I love creating recipes that bring everyone to the table — whether they’re fully plant-based or enjoy adding a little protein to their meal. This fresh vegan pasta recipe with creamy marinara sauce, cherry tomatoes, corn, and basil is my favorite to capture the best end of summer season ingredients. Add chicken or shrimp for a flexible, healthy dinner that satisfies both plant-based eaters and meat lovers. This fresh, vibrant pasta is one of those dishes that makes it easy to please everyone. I cook the chicken or shrimp separately and add them to the pasta at the end. It’s the perfect way to keep the dish flexible without making multiple meals.
Ingredients
This meal can be prepared in 30 to 40 minutes and serves 3 people
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter (I use Monty’s or Miyoko’s Vegan butter)
- 15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2-3 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cob
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 jar marina sauce (favorite is Raos)
- 1/3 cup almond milk (or regular milk if you don’t avoid dairy)
- 1 box penne or rotini pasta (I like Jovial Foods Gluten Free)
- Parmesan (I use Violife Vegan Parmesan)
- More chopped basil to top
Optional Protein – Grilled Chicken or Shrimp with Mediterranean Herb Marinade
- 2 large skinless/boneless chicken breasts or 1 pound of large shrimp
- 1 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Using a large skillet, sauté the butter and oil over medium heat and add the halved cherry tomatoes, corn and chopped basil and cook until the tomatoes are soft and wrinkled looking and the corn starts to brown slightly.
Add the jar of marinara and the almond milk and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and then turn heat off and cover.
Boil water in a large pan and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
While the pasta cooks, prepare the shrimp or chicken if you are adding protein to the dish. Prepare the marinade first by whisking the parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper together and then add to the raw chicken or shrimp. When I grill chicken, I usually slice the large chicken breasts in half, so they cook faster and absorb more of the marinade. Grill the marinaded shrimp or chicken.
Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the creamy sauce. Top with protein if using and then top each plate with some parmesan and chopped fresh basil and enjoy! This is a good one!
