Last Updated on February 14, 2021

Are you looking for a delicious low waste recipe? Try this Spaghetti with Radish Leaves! Don’t underestimate the radish leaves. It’s super flavorful, easy to make with a few simple ingredients! It’s vegan as always, and it can be gluten-free if you use GF pasta (we used brown rice spaghetti) and tamari or any other GF soy sauce substitutes!

Yes, They Are Edible!

Don’t throw away the radish leaves! They are perfectly edible and super delicious! Often times, they are very sad looking especially the ones you find in grocery stores. So, grab some immediately when/if you find fresh and healthy looking ones!

Did you see how beautiful the leaves were when we made Soy Sauce “Butter” Radish? You can see how super fresh they are! Yes, we had to use them making another delicious meal!

Now, please make sure to wash and rinse them with water very well. Sand is trapped and you really don’t want to bite into sandy pasta.

Also, they don’t last too long even in the fridge. So we really recommend cooking them as soon as possible!

The Taste of The Leaves

Now you know that they are 100% edible. What do they taste like? Well, we can only talk about the taste when cooked (we haven’t yet tried eating raw.) They are pleasantly and slightly spicy and bitter which is similar to the taste of arugula, in our opinion. To enjoy the deliciousness at its full potential, don’t overcook them!

By the way, you don’t even have to chop them as they are very tender and quickly reduce down the volume once getting cooked.

The Secret Ingredients

We always like adding a little bit of secret ingredients to give some depth in the flavor, especially for a simple pasta dish like this one. So for this dish, the secret ingredients are;

• Dulse Flakes
• Soy Sauce

Dulse flakes add a bit “ocean” flavor that we enjoy. It’s kind of like a instant vegan “dashi” that adds an another layer of the taste in the background with no prior soaking and prepping. We also make delicious vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca with dulse flakes!

Soy sauce is not just for adding in the saltiness, but also for saltiness with a hint of umami. Again, just like dulse flakes, it enhances the overall flavor of the dish without overpowering. Now, as we wrote in the introduction, if you are on a gluten-free diet, you can substitute with tamari or any other GF soy sauce substitutes.

The Spaghetti

We often switch from regular semolina flour pasta to brown rice pasta. We don’t have any restrictions on gluten so we go back and forth depending on our mood. For this dish, we used brown rice spaghetti but it can be made with regular pasta or any other pasta of your choice!

Feeling Inspired?

Check out our other radish related recipes!

Soy Sauce “Butter” Radish

Sweet & Savory Daikon Radish Leaves

Print Recipe

5 from 21 votes

Spaghetti with Radish Leaves

Don't underestimate the radish leaves. It's super flavorful, easy to make with a few simple ingredients! It's vegan as always, and it can be gluten-free if you use GF pasta (we used brown rice spaghetti) and tamari or any other GF soy sauce substitutes!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Entree, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese Inspired, Italian Inspired, Vegan, Multi

Servings: 2 people

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

• 4 oz red radish leaves (leaves from 2 bunches), wash and clean well to remove sand
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
• 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp dulse flakes
• 1/2 pound spaghetti (we use brown rice spaghetti)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions

• In a large pot, start boiling water for cooking spaghetti.
• Start cooking spaghetti in salted water for 9-11 minutes (or follow the instruction on the package.)
• Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan at medium high heat. Pour extra virgin olive oil and add red chili pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add water and dulse flakes. Reduce the heat to medium to medium low. Continue to simmer.
• In the last 2 minutes of cooking spaghetti, add radish leaves to the pan. Season with salt and soy sauce.
• Drain the spaghetti and transfer to the pan. Give a quick toss.
• Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for the finishing touch.

Notes

• Be sure to wash and rinse radish leaves thoroughly with water as sand is trapped.
• Use them as soon as possible while they are still fresh.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!