Vegan sausage pasta sauce skillet with white beans, walnuts, sun dried tomato, is a simple, one-pan recipe that comes together really quickly with everyday ingredients. Instead of adding pasta or gnocchi to this umami rich sauce, we add beans to it, for a protein-packed meal. Gluten-free
I love adding beans to various kinds of sauces. Be it Indian sauces or pasta sauces, like my rose sauce beans, spinach Alfredo beans or stroganoff beans!. In this version, I make a simple and delicious sausage pasta sauce. For the sausage we use chopped walnuts and mushroom with tons of sausage-y seasonings — like fennel seeds, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, and Italian herbs. This makes the mixture taste and feel like a browned sausage crumble! This mixture then gets cooked along with the aromatics for the quickest from-scratch vegan sausage EVER.
Then, you just add some tomatoes, tomato paste, vegan cheese, and water to make a delicious, simple sauce that you can add beans to, like I’ve done here, or you can add pasta or gnocchi to it. Or, if you want to have it all, you can add the beans to the sauce and serve it over pasta!
You can also use this sauce over a baked potato or roasted cauliflower steaks or just serve it as-is with some garlic bread or toasted sourdough.
Why You’ll Love Bean Sausage Pasta Sauce skillet
- 30-minute, 1-pan meal that’s packed with flavor
- from-scratch vegan sausage crumble cooks in the pan with the sauce to save time and dishes
- tons of sausage-y flavor without any meat!
- creamy, flavorful sauce with tons of umami from sun dried tomatoes
- gluten-free, and soy-free with nutfree option
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms, (white, cremini, portabella or oyster )
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, (or use a mix of pepitas and hemp seeds for nutfree)
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- 1/4 cup non-dairy cream, or non-dairy sour cream or non-dairy yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegan cheese, such as a mix of mozzarella and parmesan or just parmesan
- 1 cup water or stock , or more, if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans, or other white beans, or butter beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans or 1.5 cups cooked beans
- 3 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomato
- 1 packed cup chopped fresh spinach, or 1/2 cup frozen spinach
- fresh herbs, like basil or parsley, more vegan parmesan, and pepper flakes, for garnish
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and the 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix and cook until the onion is translucent. Add splashes of water to help the onion cook evenly, 5 to 6 minutes. Then, add in the mushrooms, walnuts, fennel seeds, herbs, and tomato paste, mixing well. Add splashes of the water to help the tomato paste mix in. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is drying out a little bit, and the mushrooms are cooked. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
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Then, add in the vegan cream, cheese, salt, and the rest of the water, and mix well. Bring to a boil, then mix in the beans. Mix in the sun dried tomato and spinach, cover with the lid, and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so.
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Open the lid, then adjust the consistency, adding more water if you want it saucier. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, then switch off the heat. Top with the fresh herbs, vegan parmesan, and pepper flakes. Serve with sourdough or garlic bread or over pasta or a baked potato.
You can add other proteins or beans to the sauce. You can use chickpeas, kidney beans, or other white beans. You can also add in some soy curls or vegan chicken substitute, if you like, and serve it with whole grain pasta for a super high protein vegan meal.
Calories: 311kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 503mg, Potassium: 1185mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 765IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 151mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oil – To sauté.
- aromatics – Onion and garlic lay down the base flavors for the sauce.
- mushrooms and walnuts – Chopped mushrooms and finely chopped walnuts are the bulk of your vegan sausage.
- herbs and spices – We are seasoning the sausage and the sauce with fennel seeds, Italian herbs, onion powder, pepper flakes, oregano, and smoked paprika.
- tomato – This sauce has three kinds of tomato: sun dried tomato, tomato paste, and fresh, chopped tomato.
- non-dairy cream – You can use cashew cream, vegan sour cream, non-dairy yogurt, etc to make the sauce creamy.
- vegan cheese – Use a mix of vegan mozzarella and parmesan or just vegan parmesan.
- beans – Cannellini beans are great in this sauce! Or, you can use other white beans, butter beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans. You can also replace the beans with soaked and cooked soy curls or vegan chicken substitute, if you prefer.
- spinach – Use fresh or frozen.
- toppings – Top with fresh herbs, like basil or parsley, plus more vegan parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes.
💡 Tips
- Adding splashes of water to the onion as it cooks helps it cook evenly without burning or sticking.
- A little water also helps the tomato paste mix in with the spices and other ingredients in the pan.
How to Make Vegan Sausage Pasta Bean Skillet
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and the 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix and cook until the onion is translucent. Add splashes of water to help the onion cook evenly, 5 to 6 minutes.
Then, add in the mushrooms, walnuts, fennel seeds, herbs, and tomato paste, mixing well. Add splashes of the water to help the tomato paste mix in. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is drying out a little bit, and the mushrooms are cooked. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute or 2z
Then, add in the vegan cream, cheese, salt, and the rest of the water, and mix well. Bring to a boil, then mix in the beans
Mix in the sun dried tomato and spinach, cover with the lid, and let it simmer for 5 minutes or so.
Open the lid, then adjust the consistency, adding more water if you want it saucier. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, then switch off the heat. Top with the fresh herbs, vegan parmesan, and pepper flakes. Serve with sourdough or garlic bread or over pasta or a baked potato.
What to Serve with Vegan Sausage Pasta Sauce Skillet
Serve this on its own with garlic bread or toasted sourdough for dipping. Or, you can serve over pasta, gnocchi, or a baked potato.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is gluten-free. For nut-free use pepitas and hemp seeds instead of walnuts. For soy-free and nutfree, use soy-free and/or nut-free vegan cheese and non-dairy cream.
To Store, refrigerate for upto 3 days. Or freeze for upto 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or skillet.
