Do you love pasta but you're on a special diet? This Vegan Pasta Primavera is just the thing--nutritious eggplant noodles topped with a savory dairy-free alfredo sauce that you're sure to love.
I began creating healthy recipes based on my own tolerances to food. In 2004, my health began going downhill. I began experiencing depression, acne, menstruation difficulties, and severe food allergies. At my lowest point, I was house-bound, eating a NO fat diet of oats, beans, rice, white chicken meat, apples, and cucumbers.
If I deviated from this, I was plagued by debilitating eczema, as well as the above issues. After being diagnosed with extremely high mercury levels and Lyme disease, I began chelation, IVs, and diet changes. It took years, but I've finally regained some control over my health. I have to maintain a very healthy diet in order to live, but what encourages me to adhere to it is how much better I feel in doing so!
I write this in hopes that those who read it will better understand where I'm coming from, and why I eat, cook, and bake the way I do! Now, on to the recipe!
Oh, how I love pasta! The tender flour-filled, carb-loaded strings and tubes and curly-cues of joy...
I don't know about you, but I'm quite psychologically influenced when it comes to food. I crave things like cookie dough, cake batter, and pizza, and I get super motivated to make "healthified" versions of such things. This is why I created recipes like Zucchini Pizza and Oatmeal Cookie Waffles.
Pasta is no different...
... spaghetti squash, zucchini, carrots....I've used all these in an attempt to have grain-free noodles. And now eggplant....
Freshly julienned eggplant noodles
Eggplant noodles after "sweating"
I've sliced wide eggplant 'noodles' for lasagna, but this was my first attempt at making them spaghetti-like. The tool you see in the photo above is called a julienne peeler, and it is awesome for creating noodles from vegetables....(and it's a lot cheaper than a spiralizer :-)).
The Tool You Need for this Pasta Primavera
This is the spiralizer that I have. It is surprisingly sturdy and very affordable. (It would make a great gift for the whole foodie who has everything :-).)
While most pasta primavera dishes are typically paired with an oil and vinegar dressing, I thought this would be nice with a 'cream' type sauce.
I paired the eggplant noodles with whole grain pasta in order to entice my little girl (she loves pasta), but I ate the eggplant noodles plain, and it was scrumptious! The sauce really makes it, and all of the vegetables taste delicious together!
Recipe & Special Diet Notes
- For a vegan parmesan, I like to process 1/4 cup of brazil nuts, 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, and 1/4 tsp salt until it resembles parmesan in appearance.
- For THM, omit the arrowroot and you can use more of the low-carb veggies instead of the peas and carrots to keep it completely S.
- For low carb, substitute green beans or snow peas (or some other veggie) for the peas
- For AIP- Use Zoodles and green beans or snow peas instead of the green peas (green beans are reintro AIP)
- Here is a great homemade version of almond milk. Substitute coconut milk for AIP (see Homemade Coconut Milk).
- See this recipe for homemade herbes de provence and find another surprising use for it.
VEGAN PRIMAVERA WITH EGGPLANT 'NOODLES'
Ingredients
NOODLES
- 2 eggplants (medium sized - see alternatives for AIP)
- 1 tsp salt
PRIMAVERA SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (or grass-fed butter)
- 1 Tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup red onion (chopped)
- 1/2 red pepper (or yellow; medium sized) (omit for AIP)
- 1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 carrots (medium; ribboned with a vegetable peeler)
- 1 large tomato (chopped)
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup kale (chopped, loosely packed)
- 1/2-3/4 cup water (more water if you like a thinner sauce)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit for AIP)
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence (or italian seasoning blend)
- fresh parsley (to taste; or fresh basil; optional)
- parmesan (or vegan cheese blend - see Recipe Notes; omit for AIP)
Instructions
NOODLES
- Julienne the eggplant creating the spaghetti noodles. (Process the eggplant until you start to see seeds.)
- Toss the vegetable noodles with the salt (use your hands), place them in a sieve, and place the sieve in an empty bowl.
- Allow the vegetable noodles to sit and 'sweat' for at least 20 minutes.
- Place the noodles into a cotton dishtowel and squeeze the excess moisture from them. They will look something like second photo of eggplant noodles above.
- Saute noodles in a bowl of coconut oil for about 5 minutes to eliminate the raw taste. Set aside until the sauce is complete.
PRIMAVERA SAUCE
- Heat the oil or butter in a deep skillet.
- Add in the onion and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes, and add the garlic and mushrooms.
- Cook until most of the water from the mushrooms evaporates--about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and herb blend, and let it cook for a minute or two.
- Add the water and bay leaf and bring the pan to a simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the milk and the arrowroot in a separate cup.
- Add the milk mixture, peas, and kale into the hot skillet and combine.
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the optional parsley and/or basil.
- Pour over your eggplant, zucchini, or whole grain noodles.
- Top with parmesan or vegan cheese blend and enjoy!
This is a tasty way to get more vegetables into your day, which I know helps me since I tend to leave all my vegetable-eating until dinner time. 🙂
I hope you all enjoyed this post!
For other great dinner ideas, check out
- My Most Requested Recipe (Pakistani Curry)
- Gluten-Free Chili Mac (and other fast recipes)
- Super Fast Pasta Dinner
Have you tried vegetable pasta before?
(This recipe was created by Lauren of Oatmeal with a Fork)
Eggplant is a nightshade, therefore wouldn’t comply with an AIP diet. Sounds delicious though ?
Hi Tia - thank you so much for reading and for pointing this out. We had to do a move of all of our recipes this summer and that detail got missed in the mess. I just added the appropriate information to the post -- thanks again!!
Have you tried this, Adrienne? I think I'm going to try it. Sounds good to me.
I haven't made this particular recipe but I have had cucumber and zucchini noodles and love them so I know this would likely be fabulous!
This looks like something I'd like to try. I wasn't clear on step 5 in making the noodles. It says to saute in a bowl of coconut oil. Does this mean to cook them in the oil or just stir them around? Thanks!
Hi Tara,
Sorry for the confusion. The word 'bowl' should read 'pan', so you just want to saute the noodles in a small pan for a few minutes. Hope this helps!
Just fixed it. Thanks Lauren!
What a delicious looking dish, and I love that the noodles are made of eggplant! I love how healthy and comforting this is, perfect for this time of year.
This looks so yummy! Its bedtime but this is making me hungry!! I'd like to invite you to link this as well as any other Gluten Free Recipes up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! All recipes are welcome, whether meat or veg! Here is a link to our most current one!
Hope to see you soon!
Cindy
I love this idea! I gotta try it out!
This looks really good.
Would love it if you would come link up tomorrow to Simple Meals Friday.
https://littleowlcrunchymomma.blogspot.com/search/label/Simple%20Meals%20Friday
Adrienne- this looks fantastic! I am dairy free but I think I could sub coconut oil for the butter and it would be pretty darn close 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This recipe sounds amazing! Now I'm hungry 🙂
I would love to have you link this to the Wildcrafting Wednesday blog hop!
Hope to see you there!
That looks amazing!! I think this is the post that might finally inspire me to get a spiralizer...I miss pasta and noodles being on the paleo diet, and I think it's high time I get a gadget that makes tasty veggie noodles!!
I have to say...I love the machine!
I also love my spiralizer
I've never tried it with eggplant before. Looks like fun. Next time we make vegetable pasta I'll give this a try! Thanks Lauren and Adrienne
:-). I think it looks amazing!