Pasta with Vegetables & Cream Cheese Marinara

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Pasta with vegetables and cream cheese marinara…can you really go wrong with cream cheese, pasta, and marinara sauce?!! I think not! This is a super delicious and easy vegan recipe! Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a romantic meal for two. Children would also love it! Give it a try.

Click “Jump To Recipe” (directly below the title of this post) to skip the blog post and go directly to the recipe! You’ll miss out on helpful tips for this recipe though.

Pasta with Vegetables and Cream Cheese Marinara on a plate in front of a window

Pasta with Vegetables and Cream Cheese Marinara close up

Secret Ingredient!

The secret to bring this pasta with vegetables over the top is my special vegan cream cheese. It’s such a simple ingredient, but I promise it adds big flavor to your pasta sauce. You can use any vegan cream cheese, but I’ve only tried this recipe with my Homemade Garlic and Herb Vegan Cream cheese and it tastes the BEST this way, to me.

Here is the link to my homemade cream cheese recipe

Kite Hill is a popular store-bought vegan cream cheese brand I’ve heard of and I think their products are sold in many health-focused grocery stores these days. Feel free to use store-bought cream cheese if you’re not up for making it from scratch.

Make It Gluten Free

If you’re wondering how this pasta recipe is gluten free it’s because I use gluten free pasta! Time and time again I’ve stated that my favorite gluten free pasta is Brown Rice pasta. I’ve tried quinoa pasta, corn pasta, lentil pasta, etc… and, in my opinion, none of it is as good as brown rice pasta. Brown rice pasta does not fall apart when I boil it, unlike my experience with other gluten free pastas. Here is one of my favorite brands:

Suggested Side Dishes

A simple salad with gluten free rolls or gluten free garlic bread.

I like to make simple garlic bread by using my FAVORITE gluten free bread from Little Northern Bakehouse. I brush the bread with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with a tiny bit of granulated garlic and salt. Toast the bread in the oven at 350F until lightly browned. For a little extra garlic flavor I like to rub a raw garlic clove on the toasted bread AS SOON as I remove the bread from the oven. Skip this last step if you’re not a huge garlic fan.

Health Benefits of the Recipe

A 5.3 ounce serving of asparagus provides approximately 60% of the recommended daily allowance of folate. Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is known to be a significant factor in the prevention of neural tube defects

It also contains Vitamin A, E, K, magnesium, as well as several other vitamins.

Zucchini is high in fiber, which is needed for proper digestion, and has no cholesterol or unhealthy fats.

Save the recipe on Pinterest to Make Later!

Name: Pasta with Vegetables and Cream Cheese Marinara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 bunch green or white asparagus, (cut into bitesize pieces); 2 yellow squash, (chopped into bitesize pieces); 1 zucchini, (chopped into bitesize pieces); 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, (divided); salt, (to taste); 2 1/2 cups pasta sauce; 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese; 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta, (any type)

Pasta with Vegetables and Cream Cheese Marinara Pinterest Pin

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4.93 from 14 votes

Pasta with Vegetables and Cream Cheese Marinara

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Pasta with vegetables and marinara mixed with vegan cream cheese. You can’t go wrong with this delicious and easy vegan pasta recipe!

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: gluten free pasta recipe, pasta with vegetables, vegan pasta recipes

Author: Daytime Vegan

Ingredients

1 bunch green or white asparagus, cut into bitesize pieces
2 yellow squash, chopped into bitesize pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into bitesize pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt, to taste
2 1/2 cups pasta sauce
1/3 cup vegan cream cheese
2 1/2 cups cooked pasta, any type

Instructions

Cut the yellow squash and zucchini into bitesize pieces and set aside.
Cut the tough bottom 2 inches of all the asparagus and discard, or save them to use in a homemade vegetable stock recipe. It’s easiest to do this by leaving the rubber band on the asparagus and cutting them all at once (watch recipe video to see how to do it). Then cut the asparagus into bitesize pieces. Set aside.
Place a large pan or pot on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the zucchini and yellow squash. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, but not overcooked. Season with salt and set aside once cooked.
In the same pan or pot on medium heat, add 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil, the asparagus, and salt. Stir and place a lid on the pot or pan for about 5 – 8 minutes, or until the asparagus are tender but not overcooked. Once cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside.
Place the same pan or pot on medium heat and add the marinara and cream cheese. Stir and let simmer for 3 – 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to come together. Add the cooked vegetables and cooked pasta and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve.

Recipe Video