Recently, I’ve been all about the carbs.
Just because I’ve been watching my gluten intake doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a hearty plate of pasta.
After perfecting my Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese, I wanted to make an equally fast recipe with a slight twist; one that involved vegan cream cheese. Because yum.
Who wouldn’t want cream cheese in their pasta? That’s what I wanna know.
This recipe is simple, requiring just 30 minutes from start to finish.
The base ingredients are gluten-free penne (I list my go-to brands below) and asparagus and mushrooms sautéed in garlic.
The star of the show, however, is the sauce.
This sauce is a simple blend of vegan cream cheese, garlic, almond milk, nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan cheese, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.
The result is an insanely creamy sauce that comes together in no time and has the perfect balance of “cheesiness” and spice. I think I’m in love.
I hope you guys LOVE this pasta! It’s:
Rich
Creamy
Cheesy
Slightly spicy
Loaded with vegetables
Quick
Hearty
& Satisfying
This is the perfect pasta to make for spring, utilizing all the gorgeous green asparagus you can get your hands on. This would also be a great one for feeding a crowd, as it’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy without missing out on flavor.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with!
Creamy Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta (GF)
Ingredients
PASTA
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup thinly sliced baby bella or crimini mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped asparagus
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 10 ounces gluten-free penne*
SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese*
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written), garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written), mushrooms, and asparagus. Season with a healthy pinch each salt and pepper and stir.
- Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are slightly browned and the asparagus is tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. (If you prefer more tender asparagus, cook longer. If you prefer it with more bite, cook 2-3 minutes.)
- At this time, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with sea salt. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Lower heat on the skillet to low and add olive oil (2 Tbsp as original recipe is written) and minced garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
- To a blender add remaining raw minced garlic (2 cloves as original recipe is written), sautéed garlic (4 cloves as original recipe is written), vegan cream cheese, almond milk, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, red pepper flake, and another healthy pinch sea salt and black pepper.
- Blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for cheesiness, raw garlic for zing, red pepper flake for heat, lemon juice for acidity/brightness, or salt for saltiness. Mix once more and add back to skillet.
- Heat the sauce over medium heat to warm until slightly bubbly, then reduce heat to low to keep warm. Stir occasionally.
- Add cooked drained pasta directly to the sauce along with sautéed asparagus and mushrooms. Toss to coat and enjoy immediately with additional vegan parmesan cheese. Fresh parsley would also make a fresh, colorful garnish.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a bit of almond milk if it’s dried out.
Notes
*My favorite vegan cream cheeses are by Tofutti and Trader Joe’s. But if you can’t find vegan cream cheese, you can try subbing 1 cup soaked cashews in its place. However, I haven’t tested the recipe this way and can’t guarantee the results. For other similar options, check out my Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional vegan parmesan cheese.
Barbara Cochrane says
This was fun and easy to make except I had to use cashews to create the white sauce instead of vegan cream cheese. Some guess work, adding more almond milk to the cashews while processing. Turned out great! We’re new to WFPB cooking, and though so far labor intensive, very stimulating and fresh.
Thank you for sharing, Barbara! We’re glad you enjoyed the result!
Misti says
This turned out wonderfully! Added a few more mushrooms since I needed to use them up! The blender made short work of breaking down that cream cheese. Great idea! Trying to add a pic, but unsure about how to do this.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Misti! Thank you for sharing! We’d love to see it – you can tag us in a photo on Instagram or Facebook. xoxo
Ellie says
Made this for my fiance after he had a rough day. It was sooo delicious and rivals anything we would have paid take out prices for. 10/10 added to my regular rotation of dinners.
What a sweet gesture, Ellie! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Shelley says
Ummm…YUM!!! Did not use a blender for sauce – mixed in pan. Used regular cream cheese and parmesan (not a vegan). Delish!!! I felt the lemon and red pepper flakes made it a special dish. I Made this for my parents and they gobbled it up and all the left overs. I’ve been scouring the internet for gluten free dishes with veggies. This is the fourth recipe I made (all from different sites) and is by far the winner!! Will make again and soon! I also will be looking to find other recipes here too :)
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Shelley! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Anne-Louise Wolff says
This recipe is delicious, filling, tasty, satisfying. It needs quite a bit of equipment and I like to hand-wash everything before eating. Therefore it did take a bit longer than a half hour from start to finish.
