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The ultimate last-minute weeknight dinner recipe! This colorful 20-minute pasta stir-fry comes with plenty of sautéed vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms. It is then tossed in a delicious sweet and salty black pepper sauce!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- It’s the perfect weeknight dinner. With just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes to prepare, this stir-fry is great when you are short on time and don’t feel like cooking much. I can’t tell you how many times we make this dish every week!
- It’s hearty and tasty. The sweet and salty pepper sauce makes this stir-fry incredibly satisfying. It tastes better than takeout but is cheaper and made from the comfort of your home.
- It’s versatile. You can switch it up using different veggies or a different type of pasta. Use what you have on hand!
🥕 Ingredient Notes
While this stir-fry tastes impressive and incredibly flavorful, it requires just a handful of ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Pasta – I love to use Fusilli pasta as it is great at absorbing sauces. Feel free to use your favorite type of pasta. Macaroni, penne, or even farfalle will work as well.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for a deeper and more pungent flavor.
- Ginger – Fresh ginger brings a zesty and spicy flavor to this stir-fry. It really improves the overall aroma of this dish, so I advise against omitting it!
- Vegetables – I went with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, and zucchini.
- Soy sauce – For saltiness and plenty of umami. Use coconut aminos if you want to keep this recipe gluten-free.
- Sugar – To balance the saltiness and the spiciness. You can use granulated white sugar or coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch – Just a little bit of cornstarch helps thicken the sauce.
- Sriracha – For a hint of spiciness. You can use sriracha or sweet chili sauce.
🥣 How to Make It
Here is the process of making this pasta stir fry. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Sauté the vegetables. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic and ginger. Next, add the sliced vegetables and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until tender. I personally like not to overcook the vegetables to retain some crunch.
- Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Assemble. Drain the pasta and add it to the stir-fried vegetables. Pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Cook for one more minute and serve immediately!
Finally, you can garnish with chopped cilantro and an extra pinch of ground black pepper before serving.
While this stir-fry is delicious on its own, you can also serve it with this 10-Minute Carrot & Kale Salad!
📔 Tips
- Use the pasta you have on hand. Any pasta will work. You can even use noodles like spaghetti or fettuccine. If using long noodles, use about 5 ounces (150g).
- Reserve some of the pasta cooking water. Save 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce. It adds extra saltiness and helps the sauce coat the pasta and vegetables better.
- Add your protein of choice. For a more filling meal, feel free to add thinly sliced tofu, seitan, or vegan chicken!
💬 FAQ
This stir-fry is best served immediately but will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend freezing as the pasta will become dryer and won’t be saucy anymore. Since this dish takes just a few minutes to make, preparing it right before serving is best.
This flavorful pasta stir-fry is one of my favorite dinners thanks to its simplicity and how quickly it comes together. It will undoubtedly become a family favorite in your home as well!
🍝 More Fantastic Pasta Recipes
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Easy Vegan Pasta Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Stir Fry
- 1 and 1/2 cup (150 g) dried Fusilli pasta
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger finely minced
- 1 small carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets sliced in halves
- 3-4 mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 zucchini cut into matchsticks
- cilantro, for serving
Sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp (18 g) sugar
- 1 tsp (3 g) cornstarch
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sriracha or sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the carrot, broccoli, mushrooms, and zucchini. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the veggies are cooked but still slightly crunchy.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the pasta cooking water, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, water, sriracha, and ground black pepper.
- Add the drained pasta to the sautéed vegetables and pour in the sauce. Toss to coat and cook for one more minute or until the sauce has thickened.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use the pasta you have on hand. Any pasta will work. You can even use noodles like spaghetti or fettuccine. If using long noodles, use about 5 ounces (150g).
- Reserve some of the pasta cooking water. Save 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce. It adds extra saltiness and helps the sauce coat the pasta and vegetables better.
- Add your protein of choice. For a more filling meal, feel free to add thinly sliced tofu, seitan, or vegan chicken!
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Look amazing! I’ll try this last-minute recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing Thomas.
Let me know how it goes!