It’s been a while! Before I tell you about this vegan summer garden pasta, I have to apologize for the gap between posts. I had been aiming to change the layout of my site for a very long time, and decided to take it on in the latter half of August. I had done this kind of work before and figured it would be easy! It wasn’t, but I’m glad we’re finally back here.

This pasta has become our summer date night pasta. It’s kind of like the summery version of this creamy cauliflower one. Since all of our date nights are at home lately and our vegetable garden is exploding with small tomatoes, chard, and basil right now, this cozy but still summery pasta is the move. It comes together really quick and easily, which is key if you spend your days cooking like me! ;)

The flavourful base here has sun dried tomatoes, capers, shallots, thyme, and garlic. I love to use the oil that the sun dried tomatoes are packed in for extra flavour too. The cherry tomatoes are so sweet and flavourful, the chickpeas make it hearty, and I just love all of the vibrant vegetable goodness looking back at me from the pan. It’s perfect with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan. Hope that you’ll give this simple but mega flavourful meal a try soon!

Vegan Summer Garden Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Chard

Vegan summer garden pasta is simple to make, incredibly flavourful, hearty, and perfect for using up all the end-of-summer crops.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 oz (57 grams) shaped pasta of choice
• 2 cups chopped chard
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium shallot, small dice
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¾ cup cooked chickpeas, drained
• ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based “cream” (see notes)
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Notes

• This recipe is very flexible, so if you would personally like more pasta, just double the amount!
• I’ve made pasta like this with cooked white beans and French lentils instead of chickpeas. Also great!
• If you don’t have fresh thyme, use ½ teaspoon dried thyme instead.
• I love using the oil that the sun dried tomatoes are packed in as the cooking oil here.
• I used this “cream” from Earth’s Own and it was great!
• I served mine with vegan “parm.” Recipe HERE.

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to package directions. In the last minute of cooking, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Then, stir the chopped chard into the pot of boiling pasta. When the time is up, drain the pasta and the chard. Set aside.
• Set a sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan has heat up, add half of the olive oil. Add the zucchini to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the zucchini, stirring here and there, until slightly softened and edges are bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the sautéed zucchini to a bowl and set aside.
• Return the sauté pan to the stove and add the remaining oil. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Throw the thyme, chili flakes, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and capers into the pan, and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the wine and stir. Once the wine has reduced slightly, about 1 minute, add the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Cover the pot with a lid and let it sit for 2 full minutes.
• Uncover the pan. The cherry tomatoes should be slightly softened. Start squishing them with the back of your spoon/spatula. Once they’re squished to your liking, pour in the non-dairy “cream” and stir. Add the chickpeas and stir. The sauce should be a bit fluid. If it seems dry, pour in some of the reserved pasta cooking water.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer, and add the drained pasta and chard along with the sautéed zucchini and basil. Stir to combine. Serve the pasta hot with vegan “parmesan” and extra chili flakes if you like.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Dairy-free, Nut-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: basil, chard, cherry tomatoes, pasta, summer, tomatoes, white wine, zucchini