I did not make the gluten-free version because I had all the ingredients in their usual form and was looking for something that contained asparagus and mushrooms. I didn’t take the vegetables out of the skillet ( there were only two of us, so I used a small one ) Just blitzed the sauce and added it to the veg. It was a bit runny, so I set the temperature to high to thicken it. The veg did not over cook. My husband wanted a bit more lemon, but it was enough for me. I would put some lemon on the table next time.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing your experience, Anne-Louise! xo
Sam says
Can hemp milk, coconut milk, or oat milk be subsituted for the almond milk in this recipe?
Hi Sam, almond milk is our preferred for a neutral flavor, but we think a combo of all three (or maybe just hemp + oat) could be nice! Just make sure they’re unsweetened/unflavored. We wouldn’t go too heavy on the coconut milk or it will have a coconut taste. Hope that helps!
Debbie says
If all the dishes i make from this site, this one just it to another level completely! It was so flavorful and i was eating by myself and sending videos to my kids about what they were missing! This will be in my rotation and i will definitely make this for guests. I might tone down the garlic a bit – only because i used ginormous bulbs so it might have been a bit too much! (Well, not for me!) super easy and quick! Thank you for all of your recipes, Dana and especially for this one!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Debbie. We’re so glad you enjoyed, and we appreciate your support!
Julia A Krutilla says
After googling a recipe with leftover fresh mushrooms & asparagus, your recipe looked the best to this vegetarian. I’d give it a 5-star rating if I followed it exactly, but the ghost of Julia Child kept whispering in my ear – “Don’t be afraid, yes, use the 4 cloves of garlic and olive oil, but live dangerously and use your half & half, regular cream cheese, and aged parmesan in the fridge.” What a delicious recipe and instructions. Thanks so much. It will be a favorite of mine in my cell phone app.
Lovely! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Julia! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jenny says
Unbelievably DELICIOUS! I made a double batch, and my small family ate the entire pan! If you’re looking for an AMAZING meal to serve to company, this dish will wow them!
Woohoo! Love to hear this. Thanks so much for the great review, Jenny, so glad you all enjoyed!
Kim says
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner with roasted Brussel sprouts in place of asparagus. Absolutely fabulous! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing, Kim! xo
Maya Papaya says
Hi! I’ve been following you for almost ten (i think!????) years and am still continuing to do so.
THIS SAUCE IS AMAZING♥️
Thank you once again for keeping me nourished, happy and allergen-free.
Aw, we love that, Maya! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xoxo
Faith says
This was a much-needed answer to my endless search for a creamy vegan pasta dish! I ended up subbing the plain vegan cream cheese with Miyoko’s scallion vegan cream cheese, reducing the garlic in the sauce, and adding a pinch more salt+pepper to the sauce and it was a knockout! I also ended up adding some peas for more green and I was not disappointed. Looking forward to making the most of the spring veggies with this dish!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Faith. Thank you so much for the lovely review! xo
Darby says
I don’t have any vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast in hand? Any suggestions? Looks yummy!
Hi Darby, we’d suggest making our yeast-free cashew parmesan. Hope that helps!
Rich R. says
The minimalist baker never disappoints… I been a devote maker of her white wine roasted Brussel sprouts Alfredo… this one is going into heavy rotation at our house!
Modified: I chopped the mushrooms into small pieces and made the asparagus much smaller than pictured…
Aw, thanks Rich! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes!
Nicole says
I loved this and my brother and my mom did too! We included wheat pasta and we substituted oat milk instead of almond milk. We made the sauce a little differently too, we just included any garlic we wanted in with the veggies and mushrooms and then cooked all the sauce ingredients in a pan until well combined and creamy (we didn’t use a blender). It turned out great!!
Woohoo! Love that idea. Thanks so much for the lovely review, Nicole, so glad you all enjoyed!
Cynthia Gaffney says
I’m not vegan and wonder if I need to use nutritional yeast if I’m using regular milk, cream cheese, and Parmesan?
Hi Cynthia, in that case, it should be okay to leave out.
