This creamy vegan pink sauce pasta is a perfect summer meal; it’s totally vegan and decadently splashed with rose! Of course it’s a great excuse for a few glasses of wine while cooking, too. Ready in under an hour!
A comforting bowl of creamy pink sauce pasta
Few things say “special meal” like a pot of velvety pasta, a fresh green salad, and a couple glasses of crisp wine.
Often times, the first thought for any important occasion is to go out to eat. This makes sense! Celebrating at restaurants is a staple in or culture, for good reason. Less work in the kitchen = more time to enjoy with loved ones, right?
In today’s world of meal-delivery kits and services, it is tempting to forego cooking from scratch altogether.
I firmly believe that cooking your own meals can and should be a fun process. While it is not only easier on my waller than going out to eat, cooking at home provides me a real sense of accomplishment. Yes, it is possible to create restaurant-quality meals right at home! Example one: this creamy pink pasta.
Al dente gemelli noodles, a flavorful and bright cream sauce, crunchy broccolini, satisfying chickpeas…this plate really has it all! Would you believe me if I said it can be made in under an hour?
How to make a cream sauce without heavy cream
This is more simple than one may initially think. After soaking cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes, add them to a high-speed blender along with nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice, and a dash of coconut aminos/soy sauce.
This mixture is remarkably similar to cream in taste and lends real body to a red sauce.
Do I have to use rose in the pink sauce?
Nope! This is just what I included, red or white wine also work beautifully. All of the alcohol cooks off while in the pot, so no need to worry about getting tipsy.
Can I substitute other ingredients?
Yep! Per most of my recipes, I like to include a lot of options to flex to your fridge. If you do not have broccolini or kale, I am sure that regular broccoli, green beans, collards, spinach, or chard will all suffice. Any kind of white bean can be used in place of chickpeas, so go with your favorite!
This recipe was inspired by The First Mess and yields a pretty large pot of pasta, which makes it great for leftovers or a large dinner party.
Want more pasta? Try this:
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Pink Sauce Pasta with Cashew Cream
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
Description
This creamy pink sauce pasta is a perfect summer meal; it’s totally vegan and decadently splashed with rose! Of course it’s a great excuse for a few glasses of wine while cooking, too.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cashews
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried basil
- Two 15 oz cans high quality diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup rose wine
- 2 TBS nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce/coconut aminos
- 1 lb short pasta of choice
- large bunches broccolini (or broccoli, green beans, kale, collards, or chard)
- Fresh basil to garnish, Cashew parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Add your cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water to soak for 15 minutes.
- We will next begin sauce. In a large sauce pan, heat 3 TBS olive oil over medium. One hot add onion, stir, and saute for 5 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic, red pepper flakes, a dash of salt and pepper, and 2 tsp dried basil. Stir for 30 seconds more. Add in tomatoes and red wine, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
- While this is simmering, drain now-soaked cashews in a colander. Add to a high-speed blender along with 1 cup water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, soy sauce/aminos, and another few twists of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth (this is our “cream”). Set aside.
- Boil some water for pasta in another large pot. Prepare according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. 3 minutes before finished, add in green veggie of choice (I used broccolini) to cook through. Drain pasta. and set aside.
- Add cashew cream to sauce pot, stirring completely. Remove from heat. Add in pasta with veggies and stir to coat.Serve pink sauce pasta hot with more red pepper flakes, cashew parmesan, and fresh basil.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
