ½ the amount you started with.
- Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minutes as the garlic becomes fragrant, but definitely not browned. Turn off heat.
- Add 1.5 cups of the cooked zucchini/garlic to the cup of an immersion blender. Add ½ cup of the pasta water and the nutritional yeast. Blend. Add another couple tablespoons water and blend again. I usually wind up using about ¾ cup for a smooth pasta sauce. Take it slow and add what you need 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency emerges.
- Turn the heat under the skillet back to medium and add the kale and artichoke hearts to the remaining zucchini. Stir as the kale begins to wilt and the artichokes become heated through. Then stir in the pasta and pour on about half the zucchini sauce. Turn off the heat and mix well, adding more sauce a bit at a time, stirring after each addition, until all the sauce is incorporated.
- Serve warm. Tasted for seasoning, add more pepper or if you prefer a bit of heat, sprinkle on some crushed red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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