Vegan Rasta Pasta

Rasta Pasta has just about every flavor going on, and they all surprisingly work together to make a mildly spicy, creamy, cheesy pasta dish that gives you room to get creative with additional add-ins. It’s a Jamaican inspired fusion dish (more on that in a minute) that is typically served with chicken or shrimp, heavy cream, and dairy cheese. This recipe is a vegan recreation that I have to pat myself on the back for because it’s really good.

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So. Rasta Pasta. What is it?

Starting in the early 1900s, and, moreso after WWII, Jamaicans emigrated to the UK, Canada, and the US where there was the possibility for work. opportunities. Most emigrated to New York, where there is now a whole Jamaican diaspora community, but others settled in Florida, Texas, and other gulf states. As more and more Jamaican communities were created, restaurants followed to cater to Jamaican cuisine and flavors. Interestingly enough, there isn’t one Jamaican cuisine because as a culture it’s a blend of so many culinary backgrounds and peoples. Over the years Jamaican flavors fused with popular Western ones and dishes like Rasta Pasta were created! This recipe is a great example of the diversity in Jamaican cuisine, because it has pretty much everything going on. Jamaica has a really interesting history and if you have a little bit of time you should read through this article to get more information.

From eater.com: “Today in New York City, one relatively newer Jamaican dish, rasta pasta, an Italian-meets-Jamaican dish of penne pasta topped with seasoned vegetables, fish, or meat, has spread in the diaspora. The credit goes to chef Lorraine Washington, who first placed ackee on pasta at her restaurant in Negril, Jamaica, in 1985. The food has no relation to Rastafarian culture, but you can now find rasta pasta on menus in Toronto and New York.”

First things first. You need a Jerk Seasoning. I blended my own but you could buy one. I like to make my own blend because then I can control amounts, heat, sweet, etc. Here’s what I mixed and it’s enough for 4 recipes worth of Rasta Pasta.

Jerk Seasoning Blend

• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (necessary and don’t substitute)
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika (can use regular but smoked is best)
• 2 teaspoons cayenne powder (can skip if you don’t want heat)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice (integral to Jamaican cuisine)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together well. Using a mortar and pestle is best so that it’s fully blended. Using a spice grinder would blend it together too much and break down the thyme. Store in a spice jar, mason jar, or anything that is air-tight.

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Now that you have the jerk seasoning blend you’re all set to make this pasta dish! I’m excited for you.

I used Butler’s Soy Curls as the protein and I prepped it to have a slight shrimp flavor/aroma. You could season your soy curls with poultry seasoning and apple cider vinegar if you want a chicken flavor. Or you could skip the additional seasoning and use the cooking spices in the recipe. If you want to sub out the soy curls, I know it’s hard to find them, you could use tofu, seitan, my buddy Lacey’s “Chickwheat,” or any other protein. You need some kind of protein though because, well, nutrition, but also that’s the carrier for the other seasonings that will blend into the dish.

I love soy curls because they are single ingredient, great source of plant based protein, Butler makes them with non-GMO soybeans, they are wicked easy to use, and you can flavor them however you want! I encourage you to buy directly from them instead of a middle-man like Amazon. They are a wonderful company and when I jokingly put into my order comment “Do you have any t-shirts” they called me and apologized because they didn’t have my size but wondered if a hat would be okay. WHO DOES THAT?!? I was blown away by that customer service. Great product. Great company. Just buy their stuff.

Rasta Pasta comes together fast so it’s important to have everything ready and measured before you start cooking. Waiting for the water to boil for the noodles is a great time to prep spices and cut veggies. This really goes for any cooking that you’ll do, but a quick sauce like this that’s done over fairly high heat needs to have spices and then liquids ready to incorporate so that things don’t scorch. “Mise en place” (putting in order) as the French would say.

There are so many brands of vegan cheese now. They will all work well in this recipe since it’s a cheesy cream sauce. Forager just came out with a shredded cheese line and they all melt great and have a good flavor. For my recipe I used their new Parmesan and Jack. You could use a pepperjack cheese, but I didn’t want to take away from the spices I was using in this recipe. You could use more mozzarella, cheddar cheese, or really any that don’t have an overpowering flavor. Stay away from cheddar cheeses that are vibrantly orange because it’ll make your Rasta Pasta look kind weird. There are a few brands that don’t go overboard with coloring: Parmela, Vevan, and GoodPlanet.

Let’s get cooking! Here are some of the steps and what they should look like as you progress through the recipe. Like I said earlier, this dish comes together fast so it’s important to a have everything ready to go once you’re ready to start.

These soy curls have been soaked in the kelp powder, drained, and then tossed with the seasoning. You can chop them up or leave them in bigger pieces. The more you cook them the more firm they will be. You can eat them right after they have been rehydrated, but they are much better in texture if you’ve cooked them for a bit. I prefer to cook them without oil so that you cook out some of the moisture but a little oil will give them a little crispness.

For a recipe like this where peppers are meant to add some texture and flavor I like to keep them in bigger pieces. They also add color to your dish! It’s also key to not overcook them since they will get some more cooking while they simmer in the sauce. This stage is just to sweat them a little to get out more flavor and to lightly char a bit for both aesthetics and flavor.

Sauce step part one with half the coconut milk and half the cheese. I prefer to add the milk and cheese in stages so that you don’t get a big clump of cheese that doesn’t melt. I think it also speeds up the cooking since you’re not shocking the pan with a lot of cold all at once. Actually, that’s pretty brilliant and I need to patent that thought. Ya. I’m a genius.

Close up shot of that cream sauce on the noods. Kitchen overhead light so the color is super blah, but it’s got a pleasant gold color that you’ll see better in the real pictures. It’s not overly creamy and some of that liquid gets into the penne and soaked up by them too.

All done and ready to eat! I did pop the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes but that’s just because I like some of the noodles to have that slight crunch and dried out tips for texture. But look at those colors! Once you stir it you’ll get more creaminess, but this is the pan right out from under the broiler.

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