Spicy Vegan Chipotle Chicken Pasta – inspired by The Cheesecake Factory – with asparagus, red peppers, and peas, all tossed in a dairy-free chipotle parmesan cream sauce. It’s the ultimate pasta dinner that’s loaded with veggies and packed with protein!
What You Need
- Penne Pasta
- Soy curls or vegan chicken
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Red pepper, white or yellow onion, garlic
- Cashew cream (cashews + water) or dairy-free cream
- Asparagus
- Frozen peas
- Vegan bouillon
- Dairy-free parmesan like Follow Your Heart or Violife
- Maple syrup
- Lemon or lime juice
How to Make Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
To make this pasta dinner, start by boiling a large pot of water. Once boiling, add asparagus and cook or steam for about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add to ice water to stop the cooking process. Next, add your pasta to the same pot of boiling water and cook according to the package. Drain and set aside. Tip: Save a little pasta water in case you’d like to thin out the sauce at the end.
For the chipotle cream sauce, blend all the ingredients until creamy. If not using a high-speed blender, soak your cashews first to soften them.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the soy curls. Cover them completely with hot water and let them sit for about 10 minutes. When they’re soft again, drain and press out as much water as possible. I like to spread them out on a large kitchen towel and then fold the bottom half up and over the soy curls. Press down on the towel repeatedly, releasing as much water as possible.
Next, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the soy curls (or vegan chicken) and cook for about 5 minutes, or until slightly browned and crispy. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until translucent. Squeeze in some lemon or lime juice and toss to coat.
Finally, add the pasta, asparagus, peas, and chipotle cream sauce to the soy curl mixture (or vegan chicken) and stir to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if you prefer a thinner sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Top with tortilla strips, cilantro, and extra vegan parmesan.
Tips
- Boil or steam your asparagus quickly and immediately run it under or add it to ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. This will also help your asparagus remain bright green.
- Soaking your cashews before blending will make them softer and easier to blend into a creamy sauce.
- For a nut-free version, use 2 cups of dairy-free cream instead of the cashews and water.
- To make this gluten-free, replace the pasta and verify that the tortilla strips don’t contain gluten (most are naturally gluten-free as they’re made using ground corn).
- If you’d like less spice, try using only 2 chipotle peppers or just the adobo sauce. If you’d like more heat, try adding another pepper or some cayenne powder.
- The Cheesecake factory serves this pasta with tortilla strips and cilantro, so feel free to offer that as a topping, along with extra vegan parmesan.
More Recipes
Creamy Pasta Salad with Smoky Tofu (Vegan Spam Salad
Vegan Buffalo Chick’n Mac and Cheese
8-Ingredient Vegan Hot Italian Sausage Pasta
Why Vegan?
There’s really no compromise when it comes to vegan cooking. It’s better for us, for the animals, and for our environment, so make this pasta and share it with someone you love – whether they’re vegan or not!
If you make this recipe, let me know! Please leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and be sure to tag me. And, make sure to follow MNVegHead on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Lots of love, Allison
Spicy Vegan Chipotle Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 Pound Penne Pasta
- 4 Ounces Soy Curls (Half a Bag) Or – 8 ounces vegan chicken
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Red Pepper Diced
- ½ White or Yellow Onion Diced
- 2 tablespoon Lemon or Lime Juice
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas
- 8 Ounces Asparagus Chopped, about 2 cups
Chipotle Cream Sauce
- 1 Cup Cashews
- 1 ½ Cups Water
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon Paste
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- ½ Cup Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
Chipotle Cream Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy (at least 1 minute). If not using a high-speed blender, soak cashews in hot water first to soften.
Pasta
- Rehydrate your soy curls (skip if using vegan chicken). Cover them completely with hot water and let them sit for about 10 minutes. When they’re soft again, drain and press out as much water as possible. I like to spread them out on a large kitchen towel and then fold the bottom half up and over the soy curls. Press down on the towel repeatedly, releasing as much water as possible.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to the package. Drain and set aside. Reserve about a cup of the pasta water in case you'd like to add some to the sauce later.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add soy curls (or vegan chicken) and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until slightly browned.
- Add the onion and red pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add lemon or lime juice and toss to coat.
- Add the pasta, asparagus, peas, and chipotle cream sauce to soy curls mixture (or vegan chicken) and stir to combine. If you'd like a thinner consistency, add a little reserved pasta water. Taste and salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro. Enjoy!
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