This quick and easy vegan Garlic Pasta recipe is a creamy take on the classic Italian Aglio e Olio made with Spaghetti and roasted garlic sauce in just 15 minutes! Perfect for a quick meatless weeknight lunch or dinner meal!
Spaghetti Pasta in Creamy Garlic Sauce
This 15-minute recipe has all the makings to be your new weeknight go-to lunch or dinner. It is simple, fast, yet so flavorful and filling! Plus, you will only need a few simple ingredients to make it. So, if you are a big fan of anything creamy and garlicky, this pasta dish will certainly make you one happy person!
What is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio?
It is a traditional Italian oil-based pasta that is widely popular because of its simplicity of ingredients, mainly Aglio, meaning garlic, and Olio, which means oil. The spaghetti noodles are tossed in garlic-infused oil sprinkled with chili or red pepper flakes. It is then simply garnished with parsley and sometimes parmesan cheese. I made a creamy version of this Neopolitan dish by adding dairy-free milk to give it a richer flavor.
Health Benefits of Garlic
Did you know that garlic is very healthy because of its special ingredients? It has a mild blood-thinning and blood pressure-lowering effect and is said to protect against thrombosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke, among other things. While the secondary plant substance sapoin contained in garlic is said to have a cholesterol-lowering effect, allicin – a cleavage product of the amino acid alliin – is said to primarily fight viruses, bacteria and fungi. That is why garlic is also called a natural antibiotic and should be eaten everyday!
Ingredients Used
- Pasta: Aglio e Olio is traditionally made using spaghetti. However, feel free to use other noodles like macaroni, penne, fettuccine, linguine, farfalle or homemade vegan pasta. You can also use gluten-free pasta like brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, lentil pasta or corn pasta. For a low-carb pasta dish you can make some colorful veggie noodles or just zoodles.
- Garlic: this is where the flavor really comes from, so use fresh garlic only.
- Onion: roasted and caramelized onions add much flavor too!
- Olive oil: Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil if you can. This is a key ingredient for this recipe so don’t skimp on flavor and health benefits.
- Flour: this is used to make the sauce thicker. You can use all-purpose, spelt, or gluten-free flour.
- Unsweetened plant milk: any type will do! You can use soy, almond, cashew, almond or oat milk.
- Vegetable broth powder: to add more flavor to the creamy sauce.
- Nutritional yeast flakes: give the dish a savory and cheesy taste.
- Salt and pepper: to taste. You can use your favorite like sea or kosher salt.
- Garnishes: I used chili flakes, vegan parmesan, basil, and parsley. Serve it with a slice of lemon or sprinkle with some lemon zest to add some acidity to balance the creaminess of the dish.
How to make Creamy Garlic Pasta
As always, I recommend checking out these step-by-step instructions and the recipe video first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Cook Pasta
Start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of salted water until ‘al dente’. Then drain and optionally toss with a little olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
Step 2: Cook Garlic Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and sauté the onion and garlic. Sprinkle the garlic mixture with flour and stir to coat. Then whisk in plant milk, vegetable broth powder, and nutritional yeast flakes and cook until the sauce thickens.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste and optionally blend the sauce in a blender (or use an immersion stick blender) until smooth and creamy. Then return to the pan. Add the pasta and toss to coat.
Step 3: Serve
Serve your creamy garlic pasta in bowls and garnish with chili flakes, vegan parmesan, fresh parsley and basil if desired. Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!
Tips when Making Vegan Garlic Pasta
- Follow package instructions on how to cook the pasta al dente. After cooking, you can add a splash of olive oil and toss to coat the noodles, so they do not stick together.
- Do not overcook the garlic. Sauté until it turns lightly golden-brown, and adjust the heat if it’s cooking too quickly.
- Once the flour is added, stir in a quick motion so it does not clump. Do the same when you pour in the plant milk and vegetable broth.
- Use room temperature milk to get a smoother sauce. Cold milk will curdle if it is added to a hot pan.
- If you want your sauce to be very smooth and silky, transfer it to a blender and blend until your desired consistency is reached.
- If you want to bulk up your pasta, you can add roasted vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, pumpkin, asparagus, broccoli, peas or oven-roasted tomatoes. For more protein, you can serve it with smoked tofu bacon, crispy sesame tofu or chickpeas.
Storing Notes
You can keep creamy Aglio e olio in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container. Add a small amount of plant milk or veggie broth if it becomes too dry when reheating over medium-low heat.
This Vegan Garlic Pasta is:
- Quick and easy to make
- Done in 15 minutes
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free possible
- Flavorful
- So creamy
- Budget-friendly
- Simple yet flavorful!
- Perfect for lunch or dinner!
Recipe Video
If you try this vegan garlic pasta recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a picture of your creamy aglio e olio and share it on Instagram or Facebook , feel free to tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Enjoy cooking! 🙂
Creamy Garlic Pasta in 15 Minutes (Vegan & Easy)
Author:Ingredients
- 10.6 oz (300 g) pasta e.g. spaghetti, macaroni, penne, fettuccine, optional gluten-free pasta
Garlic Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 large garlic cloves or 8 small ones, chopped
- 2 tbsp flour all-purpose, spelt or gluten-free flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) unsweetened plant milk e.g. soy, almond, cashew or oat milk
- ½ tbsp vegetable broth powder
- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
To Garnish
- chili flakes
- vegan parmesan
- basil and parsley
- squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + tips + step-by-step pictures above!
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until 'al dente' according to package directions. Then drain and optionally toss with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking. (While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce).
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for a further minute. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat.
- Add the plant milk, vegetable broth powder, and nutritional yeast flakes and stir using a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for a short while until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper and optionally blend the sauce in a blender (or with an immersion stick blender) until smooth and creamy. Then return to the pan. Add the pasta and toss until coated.
- Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with chili flakes, vegan parmesan, fresh parsley and basil if desired. Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten-free, you can also thicken the sauce by making a slurry with cornstarch or using another thickener.
- More helpful tips and information about the recipe, as well as ingredient notes and storing instructions, are mentioned in the blog post above!
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