If you need a super quick, protein-packed plant-based dinner, look no further than this vegan mushroom marinara sausage pasta. You can have this dinner on the table in twenty minutes, and it has everything you need: plant protein, energy-sustaining carbohydrates, healthful fats, and vegetables. The pasta is a true power plate!

While I have no shortage of easy pasta recipes on this blog, I can’t think of one that’s as simultaneously balanced and simple as this one.

Any longtime reader will know that I’m a big believer in building power plates.

What’s a power plate? It’s a meal that has a source of complex carbohydrates, a source of vegan protein, and a source of healthful fat, along with a good helping of vegetables.

In other words, the meal has all of the three macronutrients represented.

I feel so strongly about this principle that I devoted my cookbook Power Plates to illustrating it.

Not every recipe has to amount to a complete power plate, of course. You can pair different recipes together to achieve the total effect.

For example, you could combine a low-key vegan protein, like 20-minute air fryer tempeh nuggets, with a simple vegetable—say, steamed broccolini—and a grain, such as my savory mushroom farro, to create a power plate. Any creamy tahini dressing could be the fat source.

Yet it’s always a treat when a recipe is a power plate as written. This easy vegan mushroom marinara sausage pasta is a perfect example.

A one-and-done pasta recipe

There’s nothing better than one-pot recipes, and one-pot pastas are probably my favorite type of those.

This sausage pasta dish isn’t quite a one-pot recipe, because you will need a separate pot for boiling pasta. Yet it is very much a one-and-done dish.

You won’t need to make a vegetable side or a separate protein when you serve it, unless you want one. The greens and mushrooms in the pasta provide your fiber-rich, colorful dinner veggies. The sausage supplies vegan protein.

The beauty of a “semi-homemade” approach

I create vegan recipes for a living, but in my everyday life, I’m a big believer in the “semi-homemade” approach.

What does this mean, exactly? Well, it means not forcing oneself to cook everything from scratch.

It’s great to prepare homemade vegan basics. But sometimes one or two store-bought vegan items can make the whole business of getting a meal on the table ten times easier and faster.

For this marinara sausage pasta recipe, you’ll have a few opportunities to lean on commercial items for convenience and ease.

The first is to use store-bought marinara sauce. I have a great, 20-minute marinara sauce that’s affordable and incredibly easy to make and freeze for vegan meal prep.

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But you can also choose to use your favorite, store-bought sauce for the recipe.

The second “semi-homemade” component here can be your vegan sausage. There are many recipes online for homemade vegan sausage, and I have a seitan-based sausage recipe in my cookbook, The Vegan Week.

However, store-bought vegan sausage options nowadays are plentiful and very tasty, not to mention convenient.

Among these, Field Roast sausages and Tofurky sausages are my favorites, and they have been for a long time. I use them in my rustic vegan potato kale soup with sausage, my vegan kale colcannon, and my vegan potato corn chowder.

Finally, you can use frozen, chopped vegetables rather than fresh vegetables in the sausage pasta.

I always have a bag of frozen broccoli florets at home, ready to jump in and provide me with a green vegetable at dinner time if I’ve forgotten to buy enough produce that week or don’t have energy to break a crown of fresh broccoli down.

Fresh broccoli will work in this marinara sausage pasta recipe, but frozen and defrosted florets are just fine, too.

How to make vegan marinara sausage pasta in a few easy steps

Step 1: Boil your pasta

Before you do anything else, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and start cooking your pasta.

I recommend a medium pasta shape for this recipe. My usual contenders are ziti, penne, mezze rigatoni, and fusilli.

Step 2: Sauté your mushrooms and sausage

While the pasta boils, you’ll heat a little oil in a large, roomy skillet, then use it to sauté sliced mushrooms and sausage pieces. This will take about 7-10 minutes.

Step 3: Add your broccoli

Next, you’ll add your broccoli florets to the skillet.

Cover the skillet and allow the florets to steam cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they’re crisp-tender. If you’re using defrosted florets, add the broccoli to the skillet and heat through.

Step 4: Add the marinara sauce and pasta to the skillet

Finally, you’ll add your cooked pasta and marinara sauce—homemade or store-bought—to the skillet. Stir well and heat everything through. Taste the pasta and add some crushed red pepper flakes, if you like.

Step 5: Serve

Now, the only thing left to do is to serve and savor your mushroom sausage pasta!

If you’re meal prepping, you can also store the pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Topping suggestions

My favorite topping for this simple pasta recipe is a couple teaspoons of my cashew parmesan cheese.

However, you can also top the pasta with:

• Chopped, fresh basil or parsley leaves
• 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese
• Additional crushed red pepper flakes
• Salty and savory vegan feta cheese
• Go-to cashew cheese
• Melty vegan cashew mozzarella
• A drizzle of olive oil
• A drizzle of syrupy balsamic vinegar
• Walnut herb parmesan

Can the pasta be made gluten-free?

Yes, the mushroom marinara sausage pasta can absolutely be made gluten-free. Simply substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta for the regular pasta.

What if I want to replace the vegan sausage?

I get it—vegan meats aren’t for everyone.

Much as I love the sausage in this recipe, it isn’t mandatory. You could replace it with:

• 1 cup of cooked lentils
• 1 cup vegan beef-style grounds
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or white beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked vegan chick’n or prepared soy curls, roughly chopped

More 20(ish)-minute vegan pasta ideas

In busy times, there’s nothing more valuable in a recipe that truly takes about 20 minutes to make.

If you love this mushroom marinara sausage pasta, then here are a few more recipes that may fit your schedule—and delight your taste buds!

• Creamy 8 ingredient vegan pumpkin pasta
• 20-minute smoky vegan red pepper pasta
• Beans and greens pasta
• Cauliflower alfredo sauce and easy pasta
• Simple vegan burst cherry tomato pasta
• Easy vegan roasted red pepper mac and cheese
• Gluten-free mac and cheese with peas

5 from 3 votes

Easy Vegan Mushroom Marinara Sausage Pasta

Author – Gena Hamshaw

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta of choice (225g; a medium pasta shape, such as penne or fusilli, works best)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 10 ounces sliced mushrooms (button, portobello, or cremini are my favorites to use in this recipe)
• 2 vegan sausage links of choice, chopped or sliced*
• 1 lb bite-sized broccoli florets, or a 1-lb bag of frozen broccoli florets, defrosted according to instructions (455g)
• 2 1/2 cups 20-minute marinara sauce (substitute a store-bought marinara sauce of choice)
• cashew parmesan cheese (for topping)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• While the pasta boils, heat the oil or broth in a large, roomy, deep skillet. Add the mushrooms and sausage slices. Cook, stirring often, for 7-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their juices and are completely tender. Add the broccoli (if fresh) to the skillet, cover, and allow it to steam cook for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. If using defrosted, add the broccoli to the skillet and heat through.
• Add the marinara sauce and pasta to the skillet. Mix everything and heat through. Divide into 4-5 portions and top with vegan parmesan of choice.

Notes

* See post text for substitution options

As I said, for those of you who might love this combination but not necessarily think to throw it together, I hope it’s a winning weeknight supper. Thanks for letting me share a low-key favorite with you.

xo