Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta

This vegan creamy tomato pasta combines cashew cream, canned diced tomatoes, and fresh basil to create a comforting pasta dinner.  The recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together quickly. 

It starts with a base of onions and garlic, then you cook the tomatoes along with dried basil and oregano for the flavors to develop.  For this dairy-free tomato sauce, you’ll soak cashews and blend them with water to make cashew cream. Then add the simple cashew cream to make the sauce rich and velvety, then finish the dish by topping it with fresh basil.

For more easy weeknight meals try tahini pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, creamy tahini soba noodles, or zesty quinoa salad.

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• Ingredients
• Serving suggestions
• Variations
• Tips
• Instructions
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

Raw cashews - The raw cashews do need to be soaked to soften.  Then they’re blended with water to make a cashew cream for this vegan creamy tomato pasta.  Soak overnight or boil water and pour over the cashews and let them soak for about 15-20 minutes.  

Tomato paste - The tomato paste adds a more rich intense tomato flavor and helps thicken the sauce. 

Diced tomatoes - I like the bites of diced tomatoes, but a can of 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes can be substituted.

Dried basil and dried oregano - Italian seasoning can be substituted for dried basil and dried oregano.

Pasta - Any kind of pasta will work for this vegan creamy tomato sauce.  I like to use rotini, shells, or fusilli, but you can also use spaghetti.

Fresh basil - Finishing off the dish with fresh basil adds a lot of flavor, but it can be skipped if you don’t have any on hand. 

Serving suggestions

Serve the creamy vegan tomato pasta on its own or add a simple salad with dressing like vegan strawberry spinach salad. Or try it with roast vegetables, try it with garlic bread, or serve a simple vegan fruit salad with lime juice for dessert.

Variations

• Try adding fresh spinach or roasted vegetables
• Add a couple of cans of drained white beans
• Top with cashew plant-based parmesan
• Add a pinch of crushed red pepper

Tips

• For more flavorful pasta, generously salt the pasta water.
• If you prefer a thinner cashew tomato pasta sauce or the sauce has thickened too much, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water.  Add as much as you need to thin out the tomato sauce.
• Cook the tomato sauce with the lid on to prevent too much evaporation.  

Instructions

To make this oil-free pasta sauce, preheat a non-stick pan on medium and cook the finely diced onion with a pinch of salt.  Lower the heat and slowly cook the onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add a tablespoon of water at a time if the onions start to stick. (Or cook the onions with a neutral-tasting oil).

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions.  Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the two cans of diced tomatoes, don’t drain them. Stir in the dried basil, dried oregano, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the heat, and cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions in salted water. Blend the soaked cashews with ½ cup of water until smooth. 

Add the cashew cream to the tomato sauce right before adding the cooked pasta.

Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.  Serve with fresh chopped basil.

Related recipes

• Vegan Peanut Noodles
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Vegan Southwest Pasta
• Creamy Tahini Soba Noodles
• Tahini Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes

I hope you enjoy this delicious creamy pasta recipe! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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