Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells Recipe (Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan)

This creamy garlic pasta shells recipe is vegan and gluten free, thanks to healthy roasted vegetables and garlic cooked a few different ways in this dish!  This bright and fresh pasta is a fantastic treat for dinner, served with a side salad and some crusty sourdough bread.

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Now THIS is a garlic lover’s pasta. There are 3 types of garlic in the sauce for these vegetarian garlic shells: roasted garlic, garlic powder, and garlic salt. You get delicious garlicky flavor in each bite, vampire’s beware! As you can likely tell from spending a few minutes on this site, we absolutely love garlic!  I am always thinking of fun new ways to add garlic into our diets… and with good reason. Garlic has so many health benefits, it deserves a spot in your daily meal rotation.

These Healthy Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells Are:

• Rich
• Luxurious
• Saucy
• Velvety
• Loaded with garlic, 4 different ways
• Actually (and secretly) so healthy
• Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and 100% pure magic

OK, What’s In These Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells?

• Shell Pasta, or conchiglie if ya fancy. As someone who is part Italian (and someone who is obsessed with pasta) I pride myself on knowing the Italian names of most pasta shapes… but I gotta admit, I had to google this one. I used a medium shell pasta for this recipe, which works so well with the sauce. Save your larger shells to stuff with ricotta, and save your smaller shells for soup – a nice medium shell is just right.  This gluten free shell pasta is perfect for those avoiding wheat.
• Zucchini: this is the true “secret sauce” ingredient in the secret sauce. I roast zucchini, and blend it with unsweetened almond milk to make a thick, creamy, flavorful sauce. Its pure planty magic. Roasting the zucchini brings out a natural sweetness and gives the sauce an amazing depth of flavor.
• Onion: Along with the zucchini above, gets roasted and blended in the sauce.
• Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
• Garlic Salt: for a little extra flavor than traditional salt.  I like to use this garlic salt in my savory Italian dishes for that extra kick.
• Garlic Powder: Also a major pantry staple ingredient that get used in our house daily! I love this garlic powder and add it to a lot of recipes that I would use fresh garlic in too.
• Olive Oil: I like to use this delicious Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry.  For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
• Almond Milk: Plain, unsweetened works perfectly.Y ou can use any variety that you would drink. I prefer almond milk, which Silk has a  shelf-stable version that lasts up to a year in the pantry!
• Nutritional Yeast: not to be confused with bread baking yeast, nutritional yeast has a cheesy nutty umami flavor which is great in all kinds of dishes – I even sprinkle it on fresh popped pop corn and WOW!  Also great in soups and sauces of all kinds.

How Do I Make These Gluten Free Vegan Garlic Pasta Shells?

Other Healthy & Fresh Pasta Recipes We Love!

Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells

Kelly Jensen

This creamy garlic pasta shells recipe is vegan and gluten free, thanks to healthy roasted vegetables and garlic cooked 4 different ways in this dish!

4.50 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Pasta

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 297 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb shell pasta gluten free
• 15 cloves garlic divided
• 1 sweet onion sliced
• 2 lbs zucchini peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or regular salt
• 2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened soy/nut/rice milk of choice
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

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Instructions

 

• Cook shells according to package instructions, drain and set aside in the pot that the noodles cooked in.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Add 12 cloves of the garlic (saving 3 for later), the onion, and zucchini to the sheet pan. Top with the olive oil, garlic powder, and garlic salt.  Toss well to combine, making sure the vegetables are coated in the spices and oil.  Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, flipping the vegetables halfway through baking.
• When vegetables are finished roasting, add them to a high speed blender with the remaining 3 cloves of raw garlic, soy milk, and the nutritional yeast.  Blend until a thick and creamy sauce forms.
• Pour sauce over the shell pasta in the pot,  and heat on low heat until warmed through.  Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 11gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 241mgPotassium: 532mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 228IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Creamy Garlic Pasta Sauce, Creamy Garlic Pasta Shells, Creamy Garlic Shells, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce, Vegan Creamy Shells Recipe

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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!