Creamy Vegan Pasta with Veggies

5 from 13 votes

Creamy Vegan Pasta with Veggies

The best creamy vegan pasta with veggies! Made with 10 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes. It will be your new go-to plant-based meal for an easy and comforting weeknight dinner. And it packs 17 grams of plant-based protein, fiber, and healthy fats for a well-balanced meal the whole family can get behind.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword creamy vegan pasta, pasta with veggies, vegan pasta, veggie pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 495kcal

Author Kelly

Ingredients

Vegan Pasta

8 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups broccoli florets (250 grams)
1 heaping up red bell pepper, julienne (150 grams/1 large)
1 heaping cup sliced mushrooms (100 grams/about 5-6 mushrooms)
1 14-ounce can quartered artichokes, drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (150 grams)
salt and pepper, to taste
for serving: basil, parmesan cheese, bread

Vegan Creamy Pasta Sauce

1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
3/4-1 cup raw cashews, soaked* (I like to use whole cashews)

Instructions

Soak cashews. Add cashews to a bowl with water and soak overnight, or for at least 4 hours. If you forget (which I do a lot), you can just add them to a bowl, cover them with water, and microwave them for 1-2 minutes until soft. Soaking them in water allows them to soften up and makes for easy blending.
Cook pasta according to the instructions. When draining, reserve 2 tablespoons (or more depending on your preference) of pasta water.
Make the sauce. Add the pasta sauce and cashews* (make sure to drain them) to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Make the veggies. When the water is almost boiling for the pasta, you'll start making the veggies. Add oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium and let it get hot, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Assemble. Drain pasta, saving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. Add artichokes, cooked pasta, 2 tablespoons of pasta water, and the cashew sauce to the pan. Mix well to combine and let warm through, about 1-2 minutes. If needed, add more pasta water to thin out the sauce. Add cherry tomatoes and carefully mix to combine.
Serve and enjoy! Top with basil and enjoy!

Notes

*you can use 3/4 or 1 cup of cashews in the pasta sauce in this recipe depending on how thick you like your sauce. Both will give you a creamy sauce, but the 1 cup will yield a thicker result. I personally prefer using 3/4 cups, but it up to you! You can also adjust the amount of pasta water to make it more or less thick.

Nutrition