Today on The Edgy Veg, I’m going to show you how to make a delicious and healthy vegan spaghetti recipe in 30 minutes. This is a savoury, creamy, and plant-based spaghetti recipe with a sweet finish thanks to the addition of delicious California prunes.

My vegan pasta recipes have always been a hit on my blog, including my recent creamy mushroom pasta and one pot pasta sausage gnocchi recipes.

So I thought why not make a flavourful vegan spaghetti recipe for the fall; starting with a spaghetti sauce with California prunes and olives, that when combined, creates a meaty flavour and texture!

HOW TO MAKE THIS VEGAN SPAGHETTI RECIPE

Let’s start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil and adding vegan spaghetti or if you don’t have vegan spaghetti, feel free to use a plant-based pasta of your choice. This is a spaghetti recipe, so I’m obviously using spaghetti. Most importantly, when the pasta is al dente, save 1 cup of pasta water for later and drain the pasta in a large colander.

Next, combine olives, California prunes, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl. To start the sauce, you will add olive oil in a large pan on low heat. Afterwards, cook some garlic until fragrant while stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, raise heat to medium-low, add the olive and prune mixture to cook, stirring often for about 4 minutes. Next, add the cooked pasta, as well as vegan cheese of choice and stir constantly for 3 minutes or until cheese melts slightly; I’m using crumbled vegan gouda.

Afterwards, stir in 1 cup of reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until creamy. In the end, season the dish with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with walnuts, chopped California prunes and basil! This dish is perfect for quick and simple dinners that taste gourmet, and will have everyone believe you are a pro in the kitchen!

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Vegan Spaghetti Recipe with Grape Tomatoes, Olives and Prunes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This creamy and savoury vegan spaghetti comes with a sweet finish. The prunes combined with the olives give the vegan dish a meaty texture similar to a traditional meaty spaghetti recipe.

Author: The Edgy Veg

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted & sliced
• 1 cup dried California prunes, chopped
• 2 cup grape tomatoes
• 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp salt + extra to taste
• ½ tsp fresh-ground black pepper + extra to taste
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• ¼ cup +2 tbsp tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegan cheese of choice (I used vegan gouda and crumbled it)
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. When pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, and drain pasta in a large colander.
3. Meanwhile, combine olives, prunes, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Heat olive oil over low heat in a large pan.
5. Add garlic and cook, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Raise heat to medium-low, add the olive and prune mixture and and cook, stirring often for about 4 minutes. Keep warm.
7. Add the hot cooked pasta and vegan cheese; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, until cheese starts to melt slightly.
8. Stir in ¼ cup to 1 cup reserved pasta water until creamy.
9. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
10. Garnish with walnuts, additional chopped prunes, and basil. Serve immediately.

3.5.3251

If you’re wondering why I’m using prunes, definitely check out my Instagram (@EdgyVeg)! I recently posted about my sponsored trip to Napa Valley to learn about California prunes, their health benefits, and why I (and YOU) should cook with them more!

I was able to hear from California prune farmers, visit a local orchard, learn how leading chefs create meals featuring California prunes and visit one of the Culinary Institute of America’s campuses to get hands-on in the kitchen.

Plus, I also attended a workshop on California prune nutrition! I had no idea the multitude of health benefits beyond the palate of prunes and how they are not just for older people like my grandmother. You heard me, prunes aren’t just for old people anymore.

Health benefits of Prunes I didn’t know:

California Prunes contribute towards important things like:

• Heart Health
• Weight Management
• Bone Health
• Gut Health
• Maintenance of normal bowel function

If you care about your health and specifically any of the above, you’ll find the benefits of prunes super interesting (like I did). In all honesty, I was very interested in how prunes can improve my health as a woman, but also share the information with those it might interest as well. The most fascinating fact I learned, was how a health study found that eating just 5 California prunes a day were able to help slow bone loss in postmenopausal women. WOWZA! Gimme some of that!

Why Prunes are great to cook with:

• Fibre
  • A serving of California prunes (4-5) has 3 grams of fibre
• Low calories
  • 4-5 prunes are about 100 calories and contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol
• Natural sugar
  • Great substitute for sugar in sweet and savoury dishes

Prunes are a versatile flavour that adds nutrients and moisture to dishes without the loss of flavour. Hence, why I wanted to make vegan spaghetti recipe with prunes. But, you can also bake with them too! Research (link of research) also indicates prunes may be one of the most valuable foods to include in our diets, making them a great component for healthy plant-based recipes.

Did you know prunes could do all of this? If so, amazing! If not, let me know in the comments what you found most insightful!