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Home » Dinner » One Pot Taco Spaghetti

One Pot Taco Spaghetti

October 9, 2017 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 12 Comments

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One Pot Taco Spaghetti | Yup, it's Vegan

I love one pot pasta dishes more than just about anything. Today I’m bringing you a fusion version! This vegan one pot taco spaghetti tastes like a delicious tempeh taco in pasta form.

Overview view of a pan of cooked one pot taco pasta with a box of Barilla Spaghetti, cherry tomato slices, jalapeno slices, red onion and fresh coriander. Tempeh crumbles are visible on the pasta.

One box of spaghetti can make two batches of this taco pasta, so you’ll be stocked up for two weekday dinners!While it is an Italian favorite, I love to use pasta as a base for recipes that borrow flavors from all sorts of cuisines. In this recipe, spaghetti is the blank canvas for the spicy taco-inspired flavors that I’ve added. It cooks to a perfect al dente texture that pairs well with the tempeh crumbles, tomatoes and peppers.

One pot taco spaghetti being twirled with a pair of tongs, with fresh coriander and tomato on top and a gray napkin in the background.

I know there is already a one pot taco spaghetti going around the web – this is my vegan version. Because tempeh is not as naturally rich as the ground meat in the “original” version, I made sure to brown it in plenty of olive oil. I also added a splash of non-dairy milk to the pasta sauce, to give it a slight creaminess to make up for the lack of cheese.

I think you’ll find that between the wonderfully aromatic spice blend, veggies, fire-roasted tomatoes, and soy sauce (used for additional umami), you won’t miss the meat or dairy in this vegan taco pasta!

A portion of Mexican taco spaghetti on a plate with a wedge of lime on a blue napkin with a maroon mug in the background and a wooden fork.

One Pot Taco Spaghetti | Yup, it's Vegan
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4.89 from 9 votes

One Pot Taco Spaghetti

This one pot taco spaghetti is made by browning crumbled tempeh with spices, and then cooking it with fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, and pepper, and finally, tossing it with spaghetti. Everything cooks in one pot, including the pasta!
Course Main Course, pasta
Cuisine dairy-free, nut-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword tempeh pasta, vegan taco spaghetti
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 442kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the tempeh:

  • 8 oz. tempeh grated, crumbled or finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

For the taco seasoning:

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (or other chili powder)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon

For the one pot taco spaghetti:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 2 and 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 14 oz. diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
  • chopped fresh cilantro and additional diced red onion (optional, for serving)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, toss together the tempeh, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Add all of the taco seasoning ingredients to the bowl and stir well.
  • In a large, wide pan - preferably nonstick - heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced red onion with a pinch of salt, and stir well. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until the onion is browning slightly. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Add the tempeh mixture and diced bell pepper to the pan. Continue to cook until the spices are fragrant and the tempeh is starting to brown.
  • Add the vegetable broth, non-dairy milk, tomato paste, nutritional yeast (if using), fire-roasted tomatoes, and spaghetti to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir it as best you can, and then reduce it to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes (timing will depend on pan size and exact temperature), stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente. If excess liquid remains, continue to simmer with the lid removed until thickened. If the mixture dries up before the pasta is cooked, add more broth as needed.
  • Garnish with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, chopped fresh tomato, and/or chopped red onion if desired. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1fourth recipe | Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 4.7mg

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious and AllRecipes. Don’t forget to check out my whole collection of vegan one pot recipes!

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: italian-inspired, legumes, meat analogues, Mexican-inspired, nut-free, one pot, pasta, quick, refined sugar-free, soy, sweetener-free

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Comments

  1. Marie-Eve says

    January 22, 2021 at 20:08

    5 stars
    This was awesome and unanimously approved by the kids! They want it next week 😂

    Reply
  2. Susie DiVietro says

    July 26, 2020 at 13:35

    5 stars
    Yum!! Just made this for the second time and it’s delicious! I use the Banza chickpea pasta and throw in a few handfuls of baby spinach at the end. Fast, healthy, and tasty! This is now in my regular rotation. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Aimee Brimmer says

    May 19, 2020 at 15:32

    4 stars
    This was good and I would make it again.. I did have to double the majority of the spices, although I do realize that everyone’s tastes are different. Next time, I think I might use rotini pasta or some other shape. I think it would be fun and a bit easier to stir. I kinda made a mess with the spaghetti, lol!

    Reply
  4. banana says

    November 30, 2018 at 13:38

    5 stars
    I made this with rice instead of spaghetti because… well, I don’t remember why, but I used rice instead, and it was amazing. I will definitely make it again multiple times with spaghetti or rice.

    Reply
  5. Kris says

    November 14, 2018 at 21:55

    5 stars
    This was incredibly good. I live somewhat remote and our little store did not have tempeh so I used a vegan ground crumble. I am an overworked RN and needed something quick, healthy, and that would provide me and my husband leftovers for our next day lunches. This fit the bill. Will certainly bookmark it and make it again. Shared with my vegan friend.

    Reply
  6. Cheryl says

    October 22, 2018 at 04:53

    5 stars
    Loved it, full of flavour. So easy to make!

    Reply
  7. Amanda Gingrich says

    June 4, 2018 at 19:34

    5 stars
    I made this meal for my very skeptical husband and he LOVED it! It was so delicious and pretty easy to cook!

    Reply
  8. Rachael says

    December 16, 2017 at 03:02

    5 stars
    I just made this for dinner, it was so good! Even my husband who does not like Tempeh gobbled it all up! I didn’t put any non-dairy milk in as I didn’t have any and it still tasted great. Cooking the pasta in the same pot is such a great idea, the sauce gets evenly distributed and one less pan to wash up!

    Reply
  9. Patti says

    October 30, 2017 at 22:32

    I don’t eat soy, so what could be substituted for the tempeh?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      November 6, 2017 at 17:58

      I think one good substitute would be chopped toasted walnuts. I know that sounds a little strange but they’d have the rich texture and umami flavor that the tempeh provides.

      Reply
  10. Isadora Guidoni says

    October 16, 2017 at 07:26

    5 stars
    With that first picture, I knew this recipe was delicious. I can’t wait to try it myself!!

    Reply
  11. Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says

    October 10, 2017 at 09:13

    I love the sound of this! It’s different to spaghetti recipes I’ve had before 🙂

    Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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