Vegan Creamy Pasta with zucchini and pangritata

creamy plant-based breadcrumbs spaghetti

Vegan creamy pasta with zucchini and pangritata – Say hello to this utterly creamy, mouthwatering spaghetti with silky zucchini and luxe white sauce all topped with a golden layer of crispy breadcrumbs. This is simple, delicious vegan cooking at its best.

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It’s finally crispy breadcrumbs and silky zucchini day, which means a big plate of twirly saucy spaghetti noodle’s covered in a luscious thick creamy vegan white sauce and piled high with a crunchy topping of golden Panko breadcrumbs. This is my outrageously tasty breadcrumbs pasta inspired by Jamie Oliver’s breadcrumbs spaghetti. It’s just as tasty, just as creamy and it’s completely vegan…plus, I’ve added a few of my own tweaks.

It’s crunchy, it’s tender and it’s completely irresistible. Oh, and did I mention it’s healthy, too?

We’re talking about a simple healthy vegan spaghetti loaded with deliciousness and heart-healthy ingredients…and it’s only around 480 calories per serving. Talk about a tasty vegan low-calorie spaghetti meal.

In this post

Ingredients to make creamy vegan pasta with golden breadcrumbs

How to make vegan low-calorie creamy breadcrumbs pasta

Easy way to make panko breadcrumbs

How to make vegan creamy white pasta sauce

What to serve with vegan pasta

FAQs about pasta with breadcrumbs

What we’re working with today

Ingredients to make creamy vegan zucchini and pangritata pasta (dairy-free breadcrumbs spaghetti)

Cashew milk – a good creamy and rich plant milk is important to get the luxe creamy white sauce rich. I like to use cashew milk as it gives the sauce a rounded silky texture, but most plant milk will work well. Other non-dairy milk you can substitute with is almond milk, coconut milk, or oat cream if you’re allergic to nuts.

Cauliflower – the cauliflower is the star of the utterly creamy white sauce. As the cauliflower is cooked and blended it makes the sauce rich and irresistibly silky while adding just the right amount of thickness to make the sauce cling to the pasta. Yum.

Zucchini – the zucchini adds a little crunch to this breadcrumbs pasta dish and makes it a lower-calorie meal. Using zucchini basically cuts down the need for spaghetti in half making it a much less calorie-dense vegan dinner.

Lemon juice – the secret to a lighter sauce with a tasty hint of sweetness and a little sour hint.

Spaghetti noodles or linguine – spaghetti noodles or the wider linguine are ideal for scooping up the creamy white sauce. However, you can easily use your favorite pasta noodles.

Ingredients for making golden homemade Panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil – I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the breadcrumbs to make them deliciously golden as they soak up the oil. But any vegetable oil will work, so if you don’t have olive oil in the kitchen you can substitute it with coconut oil, avocado oil, or your vegetable oil of choice.

Stale bread – the first ingredient for our all-important star of the show, the golden crispy breadcrumbs. You can use any type of stale bread you have lying around. I like to use a mix of white bread and a bit of darker bread if I have it. But mostly any type of bread will work well for making breadcrumbs.

Spring onions and garlic – the quiet stars of the sauce and breadcrumbs that add the Mediterranean flavor and fragrant taste to the sauce and crispy breadcrumbs.

Herb de Provence – you can use Herb de Provence or an Italian spice mix of your choice. Or you can mix your own seasoning with a teaspoon each of thyme, oregano, basil, sage, and parsley.

How to make vegan pasta with golden baked breadcrumbs step-by-step guide

Easy way to make golden crispy breadcrumbs

Tear bread into chunks and place them in a food processor. Season with Herb De Provence and salt and blitz until the bread is chopped into crumbs.

Now, heat olive oil in a pan and tip the bread crumbs into the hot oil. Cook while stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden and crunchy. After 5 minutes add the spring onions to the pan and combine. Once the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy, tip them onto a plate and place the pan back on the hot stove.

How to make creamy white vegan pasta sauce

Pour the cashew milk into the pan along with the cauliflower and garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

While the sauce simmers, boil the pasta as instructed on the pasta packaging.

Just before the pasta is ready, gently tip the sliced zucchini into the pasta water and let it cook with the pasta for one minute.

Now, carefully pour the hot cashew milk and cauliflower into a food processor. Process until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Careful not to burn yourself, pour the creamy sauce back into the pan and bring it to a boil. Add the lemon juice and more salt and seasoning if needed.

Bringing it all together – serving a plateful of creamy plant-based pasta with pangritata

Drain the pasta and zucchini and toss the pasta and zucchini with the sauce. Plate up the pasta and ladle more sauce on top. Generously top the pasta with the crispy breadcrumbs and serve immediately. Enjoy.

How to make spaghetti with breadcrumbs gluten-free

You can make delicious gluten-free breadcrumbs and pasta very easily. Simply substitute regular pasta with gluten-free pasta and use gluten-free bread to make the breadcrumbs. Most grocery stores will have good gluten-free pasta options available (rice spaghetti noodles, lentil pasta, etc) but you can also make your own homemade gluten-free pasta (see my step-by-step gluten-free pasta recipe guide here).

What to serve with pasta

Frequently asked questions about spaghetti with golden crispy breadcrumbs

How to store leftover spaghetti and pasta?

You can store pasta in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Store any leftover breadcrumbs in a separate container.

Easy way to reheat pasta

There are two main ways to reheat pasta:
The saucepan way: Reheat the pasta with a small amount of water in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat until hot, while stirring often.
The microwave way: Place the pasta in a microwave-safe container and reheat at high temperature for 1 minute. Stir the pasta then reheat one more minute. Stir, and continue heating in intervals until the pasta is hot.

How to reheat breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs tend to become softer again once they are cooled. To reheat the breadcrumbs simply heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil (like olive oil) in a skillet and add the breadcrumbs. Heat at medium heat for a few minutes while stirring or tossing occasionally. Once hot, the breadcrumbs are ready to serve again.

Can I add plant-based protein to this pasta?

There’s already some protein in this vegan dinner thanks to the cashew milk. You can add plant-based protein in several tasty ways. Use a silken tofu and add it to the sauce as it blends or uses soy milk to make the sauce.
Other options to add plant-based protein to pasta:
Add roasted chickpeas
Roasted beans (black beans, kidney beans, etc)
Blend cannellini beans with the sauce

How can I make gluten-free pasta?

You can get delicious gluten-free pasta at most well-stocked grocery stores…from rice pasta to spaghetti noodles made with lentils or cornmeal there are a lot of tasty GF options available. But if you want to try the KING or QUEEN of gluten-free pasta you can use my easy gluten-free pasta recipe and make the best homemade vegan and GF pasta ever.