This delicious Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta is full of flavor and ready in under 30 minutes. A cashew cream sauce keeps it oil-free. The perfect weeknight meal!
How to Make WFPB Vegan Cream Sauce
Traditional cream sauces often use refined flour, heavy dairy cream, butter, and other unhealthy ingredients. Not only are these loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, they also come from the environmentally-destructive dairy industry. However, it’s quite easy to make a whole foods, plant-based vegan cream sauce.
What’s the secret to vegan cream sauce? Soaked cashews!
Soaking raw whole cashews in water softens them. This allows you to puree them into a creamy sauce. Raw cashews have a rich, luscious flavor that allows them to hold up well in vegan versions of creamy sauces and dressings. They provide a blank canvas to add all kinds of flavors. I use raw cashews to create Oil-Free Miso Cashew Asian Sauce, Raw Chipotle Cashew Dressing, and Cinnamon Cashew Cream.
Be sure to use “Raw” cashews NOT “Roasted” to keep the flavors neutral. Roasted nuts have a stronger, more pronounced nutty flavor, making them more potent in sauces.
How do I soak cashews?
Soaking cashews is as simple as water. There are two ways to soak cashews:
- Overnight: You can soak your cashews overnight in the fridge. Simply place the cashews in a bowl or bpa-free container. Cover with a few inches of tap water. Set in the fridge overnight and …voila! You can also do this in the morning; you just need 4-6 hours for the cashews to soak.
- Quick Soak: If you didn’t soak your cashews in advance, you can do a quick soak. For this, you’ll need to heat your water to a boil (a tea kettle or the micorwave work great). Pour the boiling water over the cashews and cover by a few inches. Let soak for at least 10 minutes. If you do this first, you can get all your other ingredients ready (boiling pasta, sauteing veggies, etc) while the cashews soak.
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe
This simple recipe for Oil-Free Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pesto only requires a few ingredients. You’ll need:
- Cremini Mushrooms: These are small, brown mushrooms, sometimes also called baby bellas or brown button
- Dried Basil and Thyme: Classic Italian herbs that add essential, simple flavors. You can substitute with an Italian seasoning mix
- Capers: Capers are a briny, salty condiment found in Italian cuisine. A little goes a long way. You can find them in the pickle aisle or with Italian ingredients.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Look for tomatoes that are dry-packed, not the ones packed in oil. If oil-packed is your only option, drain and thoroughly rinse the tomatoes under running water to rinse off the oil
- Baby Spinach: I love adding bagged baby spinach to recipes. You can also use a bundle of leaf spinach, baby kale, baby arugula, or other dark greens.
- Whole Grain Pasta: From chickpea pasta to GF brown rice pasta to lupini bean and whole wheat pasta, there are soooo many healthy pastas to choose from. Check the label for whole ingredients and avoid traditional white pasta. You’ll also want a squiggly shape for this recipe: penne, curly mac, shells, rotini, or something similar
- Raw Cashews:
- Nutritional Yeast: This plant-based ingredient is a vegan superstar, replacing cheese in many dairy-free recipes
- Fresh Basil: A must-have for this. Adds a pop of bright, fresh flavor.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
Use Raw Cashews: Raw cashews provide a neutral flavor and a blank canvas for adding herbs like basil, thyme, and red chili.
Make Ahead: You can meal-prep this recipe on the weekend. Simple, boil the pasta, saute the veggies, and make your garlic cream sauce. Package everything separately. Then, reheat everything together in a large pan when you’re ready to eat.
Other Uses: Besides pasta, this Vegan Creamy Garlic Sauce is great for other recipes. Use is as a sauce on pizza, layer it into a lasagna, use as a dip for flatbread, or drizzle some into your tofu scramble.
Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
You’ll love this recipe for Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta! It’s
- Hearty and Satisfying
- Oil-Free, Plant-Based
- Gluten-Free Adaptable
- Ready in Under 30 Minutes
- Great for Weeknight Dinner
- Full of Classic Italian Flavors
Pin It to Save It:
Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
For the Veggies:
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake to taste
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes NOT packed in oil, chopped
- 2 10-ounce bags baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
For the Pasta:
- 12 ounces whole grain pasta penne, curly mac, shells, rotini, or other squiggly shape
For the Cashew Cream Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups about 6 ounces raw cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour (or overnight in the fridge)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried garlic granules or garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/4 cups 12 ounces water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the pasta: Get a medium pot of a water boiling over high heat. While that is coming to a boil, you can prepare your veggies and sauce.
- For the Veggies: Heat a wide saute pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring often, until brown around the edges, 7-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, dried basil, dried thyme, and crushed red pepper. Saute 30 seconds, until aromatic.
- Add the capers, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and 1/2 cup of water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 more minutes, stirring often. Once the spinach is wilted, turn the heat down as low as possible. You can make your pasta and sauce.
- For the pasta: Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook according to the package instructions. Check to make sure the pasta is done, but it still is “al dente”…it should still have a bite.
- While the pasta boils, make your sauce. In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients. Puree utnil smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed.
- When the past is down, drain well. Transfer to the saute pan that has the veggies. Add the Garlic Cashew Sauce. Stir and cook over low heat, combining until everything is coated in the sauce.
- Add the fresh chopped basil. Taste to adjust seasoning. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts for Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 636 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 25 g | 38 % |
| Saturated Fat 3 g | 17 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 10 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 394 mg | 16 % |
| Potassium 2291 mg | 65 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 80 g | 27 % |
| Dietary Fiber 15 g | 58 % |
| Sugars 7 g | |
| Protein 36 g | 73 % |
| Vitamin A | 11 % |
| Vitamin C | 69 % |
| Calcium | 25 % |
| Iron | 55 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping List
- The Spice Way Basil Leaves
- Sincerely Nuts Sun Dried Julienne Tomatoes
- NOW Nutritional Yeast Flakes
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