Vegan Mushroom Coconut Pasta is a really easy vegan pasta recipe. Super creamy, the easy sauce comes together with shallots, coconut milk, sautéed mushrooms and some arugula. Ready in less than 20 minutes, this is perfect vegan comfort food! A perfect pasta to add to your vegan meal prep repertoire.
Really flavorful, this simple to make coconut milk sauce is velvety and makes an impressive pasta sauce for even guests. So tasty, you could get your kiddos to try out mushrooms! Also, really great for a busy weeknight or even a special date night.
Did I mention the sauce is soooo velvety, so luscious! If you're making it for guests, they'll be so impressed and think you were hours in the kitchen! Yet the secret is this sauce whips up in no time! For real!! So let them think you worked all afternoon on perfecting the perfect vegan sauce and let’s get onto this delectable pasta recipe!
We are talking total vegan Italian comfort food! Pasta without the guilt of heavy cream or butter. Yes, but with all the satisfaction! This vegan pasta with coconut milk is a must try.
This amazing sauce comes together with just a few key things…and you probably have them in your pantry. I know, this is exciting! That means you can get this going even right at this moment!
You're first question may be:
Does this coconut milk pasta taste like coconuts?
No! I know, it may seem hard to believe. But it's like the coconut milk is the base for all the flavorings and You can't even tell it's made with coconut milk.
A brief overview of what’s first:
The coconut sauce: The base of the sauce is made first with some finely diced shallots. Yes, I adore shallots! But go ahead and use white or sweet onions. Added to that are the perfect baby Bella mushrooms. Could also use white mushrooms. A splash of dry white wine (if you have an open bottle around, if you don't, no worries)or a splash of vegetable broth.
Now onto the coconut milk. And yes, you may have a carton of coconut milk in your fridge (the one you add in your coffee). Nope, that’s not the right one. It has to be a can of coconut milk. Preferably the full fat kind. Nowadays, I find canned coconut milk at every single market I visit.
So no problem if you find canned coconut cream instead of coconut milk; either one will work fine!
The sauce gets thickened with a bit of corn starch (or arrowroot starch). You could even use a bit of flour. I used corn starch.
The flavorings: if you have nutritional yeast on hand (unfortified if you want to keep the sauce a nice and creamy color, it will be yellow with the regular nutritional yeast), some garlic/onion powder (just one or both...whatever if you have, is fine!), salt and pepper.
The greens: I had some arugula on hand. I thought I had spinach and broccoli, but I used it up the night before. So basically, a bit of greens like arugula, spinach or steamed broccoli would be really nice to addd in.
The pasta: Any pound of whatever pasta you have could be great! I used spaghetti! Penne, rigatoni, or even farfalle would be nice. Even some fresh pasta, like tagliatelle. Basically, no stressing over the pasta.
This vegan creamy coconut sauce is so loved!
Here are the reasons why:
- super luscious
- naturally vegan
- no-fuss
- easy to make gluten-free
- really creamy
- nut-free
- versatile (spice it up!)
What ingredients are in vegan mushroom coconut pasta?
- coconut milk
- cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- garlic powder (or onion powder ...or both)
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- mushrooms (I used baby bella, but white button is also fine)
- white wine (or vegetable broth or even water)
- pasta (I used spaghetti)
- arugula
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Ingredient notes:
- Extra-virgin olive oil-I have a really great brand from Sicily and it costs a little more. But the fruity flavor really enhances all my dishes. So look for something extra-virgin (if you can)and taste the difference.
- Shallots- The best way to start the sauce is by sauteeing the shallots in olive oil (I use extra-virgin). You could use white onions or sweet onions and even a touch of minced garlic (if you like!).
- Baby Bella mushrooms - My kids have been loving baby Bella's ...but typically I also have white button mushrooms. You could even use cremini, or even portobello. Whatever you like or have on hand.
- Pasta - I really like using long pasta noodles, like fettucini, linguini, or spaghetti, but you can use anything you have at home.
- Corn starch (or arrowroot starch) - Helps in thickening the sauce up a little. You could use also some flour (go gluten-free, if you're gluten-free).
