Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce with Pasta

You won’t believe this sun-dried tomato pasta is completely vegan! The decadent, velvety sauce coats the noodles perfectly to create this healthy pasta recipe (yes, pasta can be healthy!). Top this pasta off with fresh basil or parsley for an easy weeknight dinner win!

A warm bowl of pasta is one of the most comforting meals to enjoy no matter what time of year. It’s cozy, comforting, and just makes you feel good. As a Registered Dietitian, I’m here to assure you that pasta can absolutely be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle! Don’t believe me? Check out my recipe for healthy green sauce for pasta – it uses an ENTIRE BAG of spinach.

This vegan creamy sun dried tomato pasta sauce tastes rich and decadent, however, it’s filled with nutritious plant-based ingredients! Most pasta cream sauces call for heavy cream, but this recipe uses cashews to create that thick and creamy texture (which also makes it completely vegan).

The best part? This recipe is quick and easy enough to make on a weeknight. The sauce is made in a blender, with minimal cooking required. In addition to being vegan, this sauce is also gluten free (be sure to use gluten free pasta for a completely gluten free meal).

Ingredients in vegan sun-dried tomato pasta sauce

Here are all the ingredients you need to make this creamy sundried tomato pasta sauce:

• Cashews: raw, unsalted cashews are best.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: packed in oil in a jar. Do not use dry sun-dried tomatoes from a bag.
• White onion
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Celery
• Lemon juice
• Nutritional yeast
• Olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper
• Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish (optional)
• Pasta: I’ve had this pasta sauce with both penne and fettuccine, and both were wonderful!

Best types of pasta to eat with creamy sauces

Long, thick pasta shapes are usually best for thick and creamy sauces. The ample surface area on ribbon-like noodles helps the sauce cling to the pasta evenly. Pasta shapes like fettuccine, pappardelle, linguine, and tagliatelle would all pair nicely with this sun-dried tomato pasta sauce.

Short, tubular pasta shapes are another good choice for this creamy pasta sauce. Shapes such as penne, rigatoni, and ziti are good for holding onto the sauce inside and outside the tube shape.

Cashews nutrition benefits

Cashew nuts pack a big nutritional punch. With their soft texture and mild flavor, cashews are easily blended into a creamy texture with water, making them perfect for creamy vegan recipes, like this one!

A one ounce serving of cashews has plenty of nutritional value:

• 5 grams of plant-based protein
• Rich in healthy fats: 7 grams of heart healthy monounsaturated fat, and 2.2 grams of healthy polyunsaturated fat
• 20% of your daily needs for magnesium
• A good source of other micronutrients, including copper, zinc, selenium, and thiamine

When cooking with cashews for creamy sauces, choose raw, unsalted cashews for best results.

More creamy cashew-based vegan pasta sauces to try: Creamy Rosé Tomato Basil Sauce and Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce Pasta

Sun dried tomatoes nutrition benefits

Sun dried tomatoes are simply fresh tomatoes that have been dried out and lose most of their moisture in the process. Drying tomatoes concentrates their delicious flavor, making it even more potent.

Sun dried tomatoes are rich in these nutrients:

• The antioxidant lycopene, which is linked to reduced risk of heart disease and cancer
• Immune supporting vitamin C, as well as other micronutrients like vitamin A, fotate, and magnesium
• Dietary fiber

Nutritional yeast nutrition benefits

Nutritional yeast is a vegan food product that has a nutty, cheesy flavor. It also has a lot of nutrition benefits! A 1.5 tablespoon serving of nutritional yeast provides:

• 8 grams of plant-based protein
• 3 grams of dietary fiber
• Rich in vitamins and minerals, especially B Vitamins

Nutritional yeast is one of the few plant-based sources of Vitamin B12. If you follow a vegan diet, including fortified nutritional yeast in your daily diet can help prevent vitamin B12 deficiency.

How to make this sun dried tomato sauce with pasta

Soak raw, unsalted cashews in warm water for at least 15 minutes, or overnight.

Chop up onion, celery, and carrots to make a mirepoix. A mirepoix is simply an equal amount of diced carrots, celery, and onion which provides a savory flavor base for meals. Mince the garlic, then saute the mirepoix and garlic together in olive oil on the stovetop. Add salt and peppers, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are softened and fragrant.

While the vegetables cook, prepare the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Reserve ~1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce and help the sauce stick to the pasta noodles.

Make the sauce in the blender

Combine cashews, water, cooked vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, oil, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast in a blender. I used this high powered Vitamix blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, with no chunks remaining.

Strain the pasta, then toss it with sauce and pasta water. Mix until pasta is evenly coated in sauce. Serve immediately with chopped fresh basil or parsley and freshly cracked pepper for garish.

Storing leftover pasta and pasta sauce

This recipe (with pasta) serves 4-6. If you have leftover pasta, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat it in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute and it’s ready to eat again!

Note that this recipe makes a lot of sauce – about 3 cups. In order for the blender to blend properly, we need to add enough water so it blends up smooth and creamy. You can keep leftover sauce in a glass container or jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Try leftover sauce as a spread on sandwiches!

Additionally, you can freeze leftover sauce. Keep it in the freezer for up to three months, and defrost it completely before you use it.

Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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