A classic Italian combination - sausage, bitter green veggies and pasta - gets a vegan makeover with a spicy, homemade tempeh sausage. This vegan sausage pasta with broccoli and mushrooms is one super satisfying meatless meal!

Vegan Sausage Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Tempeh is kind of a mystery, isn’t it? Most of my clients have never heard of it, and those who have, still don’t have a clue what it is. While I’ve eaten tempeh regularly for years, I’m still not sure I’m pronouncing it correctly. Tem-pay or tem-pee? I honestly don’t know. I switch off using each so I will be right 50% of the time.

Tempeh is a vegan protein originally from Indonesia, made by culturing and fermenting whole soybeans with a fungus, then pressing them into a cake. The result is a firm, chewy patty. I know, my description really sold it, huh? Just stay with me on this one.

While tempeh can initially be intimidating, I actually think it is the perfect soy food to introduce to meat lovers. When you crumble up a cake, it’s texture mimics ground meat quite well in dishes like tacos, meat sauce, and in this vegan sausage pasta recipe.

Tempeh Nutrition

Being fermented, and hopefully you’re aware of the general awesomeness of fermented foods, tempeh is a super nutritious plant-based protein source. The fermentation process breaks down phytic acid, a nutrient found in soy, beans, and grains that can partially block the absorption of some nutrients, especially minerals. Now, let’s not go all nutrition woo on this one - a lot of nutrition gurus and rich doctors selling diet books like to spin this fact to scare you away from foods that contain phytic acid, like grains, nuts, seeds, and beans. This fact does not mean that foods containing phytic acid aren’t packed with nutrition. It just means in fermented versions, the vitamins and minerals are more easily utilized by the body. If it’s easily accessible (usually it’s not) and you like the taste, like in sourdough bread or sprouted nuts or grains, cool. If not, nbd. Processing like cooking, soaking, baking, etc. all help break down phytates too. Kapeesh?

Being made with whole soybeans vs soybean milk (fun fact: tofu is basically soy milk cheese), tempeh has a higher fiber and protein content than tofu. It’s also an excellent source of manganese, copper, phosphorus, vitamin B12 and magnesium. Tempeh also contains multiple phytonutrients, including flavonoids, phenols, and phytosterols.

Italian Vegan Sausage Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms

How to Make This Vegan Sausage Pasta Recipe

The combination of sausage, greens, and pasta is a classic in Italian cuisine, and personally and one of my favorite pasta recipes. I was pretty amazed at how well the tempeh mimicked the spicy, salty, umami flavors of regular sausage in this vegan sausage recipe. The secret to super flavorful and “meat-like” tempeh sausage is a trick I Iearned from my pal Alex who blogs at Delicious Knowledge. She marinates the tempeh in a mixture of vegetable broth and soy sauce, which gives it extra umami and salt. To cook the tempeh for this vegan sausage pasta recipe, I saute the crumbled, marinated tempeh in olive oil with diced onion and spices and herbs typical to Italian sausage, like dried basil, fennel, rosemary, and red pepper flakes.

When I make this vegan sausage pasta recipe, I like to use whole grain pasta, which has a nice, nutty flavor that compliments the tempeh sausage and earthy veggies. Whole grain pasta has more fiber and nutrients, so I use it when I can. However some pasta sauces really don’t pair well with it’s stronger flavor, like delicate cream sauces. My very general rule of thumb is that more rustic pasta dishes are tasty with whole grains, while more delicate ones taste best with white pasta.

After cooking the tempeh sausage, saute broccoli florets, cremini mushrooms (which have more flavor than white mushrooms) and plenty of garlic in more olive oil. Add cooked pasta, a little reserved salty pasta broth to make a sauce, and the tempeh sausage and you’ve got a super satisfying, weeknight friendly meal of vegan sausage pasta for dinner!

Healthy Vegan Sausage Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Vegan Sausage Pasta Recipe Adaptions

Feel free to switch this vegan sausage pasta recipe up with different veggies based on what you have on hand or what’s in season. I would encourage one bitter green, like broccoli rabe, mustard greens, or kale, and another “fleshier” vegetable (for lack of a better world lol), like eggplant, red peppers, cherry tomatoes or zucchini.

While the tempeh sausage in this recipe is a fun one, you can also save time using a store bought vegan sausage. I love Field Roast and Beyond Sausage - the latter tastes the most meat-like to me. And obviously, actual spicy Italian sausage is tasty here too! While I enjoy dabbling with plant based proteins, we’re fully omnivore here at Rachael Hartley Nutrition.

Sometimes when I make this vegan sausage pasta recipe, I like to add a hearty spoonful of pesto before serving. Pesto is one of my favorite foods, and I pretty mush add it it everything (I mean, not fruit or anything weird, but you follow). While it’s not vegan, it’s also amazing with a few anchovies added to the sauteed veggies. They’ll break down while cooking the veggies and add even more umami, nutty flavor - you won’t taste anything fishy at all, I promise! You can also turn this into a red sauce based dish with a jar of basic tomato-basil marinara. This is why I love pasta dishes - it’s so easy to adapt and play around with!

If you like this vegan sausage pasta recipe, follow my favorite vegetarian pasta recipes pinterest board for more cooking inspiration.

This vegan sausage pasta recipe, images and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.

Vegan Sausage Pasta with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Serves: 4ish people

Ingredients:

Tempeh sausage:

8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seed, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Pasta:

12 ounces penne
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small head of broccoli, stemmed and chopped into florets
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

Combine tempeh with broth and soy sauce in a small bowl and let sit to marinade 30-60 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, reserving 1 cup of starchy cooking water.
When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute 3 minutes until translucent. Drain tempeh and add to to skillet along with the fennel, basil, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic, and onion powder, along with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until well browned, about 7-10 minutes.
After tempeh is cooked, remove and set aside in a large serving bowl. Carefully wipe clean with a paper towel and add 2 tablespoons oil to the same skillet on medium-high heat. Add broccoli and cook 3 minutes until it starts to take on a little color. Add mushrooms, garlic and a pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.
Add pasta to the vegetables, and stir in a little of the reserved pasta water to create a sauce, starting with about 1/4 cup. Stir in the tempeh sausage until combined. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste.