Vegan and gluten-free Tuscan Chickapea pasta is a flavourful and protein packed meal ready in under 30 minutes. With next to no preparation required, this is a great dish for any night of the week and is made from mostly pantry ingredients. Substitute the spinach for any roasted vegetable you have on hand or add more marinated ingredients to your taste for a unique dish with endless possibilities.

Tuscan Spiral Pasta

• Prep Time:  5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time:  25 minutes
• Course: Main course
• Cuisine: Italian
• Servings: 4 people

Ingredients: 

• 1 Package Chickapea Spirals
• 2 Tbsp table salt, (for boiling pasta)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk, full fat canned
• ½ cup vegan cream cheese
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• ½ cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a large pan warm the avocado oil over medium heat
2. Add the garlic and stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute
3. Spoon the full fat coconut milk, vegan cream cheese, lemon juice and vegetable broth into the pan, mix well to melt together
4. Add the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste
5. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook the sauce for 3-4 minutes stirring often to prevent it from catching
7. Stir in the spinach, sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives, mixing well until the spinach leaves have wilted
8. Meanwhile, prepare Chickapea Spirals to package specifications (heat 16 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of salt in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add the pasta to the water, decrease the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook the pasta for 5 minutes)
9. Dain the pasta and rinse with warm water
10. Transfer the pasta to the sauce pan and toss the mixture gently to avoid breaking the noodles
11. Plate each helping of the pasta and top with vegan parmesan cheese
12. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Tofutti vegan cream cheese was used in this recipe
• Only boil the noodles until they are al dente so they do not become overcooked when added to the pan
• Tuscan spiral pasta is best when served directly from the pan
• This dish can be served as a leftover by storing it in the refrigerator and reheating it in a frying pan over medium-low
• Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil are strongly suggested but could be substituted for marinated artichokes or mushrooms