Recipe Roundup

47 Vegetarian Pasta Recipes You’ll Want to Make Again Tomorrow

From easy weeknight noodles to cozy Sunday bakes, our best vegetarian pasta dishes will keep you coming back for more. (Even after you’ve prematurely eaten all the leftovers…oops.)

By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious

January 18, 2024

Image may contain Food Pasta Plant and Spaghetti

When it’s 5 p.m., and you’re not sure what to make for dinner, these vegetarian pasta recipes can save the day. Below, you’ll find our greatest hits: quick tomato pastas that make the most of the off-season, hearty options with chickpeas and beans, cheesy baked pastas for sharing with friends, and creamy mushroom pasta that works equally well for a date-night meal or a cozy evening on your couch. Peek around your pantry, get that water boiling, and scroll down to pick one of our favorite vegetarian pasta recipes to put on tonight’s menu.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley
1/47
Marcella Hazan’s Butter, Tomato, and Onion Sauce
This is one of the easiest vegetarian pasta recipes in our rotation—and it’s deserving of all the love it gets. We’re guessing you won’t even need to go shopping to get this on the table tonight.
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Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
2/47
Creamy Mushroom Lasagna
We love vegetarian lasagnas layered with red sauce—especially this one made with roasted tomato—but sometimes you want a creamier rendition that lets earthy mushrooms take center stage. We love it with crimini, but pretty much any type of mushroom can be used here. As with any of the recipes on this list, if you’re cooking for vegetarians, you may want to confirm the cheese you pick up is not made with animal rennet before purchasing.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
3/47
Lemony Pasta With Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Arugula
There’s no need to serve a salad on the side—this hearty pasta is absolutely packed with veggies.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
4/47
Pasta With 15-Minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
When cherry tomatoes burst open in the pan, you get a quick pasta sauce that tastes like summer—even in the depths of the colder months.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
5/47
Fusilli in Creamy Vegan Asparagus Pesto
Cashews give this creamy sauce its luxurious texture. Top each plate with extra fresh basil and freshly ground pepper if desired.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
6/47
Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
Crispy on top, creamy within: This is the ultimate, as mac and cheese goes. Mustard powder boosts the flavor of a whole lot of grated extra-sharp cheddar.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
7/47
Four-Cheese Manicotti
You can fill these noodles using a spoon, but if you have a piping bag (or icing pen) in your baking supplies, it’ll make the process much quicker and easier.
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Photo by Colin Price
8/47
Mushroom Stroganoff
A creamy sauce made with white wine, shallots, and mushrooms cooked in butter turns wide egg noodles into the coziest winter dish we can imagine.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
9/47
Pasta al Pomodoro
This isn’t a long-cooked marinara; instead, it’s a way to get bright tomato flavor out of a can of whole tomatoes in under an hour. You get extra points if you serve it with garlic bread on the side.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz
10/47
3-Ingredient Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Pumpkin purée is good for much more than just pie. Here, it’s mixed with cream, black pepper, and pasta water for a luxurious less-than-30-minute meal.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
11/47
Pasta With 10-Minute Pesto
Blanching fresh basil leaves before blending means this silky-smooth pesto holds on to its bright green color. Extra toasted pine nuts on top add crunch.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
12/47
Baked Rigatoni With Red Peppers and Green Olives
Keeping a jar of store-bought roasted red peppers in your pantry means you’re never far from this savory crowdpleaser.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
13/47
Vegetarian Skillet Stuffed Shells
Stuff these stovetop shells with a mix of creamy ricotta, Parmesan cheese, oregano, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi
14/47
Cacio e Pepe
This classic Roman pasta doesn’t require much in the way of ingredients; it’s all about the way you toss it together with the pasta cooking water for the ultimate creamy texture.
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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which ... Read More

Senior SEO Editor, Cooking

The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More