- Coconut Milk - I used canned coconut milk (full fat). You could use also lite, but the full fat works better for this sauce. Keep in mind, this does not make it taste like a coconut milk pasta.
- Nutritional yeast - I used unfortified, but the fortified is fine. It adds a lovely cheesy flavor element to this luscious sauce.
- Dry white wine - Just a splash is what I use in this sauce. But freshly squeezed lemon juice or even some vegetable broth is a good substitute.
- Fresh lemon juice-If you don't have a lemon on hand, you could skip this part. It just adds a burst of freshness to the sauce.
- The greens-I used what I had on hand: arugula! If you have some fresh spinach on hand...toss it on at the end and stir it all together (it will wilt up quickly like the arugula). If you have any leftover steamed broccoli on hand from another recipe...chop it up and add it in at the end. It could all work great!
How to make vegan coconut sauce pasta?
Here is a brief overview of the steps (full recipe is printable below with the ingredient list).
You begin with two steps: bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil and heating some olive oil in a large skillet.
In the large skillet, once the oil is shimmering, add in the shallots (or onions)and cook until translucent (takes a few minutes). Next, add in the sliced mushrooms.
Once they soften a little, add in the wine (if you're using)or a little broth or just lemon juice.
You've whisked together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. So you'll be adding in the coconut milk, the cornstarch mixture and your seasonings. Stir it all together.
Can I add this coconut sauce to other dishes?
Yes! It’s such a versatile and lovely vegan creamy sauce. It’s a great base to season up as you like it and it could be drizzled over roasted vegetables or used as a sauce with grilled tempeh or even tofu.
Can this vegan mushroom pasta be made gluten free?
Yes, it can! Use your favorite gluten-free pasta. Or a nice bean pasta. Whatever GF pasta you love will work perfectly with this sauce.
How to store vegan pasta with coconut mushroom sauce:
Allow the pasta to come to room temperature. As soon as it’s cooled down, store the leftovers in an airtight container or a zipped lock freezer bag. Will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Some other vegan recipes to enjoy:
One last thing...I promise 🙂
Just a quick request: if you enjoyed the recipe as much as we did, would you kindly leave me a 5-star rating and a short (or long!)comment–the ratings are what helps get my recipes and hard work discovered, so I can keep leaving you more delish recipes!
Your comments mean the world to me….and I really SMILE when I read them. Thank you so much! XX
Vegan Mushroom Coconut Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot chopped (or small white, or red onion)
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper or to taste
- 10 oz baby Bella mushrooms sliced (or white button)
- ¼ cup dry white wine or you could use vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos soy or tamari, optional
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 2 tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups arugula or fresh spinach
- Pasta
- 1 lb of pasta I used spaghetti (but even penne or rigatoni is fine)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta making sure it's not quite al dente (so about 1 minute less than the cooking time, because you'll be combining in the skillet with the sauce and heating together and it will cook a little more).
- While the pasta is cooking, prep the coconut milk/mushroom sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the water. If needed, strain it to get out all the clumps. Set aside.
- Cook the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots (or onion) and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become translucent and have totally softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and stir for a minute (they’ll cook very fast!).
- Add the wine (broth if you’re not using wine), coconut aminos (or soy sauce, if using), coconut milk, cornstarch mixture, nutritional yeast, garlic powder. Taste the sauce and add some more salt and pepper to taste (or spice it up, if you like) and simmer (about 3-5 minutes). Stir to combine.
- Drain the pasta and combine: When pasta is cooked reserve some of the pasta water (1/2 cup is good), drain well and immediately add the pasta to the pan with the coconut sauce. On medium heat, give it a nice stir to combine it all together. If it’s too thick, loosen it with a little bit of the reserved pasta water and stir it all together. Add in the arugula and stir to combine (the arugula will wilt very quickly).
- Serve: Plate up your pasta and serve with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or some vegan parmesan. Enjoy!
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Shannon says
I was looking for a quick vegan dinner and came across this recipe. It was delicious and felt just like comfort food!I did not have the broth however the fresh lemon did the trick.
Lora says
Hi Shannon-I'm really happy you enjoyed this vegan pasta (one of our favorites!). Happy that fresh lemon juice worked out in place of the broth. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!! XX