Creamy Vegan Pink Pasta (30 Minutes!)
Creamy, cheesy, savory, and PINK vegan pasta! A quick and easy, plant-based, and oh-so-comforting side or main. Just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes required!
Servings 5 (Servings)
Ingredients
PASTA
- Water for boiling
- 1 Tbsp salt (for seasoning the water)
- 12 ounces pasta of choice (penne is best here // gluten-free as needed // we like Jovial brand)
SAUCE
- 3/4 cup raw cashews*
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (if oil-free, sub water and use more as needed)
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (4-5 cloves yield ~3 Tbsp minced)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup water (plus more for soaking cashews)
FOR SERVING optional
- Freshly chopped basil
- Vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add 3/4 cup cashews (90 g // adjust amount if altering batch size) to a bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Set aside to soak.
- For the pasta, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Heat a large rimmed skillet (or large pot) over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions and cook until tender — about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking until fragrant — about 30 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue simmering for 10 minutes or until thickened.
- When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and stir to prevent clumps. Cook to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) of pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Drain cashews and add them to a high-speed blender with nutritional yeast and 1 cup (240 ml // adjust amount if altering batch size) of water. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- To the tomato sauce, add cashew mixture and stir to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until it becomes a thick but pourable sauce. Taste and adjust, adding more tomato paste for tomato flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, red pepper flakes for heat, or salt for overall flavor.
- Add drained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. It should be quite saucy and well coated. Serve warm and garnish with fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese (optional).
- Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Sauce can be frozen up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*If cashew-free, you can sub full-fat coconut milk for the cashews and water, but sauce will have a slight coconut flavor.
*Adapted from Female Foodie.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 12 ounces rice-based gluten-free penne and 1/4 tsp salt in the pasta water (since the full tablespoon isn’t absorbed into the pasta), and without optional ingredients.
*Adapted from Female Foodie.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 12 ounces rice-based gluten-free penne and 1/4 tsp salt in the pasta water (since the full tablespoon isn’t absorbed into the pasta), and without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 5 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 458 Carbohydrates: 70.6 g Protein: 11.9 g Fat: 16.2 g Saturated Fat: 2.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 8.6 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 634 mg Potassium: 542 mg Fiber: 6.1 g Sugar: 7.2 g Vitamin A: 259 IU Vitamin C: 12.6 mg Calcium: 54 mg Iron: 3.7 mg