Creamy Vegan Pasta for Spring (Ricotta, Peas, Vegan Pancetta)
You guys know that I love a creamy vegan pasta (e.g. here and here), and I am a firm believer that you can achieve a perfectly indulgent, delicious pasta dish with all plant-based ingredients.
I randomly came up with this recipe when a friend was over for dinner one night last month. I had intended to make a galette but, of course, forgot to defrost the puff pastry; so I decided to take some of the ingredients I was going to use and make a pasta, instead.
It was meant to be, because the pasta turned out fantastic. The richness of the ricotta, paired with the fresh peas and parsley, the umami of the vegan pancetta and tang of freshly squeezed lemon comes together in a gorgeous symphony of flavor and textures. It’s the perfect spring dish that also happens to be super easy to throw together (but it looks and tastes kind of fancy – so if you’re trying to impress, they’ll never know it took you only 20 minutes).
I hope you love this creamy vegan pasta as much as we did. If you made it, I’d love to hear how you fared in the comments section below. Let’s get into the recipe!
Note: I mentioned Love & Lemon’s tofu ricotta if you want to go that route; and while I haven’t tried that ricotta in this particular dish, it’s excellent and super high protein so it would probably be great as a swap! I also used Madly Hadley’s bacon in this and could not recommend it more – it has that perfect smoky umami flavor, incredible texture, and is one of my favorite new vegan finds this year.
Creamy Vegan Pasta (Ricotta, Peas, Plant-Based Pancetta)
4
servings5
minutes20
minutesThis is one of those recipes that looks fancy, but is incredibly easy and delicious. It’s great for a date night, solo meal, or family dinner.
Ingredients
12 oz Rigatoni (conventional or gluten-free)
1/2 Medium shallot
1/2 Yellow onion
1 cup Frozen peas
6 oz Kite Hill Ricotta (3/4 container) or make tofu ricotta – Love and Lemons has a great recipe
1/4 cup Vegan parmesan
1/2 cup Plant-based bacon or pancetta – I used Madly Hadley’s and it’s the absolute best
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 Lemon
- Optional
1/4 cup Fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions in a large pot, putting the frozen peas in at the last two minutes to cook.
- While the pasta cooks, sauté the onions and shallot over medium heat with a pinch of salt and pepper until translucent and fragrant, about five minutes.
- Drain the pasta and peas in a colander, then re-heat the pot the pasta was cooked in on low heat with 2 tbsp. olive oil along with the cooked onion and shallot, then add the pasta and peas back in the pot.
- Gently fold in the ricotta with a rubber spatula, followed by the parmesan and the plant-based bacon. Add a couple of pinches of salt to taste.
- Add another generous drizzle of olive oil and the fresh lemon juice.
- Plate with additional parmesan and fresh parsley if using. Enjoy!
