5 five-ingredient vegan pastas that punch above their weight

I love a pantry challenge. There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a short ingredient list into a dinner that tastes like you fussed all afternoon.

As a runner and a market volunteer, I’m always toggling between “quick fuel” and “make it special.” These pastas do both.

A quick note on the “five ingredients” part: I don’t count olive oil, salt, black pepper, water, or optional red pepper flakes. Everything else is in the tally.

Ready to cook?

1. Silky lemon–tahini linguine

If you’ve ever whisked tahini with lemon and a splash of water, you know the magic: it goes from thick to luxuriously creamy in seconds—no dairy needed. I lean on this when I want something bright and comforting without opening a carton of plant milk.

Serves: 2 hungry people
Time: 15 minutes
You’ll need (5): linguine, tahini, lemon (zest + juice), garlic, fresh parsley

Directions

1. Boil the linguine in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.

2. In a large bowl, whisk 1/3 cup tahini, the zest of 1 lemon, 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 finely grated garlic clove. Add splashes of hot pasta water, whisking, until the sauce loosens into a glossy cream.

3. Toss in the hot pasta and shower with chopped parsley. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Finish with a thread of olive oil if you like.

Make it yours

• Add-ins: torn kale wilted in the hot pasta, peas, or steamed asparagus.

• Protein boost: chickpeas warmed in the pasta water for the last minute.

• Leftovers: loosen with a bit of hot water and lemon; tahini thickens as it rests.

Why it punches above its weight
Tahini brings body and richness that usually requires dairy. Lemon brightens everything, and parsley keeps it fresh. Five ingredients; restaurant-level payoff.

2. Speedy burst-tomato puttanesca (olive edition)

Classic puttanesca leans on tomatoes, capers, olives, and garlic for big flavor fast. This version uses sweet cherry tomatoes that burst into their own sauce while briny bits do the heavy lifting.

Serves: 2–3
Time: 20 minutes
You’ll need (5): short pasta (gemelli or penne), cherry tomatoes, garlic, pitted Kalamata olives, capers

Directions

1. Start your pasta. Meanwhile, warm a generous slick of olive oil in a skillet and sauté 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves until fragrant.

2. Add 3 cups cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional). Cook over medium-high, stirring, until tomatoes blister and release their juices.

3. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped olives and 2 tablespoons capers. Toss in the drained pasta with 1/2 cup pasta water. Simmer 1–2 minutes until glossy and clinging.

Make it yours

• Add-ins: ribbons of basil, chopped parsley, or lemon zest.

• Pantry swap: any olive works; just keep them meaty and briny.

• Serve with: toasted breadcrumbs (pangrattato) for crunch.

Why it punches above its weight
You get salty, sweet, and tangy in one pan. The cherry tomatoes make their own saucy base; olives and capers add depth you’d expect from a long simmer.

3. Creamy cashew–pepper “cacio e pepe”

I’m a texture person. I want twirlable strands and a sauce that coats every noodle. Here, soaked cashews and nutritional yeast emulate the cheesy body of cacio e pepe, while freshly cracked pepper does the talking.

Serves: 2
Time: 25 minutes (includes soaking shortcut)
You’ll need (5): spaghetti, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, black pepper, lemon

Directions

1. Quick-soak 1/2 cup cashews by covering them with boiling water for 15 minutes (do this while the pasta water heats). Drain.

2. Blend soaked cashews with 3/4 cup hot pasta water, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper until silky.

3. Toss with just-cooked spaghetti over low heat, adding more pasta water if needed, and finish with another snowfall of pepper and a whisper of lemon zest.

Make it yours

• Extra-peppery: bloom a teaspoon of pepper in warm olive oil before tossing.

• Earthy spin: add a handful of sautéed mushrooms.

• Gluten-free: use GF spaghetti; the sauce loves it.

Why it punches above its weight
It’s five shelf-stable/freezer-friendly items plus one lemon. You get creaminess and umami without specialty vegan cheeses, and the pepper makes it feel classic.

4. Smoky romesco rigatoni

Romesco is the Spanish red-pepper-almond sauce that makes vegetables taste dressed for a night out. It also happens to cling to rigatoni like it was born for the job.

Serves: 3
Time: 20 minutes
You’ll need (5): rigatoni, jarred roasted red peppers, almonds, smoked paprika, sherry vinegar

Directions

1. Blend 1 jar (about 12 ounces) drained roasted red peppers with 1/2 cup toasted almonds, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until mostly smooth with a little texture.

2. Boil rigatoni, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water.

3. Warm the romesco in a skillet, loosen with pasta water to reach a saucy consistency, and toss with the rigatoni until glossy.

Make it yours

• Nut swap: use walnuts or hazelnuts if almonds aren’t your thing.

• Heat lovers: add a pinch of cayenne.

• Sidekick: a simple arugula salad—peppery greens + smoky sauce is chef’s-kiss.

Why it punches above its weight
Jarred peppers and almonds create richness and smoke without roasting or blending all night. The vinegar adds lift so it never tastes heavy.

5. Bright broccoli-walnut pesto orecchiette

On market days, I come home with more green things than I planned. This pesto started as a “use the broccoli” situation and turned into a staple. Blanching the florets softens the grassy bite, and walnuts bring the bass notes.

Serves: 3–4
Time: 20 minutes
You’ll need (5): orecchiette, broccoli florets, walnuts, garlic, lemon

Directions

1. Boil the broccoli florets in salted water for 2–3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon (keep the water!) and run under cold water.

2. In a blender, blitz the broccoli with 1/2 cup walnuts, 1 small garlic clove, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3–1/2 cup hot pasta water until creamy and spoonable.

3. Cook the orecchiette in the same pot. Toss with the pesto, adding more water for a loose, glossy sauce.

Make it yours

• Add-ins: frozen peas, sun-dried tomatoes, or charred zucchini.

• For extra savoriness: a tablespoon of nutritional yeast in the blender.

• Lunch box tip: this one is excellent at room temperature.

Why it punches above its weight
You’re getting veg and sauce in one move. The hot pasta water turns the pesto luscious without needing a lot of oil.

How to win with five-ingredient pastas (notes & swaps)

Salt smarter. Pasta water should taste like the sea—about 1–1.5% salinity if you like numbers. That’s roughly 1–1.5 tablespoons kosher salt per 2 quarts of water. It’s the simplest way to make every ingredient sing.

Use heat as an ingredient. Blooming spices in hot oil, toasting nuts, or letting tomatoes blister unlocks flavor quickly. Two extra minutes in the pan often equals an extra hour of taste.

Lean on acidity. Notice how lemon juice and sherry vinegar show up here? Brightness keeps five-ingredient cooking from feeling flat. If a sauce tastes “fine,” it probably needs a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar.

Respect starch. That pasta water is liquid gold. It emulsifies sauces (tahini, romesco, pesto) and helps everything cling to the noodles. Reserve more than you think you need.

Build a tiny toolkit. If you cook like this often, stock a few high-impact helpers: nutritional yeast, capers, olives, jarred peppers, good tahini, and whole nuts. They’re shelf-stable and bring outsized flavor.

Frequently asked (by my friends)

Can I make these gluten-free?
Absolutely. Most GF pastas (corn, rice, chickpea, lentil) play well with these sauces. Chickpea pasta is great with the lemon-tahini and cacio e pepe variations thanks to its extra protein and a little bite.

What about leftovers?
Creamy sauces thicken in the fridge. Add a splash of hot water or a bit more lemon juice when reheating. The romesco and pesto versions are delicious cold or at room temp.

Are the nuts essential?
For the romesco and pesto: they’re doing real work. If you’re nut-free, try sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (pepitas). The flavor will shift, but the texture stays lush.

Can I add protein?
Yes—these are foundations. Add a can of chickpeas or white beans, crumble a block of baked tofu, or toss in edamame. Keep the five-ingredient spirit by adding just one extra if you can.

Grocery list snapshot (so you don’t have to scroll)

• Pastas: linguine, spaghetti, rigatoni, orecchiette, or whatever you’ve got

• Tahini, lemons, garlic, parsley

• Cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers

• Raw cashews, nutritional yeast, black pepper

• Jarred roasted red peppers, almonds, smoked paprika, sherry vinegar

• Broccoli, walnuts

Olive oil, salt, pepper, water, and optional red pepper flakes are assumed to be in the pantry.

If you try one, start with the lemon–tahini or the romesco. They’re weeknight-quick but dinner-party impressive.

And if you’ve been hovering on the edge of “I should cook more plant-based,” these are forgiving, flexible, and honestly just fun to eat.

Five ingredients, big smiles, and a little extra time for the rest of your life—that’s my kind of math.