Say “I do” to Vegan Marry Me Pasta! This viral creamy pasta is made with a rich sun-dried tomato sauce and vegan chicken (or tofu). An easy 30-minute meal that’s packed with amazing flavors!
For more easy vegan pasta recipes, check out this Creamy Vegan Sausage Pasta with Spinach, my Vegan Carbonara, and this High Protein Vegan Lemon Pasta!
I totally understand why copycat marry me chicken recipes keep going viral. For me, I’m in heaven after just one bite of that Tuscan-inspired sun-dried tomato cream sauce! It’s why I can’t stop recreating the classic version with vegan ingredients, like in my Marry Me Tofu and Marry Me Chickpeas recipes.
Now, I couldn’t be happier to add this Vegan Marry Me Pasta to my list of favorites. It tosses vegan chicken pieces (or my Baked Tofu) and al dente pasta in the same dreamy sauce to leave you with a crave-worthy dinner everyone will love.
Most of all, I love how simple it is to make in only 30 minutes! You can bet I’ll be cooking this on repeat from now on.
Why you’ll love vegan “chicken” marry me pasta
- Proposal-worthy – I would definitely say yes if someone proposed to me with a bowlful of pasta and vegan chicken tossed in sun-dried tomato cream sauce!
- Flexible – You can easily put your own spin on this dish by making it with gluten-free pasta, coconut milk instead of cashew cream, tofu instead of vegan chicken, and more.
- Easy dinner – This recipe calls for super simple ingredients and is ready to eat in 30 minutes. It’s so easy that I almost always make my Vegan Garlic Bread at the same time.
How to make vegan marry me pasta
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rest and set the pasta aside.
If using, cook the vegan chicken according to package instructions. I like Daring frozen chicken pieces best! You can also make this vegan pasta dinner with a batch of my Baked Tofu or pieces of my homemade Vegan “Chicken.”
Next, sauté the garlic in a large skillet until fragrant. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, red chili flakes, salt, and black pepper.
Add the cooked vegan chicken, broth, tomato paste, cream, and spinach. Stir to combine, then heat to a gentle simmer.
Once the spinach is wilted, stir in the cooked pasta to coat it in the creamy sauce. Thin as needed with splashes of the reserved pasta water. Finish by stirring in the basil and vegan parmesan.
Divide the marry me pasta into bowls, top with more vegan parmesan or basil, and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
This creamy vegan pasta is great for family dinners. I love pairing it with a freshly baked batch of my Vegan Garlic Bread and a Kale Caesar Salad. You really can’t go wrong serving it next to any kind of crusty bread or vegetable side dish, though!
I recommend making this with baked, pan-fried, or air fryer tofu if vegan chicken isn’t available where you live. Chickpeas, white beans, vegan Italian sausage, tempeh, soy curls and seitan chicken pieces work, too. I love the Daring brand of vegan chicken personally.
This sauce will be just as tasty made with coconut milk or store-bought vegan heavy cream.
The leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm the pasta in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or milk to revive the sauce.
Vegan Marry Me Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces farfalle pasta or other favorite pasta
- 8 ounces vegan chicken, optional I used Daring brand
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped or sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup Cashew Cream or other cream, see Notes
- 2 cups baby spinach sliced
- 5 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup shaved or grated vegan parmesan optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about a teaspoon of salt to the water. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for around 8 minutes, until al dente (cooked but still firm, not mushy). Reserve a few cups of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and set aside.
- If using, cook your vegan chicken according to package instructions. For Daring frozen pieces, I pan fry them in a large skillet and a little oil, then set aside on a plate nearby. I also like to chop the "chicken" a little smaller if it's in big chunks.
- In a large skillet over low-medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Stir in the sun dried tomatoes, oregano, red chili flakes, salt and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Now add the cooked vegan chicken, broth, tomato paste, cream and spinach and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until warm and the spinach has wilted.
- Stir in the drained pasta and coat in the sauce. Add a bit of pasta water if needed to thin it out a bit.
- Remove from heat and stir in the basil and vegan parmesan, if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Gluten-free – Substitute a gluten-free pasta.
- Instead of vegan chicken – Try my baked tofu pieces, soaked soy curls, chickpeas, seitan bites, vegan Italian sausage or tempeh.
- Cream – Cashew Cream is my favorite choice, but you can use full fat coconut milk or another store-bought vegan cream as well. For a lower fat option, use unsweetened almond milk.
Super delicious recipe that was also easy to make. I added loads of roasted veggies to mine – broccoli, peppers, carrots, and edamame. It turned out great.
I’m glad you loved the recipe, Allison! Thanks for sharing your recipe experience and fantastic review! Wishing you happy cooking!
Delicious! And it did only take 20 minutes to make!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing your awesome review!
This is a delicious recipe! My family loved it! I want to make it for a potluck coming up, do you know if I could make it and then bring it in a crockpot to keep it warm during the potluck? Curious if it would get dried out at all and if I should add anything extra to help prevent the drying out
The pasta version will get rather thick so you might need to keep adding a bit of water or broth to thin it out. Other than that, it should work just fine. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Aaa, so good!! I combined this with Nora’s cashew vegan alfredo and cashew vegan parmesan. Even the non-vegans were going for seconds! Noracooks is the only recipe site I use anymore, haha.
Hi Gianna. Thank you for loving my recipes! I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your terrific review and comments! Your encouragement and support means so much to me! Wishing you happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious. I used coconut milk and it was perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for the great recipe.
You bet, Kim! I’m glad you love the recipe and will be making it often! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Nora’s recipe are the best. I made this last night. It was delicious. Her recipes are where I go first. As soon as her book comes out in France I will get it.
Thank you for your stellar review and comments! Appreciate I appreciate your support, and for you loving my recipes! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Nora’s recipe are the best. I made this last night. It was delicious. Her recipe are where I go first. As soon as her book comes out in France I will get it.
Creamy, healthy, delish!
Thanks again for a great dish, Nora! I’ll add less chili powder next time because my boys were stressed about the spice! That’s ok, it made them drink more water 😉
Definitely another staple dish to add to our rotation!
What an easy recipe! I substituted a couple things only because that’s what I had but this recipe is so easy and delicous! I love Daring chicken too but since I had the new Just Eat chicken, I used that and it was really tasty! Cooked it the same as you recommended for Daring. A perfect winter dish — thank you for all your great vegan recipes!
I’m so glad that you loved the recipe, Amy! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and wonderful comments! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This was so incredibly delicious. I haven’t had Marry Me Chicken before though I’ve heard of it many times. I loved how quickly this came together (even making the cashew cream). I left out the basil since I’m not a fan otherwise I will be making this again soon.
Hi Sara. I’m thrilled that you loved the recipe! Thank you for your awesome review and comments! Wishing you happy cooking!
Wow this was my first time having a marry me chicken type recipe since I saw it viral years ago. So so comforting and good. And easy to make! Thanks for another great recipe Nora. Will be making this again! 🔥
Hi, this looks delicious. I was wondering if the sun-dried tomatoes should be the oil-packed or the dried kind? Or if it doesn’t matter?
You can use either actually! If using the ones packed in oil, you may want to drain and pat them well so the dish doesn’t end up too oily. I hope you enjoy it!