Vegan Pasta Amatriciana

In this delicious Pasta Amatriciana recipe, a brick-red tomato sauce is flavored with garlic, onions, fennel, red pepper and parsley, then tossed with penne pasta. It is so tasty and it makes a great weeknight dinner.

There are as many versions of an amatriciana sauce, a classic Roman pasta sauce, as there are cooks. Today, I have for you my very own version--one I arrived at after lots of research and testing.

Some versions of pasta Amatriciana, I found, are vegetarian, and use no meat. Others rely on guanciale, a kind of pork, for flavor. Some use onions, others do not. Mine is kinda my own but it is based solidly on tradition. If you have loved the non-vegan version of this pasta, you will certainly love this vegan version.

The recipe is an easy one, especially if you buy garlic that has already been peeled. Otherwise you will need to peel two whole bulbs. But take heart because the only other prep work you need to do is to slice an onion.

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy. It takes 10 minutes prep time, max, and just over 30 minutes to cook the sauce.
• Versatile. You can stir in some lentils or vegan meat crumbles into the sauce to add a protein boost, making it a one-dish meal.
• Gorgeous. I don't know what it is about tomato-based pasta sauces like penne alla vodka and pasta alla Norma, but they make you so darn hungry just to look at them. This one is no exception.

Top tips

• Amatriciana is typically eaten with bucatini, a spaghetti-like pipe pasta that drinks up the delicious sauce. If you can't find it, use regular spaghetti or penne, like I did.
• Cook the pasta until it is slightly less done than the al dente stage. This is because you'll cook it with the sauce for a minute or two and you don't want to overcook it.
• The pasta sauce is quite straightforward. Start it about 15 minutes before you begin the pot of pasta water so you can finish them up at the same time.
• Begin by sauteing two bulbs worth of garlic with olive oil in a large pot until golden, then pulse the garlic with San Marzano tomatoes or plum tomatoes.
• In the remaining oil, add 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds. You can crush them or run a knife through them to break them up, which wil release their flavors. Saute a bit, then add the tomatoes and garlic to the pot and mix. Add sliced onions to the sauce. If you want to use a meat substitute or lentils, add them at this point. A vegan Italian sausage would be great--break it up into largish crumbles. Or use cooked brown lentils.
• Add red pepper flakes. I like a spicy pasta (which makes this more like an arrabiata sauce) so I add a teaspoon which works great for me, but use less for less heat, and more for more heat. Add a cup of water.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let the sauce simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta with half a cup of the pasta cooking liquid. It might appear saucy at first but the pasta will soak up the juices and thicken quickly. Add more pasta water if you want a saucier pasta.
• Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Stir in chopped parsley or basil. Sprinkle on vegan parmesan while serving.

More delicious vegan pasta recipes

• Vegan pasta puttanesca
• Masala pasta
• Classic vegan lasagna
• Vegan one-pot pasta
• Or browse my collection of vegan pasta dinners

Recipe card

Vegan Pasta Amatriciana

5 from 5 votes

By Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Yield 8

In this delicious Pasta Amatriciana recipe, a brick-red tomato sauce is flavored with garlic, onions, fennel, red pepper and parsley, then tossed with penne pasta. It is so tasty and it makes a great weeknight vegan pasta dinner.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Equipment you'll need

• Large pot for boiling pasta
• Large saucepan

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 16 oz penne pasta (or bucatini or spaghetti. If gluten-free use gf pasta)
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 bulbs (or heads) garlic (peeled and lightly crushed. The pods should still hold together, so don't make a paste of them)
• ▢ 28 oz plum tomatoes (canned)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (crushed them coarsely or run a knife through them to break them up)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
• ▢ Salt to taste

For serving

• ▢ 2 tablespoon parsley (or fresh basil, chopped)
• ▢ ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

1. Put a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and cook pasta to a level where it's slightly less than al dente.
2. Start the sauce a few minutes before you begin to boil the pasta water. Place the garlic in a large pot with the olive oil and heat over medium-low heat. Toss the garlic in the oil until it colors and is a light golden brown but not burned. Fish the garlic out and place it in a food processor bowl.
3. Add the San Marzano tomatoes with their juices to the food processor and pulse eight to 10 times until the tomatoes are crushed but not pureed and the garlic has mostly broken down into small bits.
4. In the pot with the oil still in it, add the crushed or chopped fennel seeds, stir-fry them for a few seconds, then add the tomato paste and the red pepper flakes. Mix well and cook for a few minutes until the paste darkens.
5. Add the onions to the pot along with the crushed garlic and tomatoes and mix well. Add a cup of water, mix well, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer about 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
6. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Add the drained pasta to the sauce along with half a cup to a cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix well.
7. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle on vegan parm before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 9gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPotassium: 446mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1047IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg

Diets: Vegan, Vegetarian

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

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