This vegan roasted cabbage “bacon” pasta is recipe #3 in my “broke till payday” series. Man, is it a good one! With this fiscally responsible recipe, you won’t be missing any flavor. I picked two cheaper ingredients to use, cabbage and chickpeas. Then I imparted the chickpeas with bacon flavor and roasted the cabbage on the same sheet pan. Making this not only cheap, but easy. The sauce is made from silken tofu and oat milk. Mixed with sautéed garlic and shallot. Then flavored with a but of sherry vinegar. The whole meal is incredible.
What You Need For This Cheap, but Fancy Pasta:
- Chickpeas: Tossed with soy sauce or tamari, liquid smoke, maple syrup, smoked paprika and olive oil to make them taste like bacon!
- Fresh Cabbage: My giant head of cabbage was only $2. You only need 1/2 for this recipe, so I used the rest to make delicious coleslaw for sandos. 2 for 1!
- Garlic and Shallot: Sauteed first to start the sauce.
- Silken Tofu and Oat Milk: Blended together to make the cream sauce.
- Sherry Vinegar: To add some much needed tang.
- Pasta: I used rigatoni.
I am normally really good at picturing flavors together and understanding that they will make sense. This vegan roasted cabbage “bacon” pasta makes complete sense. The smoky “bacon”, the roasted cabbage, the creamy pasta, the sherry vinegar. Honestly, if I was served this pasta at a restaurant I would be so happy. That’s how good it is, and somehow is only about $1 per serving! You deserve something fancy and impressive, even if you don’t have the funds for much!
Why Should You Make This Creamy Vegan Pasta?
- Only $1 per serving? Yes, please.
- This recipe is so easy, anyone can make it.
- The creamy sauce is super high protein.
- Frankly, this is a restaurant worthy pasta.
- Make for a fancy, cheap date night!
Vegan Roasted Cabbage “Bacon” Pasta
Ingredients
For The Chickpea "Bacon"
- 1 Can(15oz) Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Soy sauce or Tamari for GF option
- 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Liquid smoke
For The Cabbage
- 1/2 a head of Cabbage
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- A few pinches of Salt and pepper
For The Rest
- 16 Ounces Rigatoni, regular or gluten free
- 1 Block(16oz) Silken tofu
- 3/4 Cup Non-dairy milk, unsweetened I used oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 medium Shallot
- 4 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees(F).
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, make the chickpea "bacon". Add the chickpeas to the bowl, then drizzle with the olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika and liquid smoke. Toss to coat the chickpeas.
- Pour the chickpeas with all the liquid onto one side of a large sheet pan. Spread them out evenly.
- Now, take the stem out of the cabbage and then cut the cabbage into slices. Put the cabbage into the bowl you just used for the chickpeas.
- Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Then pour the cabbage onto the other side of the sheet pan and spread it out evenly.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven, toss the chickpeas and cabbage. Then roast for 10 to 15 more minutes or until the chickpeas are brown and the cabbage is starting to brown and is tender.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot. Drain when al dente.
- Make the cream sauce. Add the silken tofu, non-dairy milk and a pinch of salt and pepper to blender. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot you used for the pasta and heat on medium high. Add the shallot and garlic to the pot. Sauté, reducing heat as needed, until the shallot is translucent. About 2 -3 minutes.
- Pour the sherry vinegar into the pot and stir.
- Then pour the cream sauce you made into the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
- Add the pasta back to the pot with the cream sauce. Toss to combine and let the pasta cook in the sauce for 1-2 minutes.
- When the cabbage and chickpeas are done, add the roasted cabbage to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Adding more salt, pepper or vinegar if needed.
- Serve immediately with the chickpea "bacon" on top.
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Omg! This was amazing! Will definitely be making again. Thank you so much for all of the yummy vegan recipes!
Just made this today and holy crap it’s so tasty. So glad I found your instagram!!
This was so good!! It kinda reminded me and my family of lazy pierogi…I haven’t been able to eat that because it’s not vegan but this is a great substitute and it makes me feel like I’m able to enjoy my Polish culture! Thanks! 😊