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    Home > Vegan Italian Recipes > Vegan Pasta Recipes

    Vegan Pasta with Barbeque Sauce

    Posted: May 13, 2011 ยท Updated: Sep 6, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    An offbeat but delicious vegan pasta with barbecue sauce. Chickpeas and cauliflower add heft and more healthfulness.

    Photo of vegan pasta with bbq sauce in a glass bowl.

    This recipe would likely make an Italian chef clasp their chest with both hands and yell "Blasphemy!" or whatever the word is for that in Italian, but here's what I say: Counter-intuitive cooking, just like counter-intuitive anything, often ends up being the most fun. And who says there have to be any rules in the kitchen anyway?

    Barbeque sauce is one of those condiments I get an uncanny craving for each time spring rolls around. Maybe it's the sight and smells floating around from all those backyard barbeques in my neighborhood. And I have this great barbeque sauce recipe that I can put together in less than 10 minutes, with stuff I usually have lying around the kitchen. I tend to cook it up at least a couple of times each summer and it keeps forever in the refrigerator, ready when I am.

    But for a vegan, using barbeque sauce-- which tends to have very strong albeit alluring flavors-- is not as easy as slapping it on some meat. And you can only bake your tofu and tempeh in it so many times. This week, after a long day at work and after tackling a sinkful of dishes (our dishwasher is on the blink), I wanted to spend as little time in the kitchen as I humanly could and make a fun, healthy dish we would enjoy. That's when it hit me: I'd cook up some pasta and mix it up with some barbeque sauce. Splendido!

    Of course, I wasn't as confident then as I sound now, because I had no idea how it would turn out. To make the dish more substantial, I threw in some kala chana, deep-brown chickpeas found in Indian stores that cook up more al-dente than regular chickpeas do and have a great, meaty flavor. Use regular chickpeas or any legume if you would rather. I also added some cauliflowers and some biting-green capers for more texture and flavor.

    I was really surprised by how wonderful this dish tasted. The barbeque sauce was  perfect with the whole-wheat shell pasta I used, and it coated the cauliflower nicely, giving this bland but delicious vegetable a smoky richness that was amazing.

    Time for the recipe now. I've been slow with blogging these last few days because I've been really busy at work-- thanks to those of you who missed me and wrote in to ask. But I am back now, and hope to keep writing as often as I can.

    Ciao, all, and enjoy the recipe!

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    Overhead photo of vegan pasta with barbecue sauce

    Shell Pasta In Barbeque Sauce

    An offbeat but delicious vegan pasta with barbecue sauce. Chickpeas and cauliflower add heft and more healthfulness.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian fusion
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Vegan shell pasta in barbecue sauce
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 50 mins
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 521kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 pound pasta (shell pasta is great, but can use any other shape)
    • ยฝ large head cauliflower , separated into small florets
    • 3 cups chickpeas (cooked or canned)
    • 1 - 1ยฝ cups barbeque sauce (adjust per your tastebuds)
    • ยผ cup capers

    For the barbeque sauce

    • 1 cup tomato ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
    • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
    • 2 tablespoon hot sauce
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    • ยฝ cup balsamic vinegar
    • โ…“ cup sugar
    • ยผ cup tamari (use soy sauce if you can't find this)
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    Instructions

    • Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
    • Cook theย pasta according to package directions, or until al dente.
    • In the last five minutes of cooking add to itย theย cauliflower separated into small florets.
    • Add the cauliflower and pasta in a bowl. Add to it the kala chana, barbecue sauce and capers.
    • Mix well and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2048mg | Potassium: 724mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Comments

    1. Susanna B.

      October 25, 2018 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      This was fabulous! For the longest time Iโ€™ve wanted a good recipe for pasta in barbecue sauce and this was perfect! A great vegan alternative for dinner, I made it for dinner for my husband tonight and he loved it. Thanks! I followed the recipe exactly and had never made homemade barbecue sauce before, YUM!!!!!!!!

      Reply
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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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