Description
A comforting vegan pasta dish featuring creamy cashew sauce, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil, perfect for weeknight dinners and casual gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz dry pasta (penne, rigatoni, or fusilli recommended)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours, then drained
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Vegan parmesan, for garnish (optional)
- Red pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for at least 2 hours, then drain and rinse.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- In a high-speed blender, combine soaked cashews, drained sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, vegetable broth, and olive oil. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer sauce to a saucepan over low-medium heat and warm gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring.
- Stir in nutritional yeast if using, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the creamy sauce until fully coated, adding reserved pasta water if needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil, vegan parmesan, and red pepper flakes.
Notes
For a nut-free version, replace cashews with 1 cup silken tofu and 2 tablespoons tahini. For a lighter sauce, thin with vegetable broth or reserved pasta water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Boiling and Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 74g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 0mg