Joe says
10 oz of pasta?
Dumb.
Standard is in grams or Lbs.
Why 10 oz?
Who does that?
Hi Joe, perhaps it varies based on where you’re located? Typically pasta here is labeled in ounces. If you’d like to see the measurement in grams, click “metric” beneath the ingredients header.
Angela says
You are so rude, Joe. The only thing that’s dumb is your comment.
Cyndi says
Made this last night! Amazing! Recipes like this are making my vegan lifestyle choice much easier! Thank you!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Cyndi! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Anat says
I used kite hill vegan ricotta instead of cream cheese and it was delicious!
Thanks, Anat! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xo
Caroline says
Made this tonight and loved it, however, mine turned out very dry. I used Miyokos vegan cream cheese, organic milk and regular Parmesan with Banza penne. Your pics look so creamy and I’m wondering why mine didn’t turn out like that. I also reduced the garlic based on some reviews. It was still a hit even though it was dry.
Oh no! So sorry this didn’t turn out exactly how you wanted, Caroline. Next time you could reserve some extra pasta water when you drain your noodles and add that at the end to get a sauce consistency that you like. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, hope this helps!
Seton says
Hi! I am loving all these recipes and have seen some alternatives to almond milk but have not seen an option for oat milk which I prefer more than anything. Is this acceptable? Thank you!
Hi Seton, another reader mentioned using it with success. Let us know if you try it!
Sindee says
This was quick, easy and delicious. I reduced the garlic and didn’t bother blending the sauce and just added it straight into the pan with some pasta water. Will be adding this to my frequent meals list!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sindee! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Esmee says
This was tasty but so much garlic. If I were to make it again I’d reduce it by a third or half.
Hi Esmee, sorry to hear it was too much garlic for you! Is it possible your garlic cloves were large?
Esmee says
They were fairly small, from organic garlic bulbs which seem to generally be smaller than other kinds. I should have weighed them, that is always the better way to go.
We’ll take another look at the recipe and see if we can make improvements!
Alexandra R says
As always, minimalist baker delivers! I love creamy pasta sauces but usually pass because of feeling like a gut bomb hit with all the heavy dairy… this recipe has all the comfort and delicious creaminess you could want without the aftermath. The mushroom and asparagus add a nice contrast of texture. I used Kite Hill vegan cream cheese which is almond based and regular gluten penne. Served up next to some lean flat iron steaks. Highly recommend!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Alexandra! Thanks so much for sharing!
Meli says
Very delicious and easy to make 😍
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Meli! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Sam Austin says
Fantastic! Made this last night and doubled the recipe (leftovers are the bomb). The asparagus + mushrooms pair perfectly.
While I doubled everything in the main recipe, I made just a single batch of the sauce portion of the recipe. We only had 8 oz of vegan cream cheese, and it still turned out great. I added 3/4 cup of vegan mozzarella cheese to the sauce and it was 10/10.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sam! Thanks so much for sharing!
Elizabeth Rogers says
Beautiful recipe!
I used broccoli and mushrooms. Will keep this in our rotation for dinners!
Also used a seaweed rotini pasta and was delicious as always.
Jamie says
Great Recipe! Since I didn’t have any cream cheese on hand I subbed vegan heavy cream and used cornstarch to help it thicken. Also used white balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice and it turned out great!
Perfectly creamy, and the veggies fit in very nicely. Will certainly make this dish again!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Jamie!
Polly says
So delicious!! And so easy. I’ll be making this again. Thank you for your incredible recipes … I’ve made so many of your fabulous creations. Always yummy. <3
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Polly! xo
Neel says
Loved it! I made a non-vegan version with regular milk, Parmesan cheese and cream.. added a bit more pepper and red chilli flakes on top while serving as we like a bit of spice. Turned out amazing – I’m gonna make it again with a bunch of guests over next time!
Diane says
Glad to hear this works well in a non-vegan version. It’s what’s for dinner tomorrow :-)
Ava says
This recipe was a big hit. I did not have lemon juice so I left that out and added extra nutritional yeast and I used cashew milk. I also added yellow squash and it was quite good.
