Ellen Kanner

soulful vegan writer

  • About
  • CONSULTATION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • RESOURCES
  • RECIPES
  • Video
  • Shop
  • Appearances
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • $0.00
You are here: Home / MAIN COURSE / Not Your Nonna’s Pasta for World Pasta Day

Not Your Nonna’s Pasta for World Pasta Day

October 25, 2021 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

Today is World Pasta Day, created by the Italians to celebrate the food the whole world loves. How do you pasta?

assorted pasta for world pasta day

For me, pasta without a drizzle of olive oil for silkiness and gilding seems lonely, It’s probably nothing your nonna would approve of, either. You don’t want to piss off your nonna.

I’m stingy with olive oil, especially compared to your nonna and my culinary crushes and Italy experts Marcella Hazan and Lidia Bastianich.

So why did I want to offer an oil-free recipe for World Pasta Day?  Because I don’t have enough stress in my life already?  No, because everyone deserves a seat at the table — including folks on an oil-free diet.

Do you have an oil-free recipe you love?  I’d love to know about it and share.  I did my research and made some initial attempts. They were edible and ticked all the boxes. . . except for proper deliciousness. They were nothing I’d serve to you, or God forbid, your nonna.

I noodled (forgive the pun) over modern iterations, but kept coming back to age-old Mediterranean ones.  And then I thought, salsa doppio, literally double sauce. You make a sauce, usually a light tomato sauce, then cook the pasta in it. Most — okay — all recipes I found are made with olive oil, but I went rogue and discovered it works without it. The pasta enriches and thickens the sauce, the sauce infuses the pasta. It’s a win-win for World Pasta Day and every day.

Oil free pasta with sauce, tomatoes, spinach and a fork on a colorful plate.

Not Your Nonna’s Pasta

Before I share, here are a few notes on this crazy recipe:

  • I used whole grain spaghetti, but the method works for any shape or kind of noodle.
  • If you’re using commercial vegetable broth, go for low sodium. 
  • This is recipe is basic and very flexible, inviting all kinds of vegetables and other adds*.
  • If you’re using broccoli or cauliflower florets, add them in with the pasta, so they cook at the same time.
  • Less is more.  Cook until just al dente — to the tooth. 
  • Reserve the cooking water/sauce. You’ll need it a second time. This is a double sauce, remember?
Oil free pasta with sauce, tomatoes, spinach and a fork on a colorful plate.

Not Your Nonna's Pasta

A flavorful oil-free pasta that you grandmother will approve of.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

Main Pasta:

  • 6 cups vegetable broth preferably homemade, or if commercial, go for low sodium
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • pinch saffron threads if desired
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 8 ounces pasta preferably whole grain
  • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Vegetable Additions:

  • 2 cups spinach or arugula chopped
  • 1 cup tomatoes chopped
  • 1 cup roasted red pepeprs chopped
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts chopped
  • 1/3 cup olives green or ripe
  • a few sprigs of basil or rosemary
  • 1 cup chickpeas or white beans
  • 1 cup peas

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, bring vegetable broth to boil over high heat. Add tomato paste and stir in to combine. Add saffron, if using, red pepper flakes and fennel.
  • With the broth still on the boil, add your pasta. Cook just until al dente. That means to the tooth, people. The pasta should yield when you bite it.
  • Drain pasta into a colander with a bowl beneath to save the sauce.
  • You’ll see the pasta will have drunk up quite a bit of the broth and the broth will be thickened from the pasta. Cool.
  • Pour pasta into a large bowl. Sprinkle in nutritional yeast and toss to combine.
  • Add some of the sauce back into the pasta bowl, 1/2 cup at a time, where it will continue to absorb into the pasta.
  • You can finish with some sea salt and pepper and enjoy like this, or add the vegetable ingredients.
  • Toss what you like in with the pasta and add the sauce back in half-cup increments until you have the pasta of your dreams. Your nonna will understand.

