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Easy Vegan Bruschetta Pasta (Capellini al Pomodoro)

How to Make Capellini Bruschetta Pasta

Today’s vegan bruschetta pasta recipe comes in handy after a long, busy day when making an elaborate, time-consuming meal is the last thing we want to do. Also known as Capellini al Pomodoro or Capellini Bruschetta, this pasta is perfect for when you need to use up fresh ripe tomatoes from the garden in the summer.

This pasta is light and filling, easy to make, and can be prepared with no oil.

Vegan bruschetta pasta easy recipe

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To say that this recipe for bruschetta pasta is quick to make is an understatement. I mean, cooking the sauce takes less time than boiling the angel hair pasta (or spaghetti if you prefer).

Actually, even ‘cooking’ is too loud of a word here: diced tomatoes just get warmed up in the pan and then are taken off the heat right away.

The inspiration for this dish came to me one day when I was trying to make copycat Capellini Pomodoro from Olive Garden at home. It used to be one of my favorite dishes there, but I’m not sure if they still have it, plus we don’t go out to eat very often.

That day also happened to be the day before my third half marathon in early 2012 (wow, I’m surprised that I remember these details!), so I wanted to have an easy-to-make dish of pasta that would also digest quickly and not give me any trouble on the race morning.

Did it work? Like a dream: the pasta was delicious, my stomach was very happy at night and in the morning, and I even set a PR for the half marathon (1:47:56).

I’ve beaten that time since then with a current PR of 1:45:34, but I’m pretty sure I also had some sort of pasta the night before that 🙂

I called this dish ‘bruschetta pasta’ because the sauce can be used as a classic Italian bruschetta appetizer when served on toasted bread.

If you’re having a dinner party and are running low on what else you can serve to your guests, you can quickly toss this bruschetta together and serve it with crackers or small pieces of toast.

By the way, this recipe is one of my 2 year old daughter’s favorite recipes from the blog! See the full list of 15 of my kid friendly vegan recipes that she loves.

If you’re thinking that just pasta and tomatoes in this recipe won’t provide you with enough protein, you need not worry: whole-grain pasta tends to have plenty of protein, plus you can experiment with other types of pasta of your choice. (See my post on the optimal amounts of protein we need.)

Still not enough? Top bruschetta pasta with some cannellini beans after you ladle it into a bowl (avoid mixing the beans with the sauce while it’s still in the pan – it all might just turn into an unsightly mush).

Capellini bruschetta pasta vegan recipe

Ingredients for Vegan Bruschetta Pasta

See the exact amounts of each ingredient in the recipe card below.

  • Large ripe tomato
  • Tomato pasta (optional, use if the tomato is not at the peak of its ripeness)
  • Fresh garlic cloves, minced
  • Fresh basil leaves, chopped into thin strips
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil OR olive oil cooking spray
  • Salt + pepper
  • Cooked angel hair (a.k.a. capellini) or spaghetti pasta

Which Kind of Pasta Is Best in Bruschetta Pasta?

I recommend angel hair pasta (also known as capellini) for this recipe because its texture is just magical here. The flavor of the bruschetta pasta sauce is quite delicate, so thicker types of pasta may overwhelm this dish.

Other types of pasta to consider: vermicelli (it’s just a tad bit thicker than angel hair) or spaghetti (not ideal but works in a pinch).

How to Make Vegan Bruschetta Pasta

Set out all of the ingredients to have them ready to go: chop the tomatoes and basil, mince the garlic, line up olive oil, balsamic, tomato paste, salt and pepper.

Cook angel hair (a.k.a. capellini) or spaghetti pasta in boiling water until al dente following directions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking, heat up a medium-size skillet on the stovetop. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil OR spray the pan with cooking spray.

Once the pan is hot, quickly add diced tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), garlic and balsamic vinegar.

Toss them immediately for about 20-30 seconds, or just until the tomatoes are heated through.

Take the pan off the stove right away, mix in chopped basil leaves, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir the sauce into the cooked drained pasta. Sprinkle with some vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast if you like. Enjoy!

Vegan Capellini al Pomodoro pasta recipe

More vegan pasta recipes from the blog:

Soy curl bolognese pasta

Veggie-loaded balsamic pasta

The best stuffed shells with homemade cashew-almond ricotta

Classic lasagna with vegetable and tofu filling

Italian-style vegan pasta salad with no mayo

Yield: 8 servings

Easy Vegan Capellini al Pomodoro Pasta

Easy vegan bruschetta pasta recipe

This delicious and easy Capellini al Pomodoro pasta (a.k.a. Bruschetta pasta) is an easy tomato pasta dish that's perfect for quick weeknight dinners. This simple and delicious plant based pasta recipe requires just a few ingredients and doesn't take long to prepare. The trick is to have all of the ingredients ready before you start heating up the pan. Dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, egg free, nut free, meat free, soy free.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 large ripe tomatoes, diced into 1/4-inch dice*
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste (optional, use if the tomato is not at the peak of its ripeness)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped into thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil OR olive oil cooking spray, as needed **
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • 16 oz dry angel hair pasta

Instructions

  1. Set out all of the ingredients to have them ready to go: chop the tomatoes and basil, mince the garlic, line up olive oil, balsamic, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
  2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente following directions on the box.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a large sauté pan on the stovetop. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil OR spray the pan with cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, quickly add diced tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), garlic and balsamic vinegar. Mix well, bring to a gentle simmer, and let cook 2-3 min, or until the tomatoes release their juices. Take the pan off the stove right away, mix in chopped basil leaves, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Stir the sauce into the cooked drained pasta. Sprinkle with some vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast if you'd like. Enjoy!

Notes

*If fresh tomatoes are not in season, you can use canned diced tomatoes: just drain them and follow the recipe. I find that this dish works better with fresh tomatoes, but canned are fine too.

**Using a cooking spray lets you cut down on the amount of oil in this dish, which can be important for people on low-oil plant-based diets. Not using oil at all? 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable broth or water will do the job too, but the resulting sauce may be mushier.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 bowl

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.
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Suzy

Thursday 23rd of July 2020

Love the new look Alina! And this recipe looks like the perfect "after work" quickie! Thanks!!

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Thursday 23rd of July 2020

Thank you Suzy! Let me know if you make this recipe!

Patti

Sunday 13th of September 2015

Hi Love your recipes! My daughter has become vegan and I have a meat eating husband and to tell you that I have had an interesting time making things that they both can eat is an understatement. I see how many of these recipes can be used for both and I am so thankful . I prefer to be vegan and that helps when I need to make dinner for my daughter and myself . The bruschetta spaghetti is great, meat balls or sausage on the side for him and life is good for two meals during the week! XOXOX thanks ! Tonight its eggplant with the potato stuffing, rolled. YUM. He gets something else tonight. lol !

Alina

Monday 14th of September 2015

That's awesome, Patti, glad to hear you're enjoying my recipes! I always admire people who manage to feed both vegans and meat-eaters in their family at the same time - I feel like I personally wouldn't have the patience. It took my husband a few months to join me in being fully vegan (he used to eat my vegan food at home and ordered meat if he wanted when we ate out). I'm glad he came around, or he would have had to listen to my preachiness forever :)

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