Julie says
Great jumping off point for a great meal! I didn’t make the sauce separately – instead I sautéed the veggies, added the spices, and used enough coconut milk to give it some creaminess. Also, I didn’t use any cream cheese, but it was delicious without it. Other than cooking the pasta separately, it fits into my desire for a one pot wonder! Thank you, Dana.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Julie! Thanks for sharing!
Rian says
I’ve been on a recipe binge from this blog every night for the past week or so. We made your mushroom risotto last night Dana and it was outSTANDING! I’ve used this recipe blog for years actually and have always loved it.
I’ve never felt the need to make a comment or leave feedback but I did wanna make one observation about the sauce…
After mincing the garlic for the sauce at 6 cloves, I double checked the recipe and saw the note that the portion could also be measured at ~3tbsp. My 6 cloves only measured out to 1 tbsp. So I cut up a lot more garlic for 3 whole tbsp… and it was just so overwhelming in the sauce it felt like it was burning my mouth :( I added more of the other ingredients but it did little to cut the spicy taste and sensation of that much garlic. I have no allergies or intolerances that I know of and I’m a bit of a trash can when it comes to food. I LOVE garlic btw, but I suppose for my taste buds 3tbsp was a tad too much.
Rian says
Oh! I measured after I minced… I wonder if that’s where I could’ve accidentally deviated? Fitting more garlic in the tbsp than if I’d just measured loosely with whole cloves? ??♀️?
Thanks so much for the feedback, Rian! We will take a look at the recipe and see if we can make modifications.
Magdalisse says
Hello! I’m planning to make this but my daughter has a nut allergy. Would soy milk be an appropriate substituted or will it really mess with the taste? Thanks!
We think that would work in place of the almond milk. Let us know how it goes!
Mary Cate says
My partner and I make this almost every week–it is definitely one of our favorite recipes ever! The only change is that we use oat milk because I’m allergic to almond milk. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Mary Cate. We are so glad you both enjoy it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Zeinab says
This recipe was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! And that’s probably an understatement. Usually when I cook vegan, my expectations aren’t too high. This far exceeded anything I ever expected. I used vegan mozzarella instead of vegan Parmesan, and it still came out amazing. And it’s so quick and easy to make. I’m making it this Saturday for a family gathering for my dairy free and dairy eating members. Can’t wait!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! xo
Margarita says
This is my new favorite! I used broccoli instead of asparagus and added a little more milk because the blender just wouldn’t mix it. and I’m happy I did as it still came out very creamy and delicious.
Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Margarita! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Alexeana Lopez says
I fed this to my meat eating mom and she loved it. I added a pinch more lemon because it added depth to the recipe. The amount of garlic is great for garlic lovers. We subbed chickpea penne for the regular penne.
Whoop! Thanks for sharing!
Andrew Colvin says
I liked this, but it was far too sour. Actually, it was extremely sour. I recommend leaving out the lemon as well as reducing the amount of sauce.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’ll give the lemon another look.
Jodi says
We looked at this recipe and thought “Really…..10 cloves of garlic!?” But tried and true, this recipe is INCREDIBLE!!!
We didn’t have any Parmesan but just subbed more nutritional yeast and it wasn’t a problem!
jen bennett says
This sounds amazing! Hoping to make this week. If I wanted to make vegetarian not vegan how do you recommend making the cheese sauce? Thank you.
We haven’t tried it this way, but think you could use regular cream cheese, milk, and parmesan. Hope that helps!
Dana H says
Just made this as part of Easter dinner (2019). It was excellent! I made the vegan sauce for myself and a dairy intolerant guest, as well as a non vegan version using whole milk and store bought parmesan. The vegan version with homemade parmesan tasted so much better. Easy and healthy. Putting this into regular rotation.
Jan says
Modified nothing…..and delicious! I serve it routinely to my vegan and non-vegan guests alike and nothing but raves. Delicious, easy to make, and a quick prep. More stars are needed!!
Aww, thanks so much for the lovely review, Jan! xo
M says
Couldn’t find vegan cream cheese in my area and used regular Parmesan cheese. Both my partner and I are non-vegans…this recipe opened our eyes! Delicious! Hoping to make it next time with the real vegan ingredients. Thank you for doing what you do!