Notes

  • I used whole grain spaghetti, but the method works for any shape or kind of pasta.
  • If you’re using commercial vegetable broth, go for low sodium. 
  • This recipe is basic and very flexible, inviting all kinds of vegetables and other adds*.
  • If you’re using broccoli or cauliflower florets, add them in with the pasta, so they cook at the same time.
  • Less is more.  Cook pasta until just al dente — to the tooth. 
  • Reserve the cooking water/sauce. You’ll need it a second time. This is a double sauce, remember?
Keyword oil-free pasta, pasta, world pasta

Looking for more pasta recipes? 

  • Pasta with Pumpkin and Rosemary
  • Pantescan Pasta With Capers, Olives and Tomatoes
  • Cauliflower Pasta
  • Just Add Water Part 2 – Pasta Water 

dividerEK


dividerEKThank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

Connect with me for discounts, exclusive tips, and other freebies:
• Join my NEWSLETTER for exclusive content & offers
• Join my social networks on LINKEDIN, TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Want to learn more?
Explore more of my VEGAN RECIPES, and my COOK BOOKS.
Do you want a happier life, a greener plate, and a delicious world? Then sign up for VEG THERAPY.



Filed Under: MAIN COURSE, pasta Tagged With: arugula, basil, oil-free, olives, pasta, peas, roasted red peppers, sauce, spinach, tomatoes

« Seed Food and Wine Festival — November 3-7, 2021
Banana Bread »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Ellen Kanner ELLEN KANNER is a soulful vegan writer on food, wellness and sustainability with over 15 years' experience. She's a recipe developer for numerous publications...[Read More] .

~ Work With Ellen ~

She is available for speaking engagements, consultations, and cooking demonstrations. To book a paid speaking gig, contact her.

~ available Cookbooks ~

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Upcoming Events

Feb
9
Thu
6:00 pm Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Feb 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Online Event: Roots! An Edible Exploration of the Vegetable Underground with Chef Ellen Kanner @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
  Vegan chef Ellen Kanner shares easy ways to enjoy root vegetables in all their glory – not just potatoes but also fennel, carrots, beets and many more winter vegetables. Taste the sweetness you’ve been...

Read More »

View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Recent Publications

What Is British Cheese Rolling? | The Cheese Professor

Around the World in Cornmeal Mush | Whetstone Magazine

Adaptogens and Healthful Botanicals Trend in Cocktails | The Alcohol Professor

Discovering A Brave New World of Vegan Chocolates

Is Olive Oil Good For Us? | Huffpost

VegNews Jan 2022

Edible South Florida Winter Issue

Edible South Florida Fall 2021

VegNews Holiday 2021

Thanksgiving Without Turkey? A Valid Argument For Skipping The Bird.

Why This Latin American Chef Rejects The Term ‘Latinx’

The Diva of Daufuskie

SoFloVegans Podcast

Is Wine Vegan?

The Best Artisanal Cheese and Why We Love Them

Food Rescue U.S.: ‘Hunger Doesn’t Take A Holiday’

Art Friedrich: Food Insecurity Is A ‘Weakness That Will Be Exploited By Adversaries’

Broccoli Rising|October 2020 – Breathe, Nourish, Rise

What is Vegan Cheese and is it Legit?

The Germans Have a Word for That Snack

From Cucina Povera to Conscious Cookery: Timeless Garden-to-Kitchen and Back Again Smarts

Thinking Outside and Inside the Box: Growing Greens in Miami

Diet for a Large Pandemic

Currently Featured On

Vegan Cinco de Mayo: Vegan Date-Sweetened Chocolate Love Bites & Mango Black Bean Salad

Vedge Your Best – The Plant-Based Podcast – Michele Olender

Professional Associations

~Contributing Columnist ~

Ellen Kanner
Ellen Kanner

~ Search Site ~

RSS Newsletter

  • February 2023 February 1, 2023
  • A Little Ask and a Little Delight January 17, 2023
  • January 2023 December 29, 2022
  • December 2022 December 1, 2022
  • November 2022 November 1, 2022

~ Signup for my Newsletter~

~ Follow me on Twitter ~

© 2023 ELLEN KANNER - site by Kapok Graphics