Last Updated on January 19, 2025

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta is a hearty pasta dish. Oven-roasted cauliflower makes this recipe so delightful!

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

I have been making this vegan roasted cauliflower pasta on a regular basis. It’s one of my go-to meals that I can whip up without thinking much as long as I have a head of cauliflower!

This pasta dish is nutty, smoky, and creamy without the heaviness of what you typically find in any typical creamy pasta dish. It’s light enough that I could actually eat a whole box of pasta on my own.

What I like about this pasta, besides the taste, is the easiness of it. Oven-roasted cauliflower gives a really nice charred and complex flavor without doing much. For the cauliflower part, you just season the cauliflower florets and pop them in the oven. At the end, just add them to the sauce.

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower

I didn’t really appreciate the flavor of cauliflower until I started cooking on my own.

Growing up as a child, I would always think that cauliflower was one of those veggies that didn’t taste bad but did not taste like much. My mom would either steam it and serve with mayonnaise on the side or put in in a cream-based Japanese style stew. Just a few years ago, when she visited me here in the U.S., I cooked her oven-roasted cauliflower. It was roasted with simple salt and black pepper.

You won’t believe how this simple method, which is roasting in the oven, makes this cauliflower taste AMAZING!

So, the key ingredients to make a great vegan roasted cauliflower pasta is the oven-roast cauliflower! By roasting in the oven, it gives a nutty and slightly sweet taste and the best of all, the char on the edges that makes the plain taste of cauliflower more complexed.

You will not get the same flavor by just cooking in the pan so this “extra step” is a must!

Ingredients for Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta is made with pretty simple everyday ingredients.

Roasted Cauliflower

• Cauliflower florets
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

The Rest

• Fusilli
• Sea salt (for cooking pasta)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Finely chopped yellow onion
• Nutritional yeast
• Pasta cooking water
• Unsweetened plain almond milk
• More sea salt (adjust to taste)
• Minced parsley as garnish (optional)

I would not substitute or skip any ingredients above except a few things:

• Fusilli — Other short pasta of your choice or long pasta like spaghetti
• Unsweetened plain almond milk — Other plant-based milk of your choice. Be sure to use unsweetened and plain.

How to Make Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

1. Preheat the oven at 425°F degrees.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the roasted cauliflower. In a prep bowl, combine all the roasted cauliflower ingredients. Toss until the cauliflower florets are evenly coated.

3. On a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread out the seasoned cauliflower and bake for 40-45 minutes until cauliflower is slightly charred on the edges.

4. When the cauliflower is almost done, start preparing the rest. In a pot, start boiling water for cooking pasta. Once the water is boiling, salt the water and start cooking pasta for 8-10 minutes (or follow the instructions on the package.) Be sure to reserve the pasta cooking water.

5. Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan at medium high heat. Pour extra virgin olive oil and add onion. Cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.

6. Add nutritional yeast and cook for a minute to bring out the flavor of the nutritional yeast.

Add pasta cooking water to deglaze the pan then add almond milk. Stir until well blended.

7. When the roasted cauliflower is ready, add to the sauce. Partially break down the florets with a cooking utensil. Let it simmer until the pasta is ready.

8. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and transfer it to the sauce. Give a quick toss.

9. Serve with minced parsley to garnish (optional.) Drizzle some additional extra virgin olive oil on top.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Pasta is a hearty pasta dish. Oven-roasted cauliflower makes this recipe so delightful!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Indian-Inspired

Servings: 2

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

Roasted Cauliflower

• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

The Rest

• 1/2 lb fusilli
• Sea salt for cooking pasta
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
• 3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• 1/4 tsp sea salt adjust to taste
• minced parsley as garnish optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 425°F degrees.
• Meanwhile, prepare the roasted cauliflower. In a prep bowl, combine all the roasted cauliflower ingredients. Toss until the cauliflower florets are evenly coated.
• On a baking sheet with a parchment paper, spread out the seasoned cauliflower and bake for 40-45 minutes until cauliflower is slightly charred on the edges.
• When the cauliflower is almost done, start preparing the rest. In a pot, start boiling water for cooking pasta. Once the water is boiling, salt the water and start cooking pasta for 8-10 minutes (or follow the instructions on the package.) Be sure to reserve the pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan at medium high heat. Pour extra virgin olive oil and add onion. Cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.
• Add nutritional yeast and cook for a minute to bring out the flavor of the nutritional yeast. Add pasta cooking water to deglaze the pan then add almond milk. Stir until well blended.
• When the roasted cauliflower is ready, add to the sauce. Partially break down the florets with a cooking utensil. Let it simmer until the pasta is ready.
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and transfer it to the sauce. Give a quick toss.
• Serve with minced parsley to garnish (optional.) Drizzle some additional extra virgin olive oil on top.

Notes

Tips

• You can prepare oven-roasted cauliflower a few days in advance to save time. To do so, roast the cauliflower in the same way by following Step 1-3. Once they are completely cooled down, store in a container with lid. When you are ready to prepare the dish, simply add to the sauce in step 7 (reheating cauliflower in the sauce adds extra 1-2 minutes of cooking time.)

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