Vegan Radicchio Pasta with Smoky Mushrooms & Olives
We’re not joking around with this one- pasta topped with smoky, crispy mushrooms, in a buttery sauce with Kalamata olives topped with vegan parmesan, all contrasting that sharp, bitter sautéed radicchio. Join us in the wonderful world of bitter greens with this vegan radicchio pasta. It will have you craving those dark bitter flavors in no time, and get you all those fantastic health benefits that bitter greens bring.
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Eat Your Bitter Greens! (or purples?)
Just to get this first bit out the way, radicchio is definitely purple, but I’m going to refer to it as a green. It falls in that same category of leafy vegetables, and so while calling it green may sound a little funny, just go with it. In a world where most of our fruits and vegetables have been bred to be sweeter or milder, bitter greens remain to remind us of our plants of yesteryear. Before we coddled our taste buds to enjoy only that which is sweet and mild, vegetables were actually more nutritious- you can read a little bit about how agriculture has lowered plants nutritional values here. But bitter greens remain, less modified from their original wild form. Dandelion greens, arugula, endive all contain some special qualities. They’re high in several vitamins- A, C, E, K, and a few B- multiple minerals, and tons of antioxidants. They’re nutritional powerhouses- you can read about radicchio’s nutritional value here.
Making Bitter More Tasty
Bitter greens are great for you, but the biggest problem lays in the name- they’re bitter, and we have a tough time swallowing that. There are two tips I have for making radicchio and other bitter greens more pleasant. Firstly, eat them more often. As you become used to eating bitter greens, they won’t feel as offensive to your palette- after a while you will probably even find yourself craving them. My second tip might be a little shocking but- salt and fat. I’m sure it blows your mind to know that salt and fat make bitter greens taste better. That’s the approach I took to this pasta dish- I added Kalamata olives, crispy and salty mushrooms, vegan butter, and optional vegan parm, and all those salty, fatty elements really do leave you enjoying the contrast of the bitter radicchio. On the plus side, bitter greens help your liver functioning, which is important for digesting fat, so you should be all set!
Looking For Pasta Recipes? Try one of these!
- Quick Vegan Creamy Pasta with Kale
- Spring Stinging Nettle Pasta with Vegan Parmesan
- Savory Lemon Poppy-Seed Pasta
- Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce
- Spicy Vegan Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style
Making Vegan Radicchio Pasta with Smoky Mushrooms and Kalamata Olives
My first tip for this dish is to use the same large skillet to build the sauce, sauté the vegetables, and eventually mix the pasta. If you don’t, all those flavors will be lost and not build up the same way. Start with some mushrooms that we’ve let marinade in soy sauce, liquid smoke, and brown sugar and cook them in olive oil. We’re essentially making a quick mushroom “fakon” here, that we will get crispy and then set aside for later. Make your pasta, and while it’s cooking get the rest of the sauce going. Sautéed onions and radicchio make up most of the sauce, along with olive oil, vegan butter, and a little bit of pasta water. The starch in the pasta water works to emulsify all the fats in the pan, and brings it together to smoothly coat your noodles. Add some olives, season with salt and pepper, and we’re ready to go! If you want to top with a vegan parmesan, I highly recommend Violife Just Like Parmesan Wedge.
Vegan Radicchio Pasta with Smoky Mushrooms and Kalamata Olives
Ingredients
- 6 oz. cremini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- ½ tsp. liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 10 oz. pasta (campanelle or similar)
- 1 tbsp. vegan butter
- ½ large onion, cut into thin half-moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ head radicchio, cut into thin strips
- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped kalamata olives
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Wash the mushrooms, and chop them into small pieces. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and liquid smoke together in a bowl, and then add the mushrooms, tossing so they are all coated. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, tossing once or twice. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and then add the mushrooms and any remaining soy sauce marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden. Scoop out the mushrooms, leaving behind the extra oil, and set aside.
- At this point bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta as directed on the package. Before straining the water, make sure to set aside ¼ cup of pasta cooking water to add to the sauce.
- Allow the pan to cool a little bit to a medium heat before adding the vegan butter. Let melt, and then add the onion, sautéing until fragrant and translucent. Add the garlic and radicchio, gently cooking down the radicchio. Once the pasta has cooked, add the pasta, ¼ cup pasta water, and balsamic, stirring until it is all coated. Turn off the heat, add the kalamata olives and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Optionally, grate vegan parmesan on top.
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This was my first time cooking with radicchio and this was absolutely delicious — such great flavor combinations!!
I was worried about the bitterness and it was still there, but not really in a negative or overwhelming way (reminiscent of the bitterness experience when you eat a grapefruit).
I’ve been reading about bitters and how good they are for you. I think once you get used to it a bit, you definitely develop a taste for it.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi JL, and thanks for the comment! I’m so glad you liked the pasta. We’ve also been eating more bitter foods, and they are definitely something you aquire a taste for. If you want to try an even more bitter option, we have a recipe for bitter melon that is just delightful!