Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (2024)

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5 from 3 votes

30 minutes minutes

by Marly

5

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Enjoy the comforting flavors of this easy vegan penne pasta recipe. You’ll love the tender cooked pasta infused with tomatoes, vegan sausage, and Italian seasoning. You’ll be singing the praises of plant-based eating because vegan pasta dishes are so delicious, especially when served with some easy no-knead bread or even some vegan garlic bread.

Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (1)

Many people think a vegan diet requires a lot of time in the kitchen. This vegan penne pasta is proof that you can eat plant-based and keep things simple in the kitchen. I love easy vegan recipes, which is why I have a whole series of vegan recipes that take less than 30 minutes or less to make. There you’ll find things like Vegan Spring Rolls or Vegan Black Bean Burritos.

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Why This Recipe is a Winner

  • Adding red bell pepper slivers creates pops of color and flavor throughout this dish
  • Penne pasta works perfectly for this dish because it delivers just enough delicious sauce along with the vegan sausage.
  • Using vegan sausage adds plant-based protein and flavor into every bite
  • Topping this dish with vegan mozzarella shreds adds a creamy, cheesy flavor making it irresistibly delicious!
Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (2)

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Penne pasta — I like using penne pasta because it’s easily available and affordable. You can use regular, gluten-free, or even penne pasta made with beans.
  • Olive oil
  • Onion — I used sweet yellow onion, but you can substitute white or red onion.
  • Bell pepper — You’ll need one colorful bell pepper, such as red, yellow, or orange.
  • Vegan Italian sausage — We have two favorite brands of vegan Italian Sausage: Tofurkey and Field Roast. You can substitute homemade vegan breakfast sausage patties and crumble them up into the pasta.
  • Tomatoes — You’ll need one can of stewed tomatoes.
  • Tomato sauce
  • Seasonings — You’ll need garlic powder, dried basil, and dried oregano.
  • Vegan mozzarella — I prefer Follow Your Heart or Daiya mozzarella shreds.

How to Make Vegan Penne Pasta and Sausage

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. In a large skillet, add the oil and cook the onions and red bell pepper over medium heat until both are tender.
    Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (3)
  3. Add the sliced vegan sausage, followed by the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine and cook until heated through.
  4. Drain pasta and add it to the skillet, stirring until the pasta is coated.
  5. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with vegan cheese shreds.

The thing I love most about vegan products is that there’s no additional cooking time required. In other words, when I buy Vegan Italian Sausage, I simply slice it, heat it, and serve it.

That means the most difficult part of this recipe is cooking the pasta. Then we add some chopped onions and red bell peppers to a skillet with some olive oil and cook until tender and then add the tomato sauce, sliced sausages, and seasonings.

Once that pasta is done you add it to the pot and less than thirty minutes later you’re ready to sing, “Dinner’s ready!” Music to my ears. 🙂

Note: Add a drizzle of Vegan Alfredo Sauce over the top for an extra special dinner.

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
We made this last night. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

Lizzy

What’s the Difference Between Penne Pasta and Rigatoni?

You can easily tell penne pasta and rigatoni apart by looking at the ends. The cut on the ends of penne pasta comes to a point. In fact, penne pasta means “pen,” and if you imagine the end of the pasta looking like a quill, you’ll easily be able to identify penne pasta. Rigatoni pasta is larger and rounder and has blunt cut ends.

More Pasta Recipes

This vegan penne pasta recipe is so good it will leave you wanting to try even more vegan pasta recipes. Here are some of our favorites:

Garlic Confit Pasta

30 mins total

Vegan Lemon Pasta

30 mins total

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

60 mins total

We have dozens more Easy Vegan Recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less!

Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (8)
Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (9)

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Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (10)

Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (11)

Vegan Penne Pasta

Enjoy the fresh, delicious flavors in this vegan penne pasta recipe and you'll be singing "Dinner's Ready" in less than 30 minutes.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 494kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups uncooked penne pasta
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
  • 14 oz Vegan Italian sausage* cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds optional

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions.

  • In a large skillet, add the oil and cook the onions and red bell pepper over medium heat, until both are tender.

  • Add the sliced vegan sausage, followed by the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine and cook until heated through.

  • Drain pasta and pour into skillet, stirring until the pasta is coated.

  • Sprinkle the top of the pasta with vegan cheese shreds.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

*We have two favorite brands of vegan Italian Sausage: Tofurkey and Field Roast.

Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 910mg | Potassium: 598mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 910IU | Vitamin C: 37.5mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 3.6mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This post was originally published in 2018 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

Easy Vegan Penne Pasta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is penne pasta vegan-friendly? ›

yes, most dry pasta is vegan. The general everyday dry pasta in shapes like spaghetti, linguini, fettuccini, fusilli, penne, orzo, jumbo shells, manicotti, lasagna noodles, and elbow macaroni are usually vegan. The fresh pasta sold in the refrigerated section usually contains eggs and is therefore not vegan.

What pasta sauce can vegans eat? ›

The vegan-friendly brand Primal Kitchen offers No-Dairy Alfredo, Garlic Alfredo, and Vodka sauces! Primal Kitchen also has the hookup on various marinara sauces made with roasted garlic, basil, and crushed red chiles.

What do vegans eat for pasta? ›

Most packaged pasta—including spaghetti, penne, and more—is vegan. It's worth checking the label to be sure, as some pasta contains eggs, but most of the pasta you see on the supermarket shelves is 100% vegan!

How to cook penne for beginners? ›

COOKING YOUR PASTA
  1. Bring 4 - 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste.
  2. Add contents of package to boiling water. Stir gently.
  3. Return to a boil. For authentic "al dente" pasta, boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for11 minutes. ...
  4. Remove from heat. ...
  5. Serve immediately with your favorite Barilla sauce.

Is Trader Joe's dry pasta vegan? ›

Trader Joe's has a full range of organic, conventional, and gluten-free pasta options that are vegan, including the tightly coiled Organic Fusilli Corti Bucati for a fun and unusual shape and the gluten-free Brown Rice Penne, which is perfect for a marinara sauce or vegan pesto.

Why is Heinz spaghetti not vegan? ›

Heinz spaghetti hoops are one of the biggest offenders for including non-vegan vitamin D in their ingredients. This is why the standard Heiz spaghetti hoops are only ever labelled as suitable for vegetarians, not vegans. However, Heinz does have another version that is suitable for vegans – Veg Hoops.

Can vegans eat peanut butter? ›

The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.

Can vegans eat rice? ›

Yes, absolutely! Rice is a common grain in all cooking and has a significant place in the plant-based world too. Some rice dishes may not be suitable for vegans though, so if you're eating out or following a recipe make sure there are no meat, fish or other animal products being used before you tuck in!

Is Barilla penne pasta vegan? ›

Barilla pasta's base is typically made from two key ingredients: durum wheat semolina and water. Examining their labels, you'll find that most varieties contain no animal products, making them a vegan-friendly choice. Durum wheat is prized for its high protein content and vitamins and minerals.

How do you make penne pasta taste better? ›

5 Ways to Make Pasta Taste Like It Does in a Restaurant (Without Cream)
  1. Don't cook the pasta in advance. Raise your hand if you've ever had your noodles finish cooking before your sauce is done. ...
  2. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. ...
  3. Save the pasta cooking water. ...
  4. Add the cheese at the end. ...
  5. Skip the dairy altogether.
Nov 16, 2017

What is the difference between penne and pasta? ›

Elbow pasta and penne both fall under the macaroni category of pasta. Penne pasta is a ridged, straight, tube-shaped pasta, whereas elbow pasta is a smooth, curved, tubed-shaped pasta. Both penne and elbow pasta are great for saucy dishes.

Can you cook penne in sauce? ›

Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

Does penne pasta have eggs in it? ›

Dry pasta, by the way — that is, dried Italian pasta like spaghetti, penne, and the like — usually does not contain any eggs, just semolina flour and water (but exceptions apply, as always).

What types of noodles are vegan? ›

Wheat, buckwheat and rice noodles are all common and on their own present no dangers for a vegan as they are all plant-based. This can also be true for less-common noodles made with seaweed, acorn or mung bean. Egg noodles, on the other hand, clearly are not suitable for vegans as they combine their flour with egg.

Are regular pastas vegan? ›

Is pasta vegan? Most packaged pasta—including spaghetti, rotini, and any other type—is 100 percent vegan. To know for sure, simply check the ingredients on your package! Sometimes, you might see “egg” listed as an ingredient in “fresh” pastas, so avoid those—but generally, pasta contains no animal-derived ingredients.

Which dried pasta is vegan? ›

Most dried pasta does not contain egg, meaning that lots of brands are vegan friendly. Brands like De Cecco, Napolina and Barilla have products that have the exact same ingredient list. Other Supermarket own brands, like Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda, also carry pasta of all different shapes that are vegan.

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