Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
on Oct 13, 2023, Updated Aug 13, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links.
This 30-minute vegan sun-dried tomato pasta recipe is easy to make and packed with flavour!
In just half an hour, you’ll have a delicious bowl of pasta that’s creamy, satisfying and perfect any day of the week. Big on flavour and low on effort, this recipe is sure to become a few family favorite.
The silky-smooth sauce is made from cashews and sun-dried tomatoes for a delicious creamy texture and subtly sweet, tangy and robust flavour.
It’s perfect for busy weeknights or you can serve with garlic bread or any crusty bread and vegan kale caesar salad or mediterranean kale salad for a special meal.
For more creamy pasta recipes, try this creamy spinach and tomato pasta or vegan carbonara. For super easy vegan pasta, this vegan one pot pasta is always a hit. For a baked pasta recipe, check out this vegan baked ziti with tofu ricotta.
Ingredient Notes
- Cashews: Use plain, raw cashews with no added oil or salt.
- Pasta: The recipe calls for bowtie pasta but you can use any variety of pasta you like, such as penne pasta, fusilli, spaghetti, linguine, rotini, fettuccini, etc.
- Onion: White onion, yellow onion or even shallot is suitable.
- Sun Dried Tomato: Use a jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Drain them before use but reserve the oil for cooking the onion and garlic. You can keep the rest of the oil for another use or discard it. If you’re looking for another sun dried tomato recipe, this Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad Recipe is easy and so delicious.
- Lemon: You’ll need a whole lemon for the juice and lemon zest.
- Kale: You can use any variety of kale or substitute spinach. For convenience, packaged baby spinach works great. Just toss in a few handfuls when you add the pasta. Extra kale? Try it in kale and cauliflower soup or this kale chickpea stir fry recipe.
- Fresh Herbs: Optional but fresh parsley or fresh basil are lovely for serving. This vegan parmesan cheese or vegan ricotta is also tasty on top.
Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list with measurements.
Variations & Additions
- Alfredo Sauce: If you don’t want a rose cream sauce, do not add half the sun dried tomatoes to the blender. Only use the lemon, water and cashews.
- Need a gluten-free recipe? No problem! Just swap the pasta for your choice of gluten-free pasta such as chickpea pasta, brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta.
- Need a nut-free recipe? Substitute 1 cup of canned coconut milk for the cashews and water. I think you could do white beans too for a low-fat nut-free option, like in this roasted red pepper pasta recipe, though I haven’t tried it myself.
- Need an oil-free recipe? Use water instead of oil to cook the onion and garlic and use rehydrated sun dried tomatoes instead of tomatoes packed in oil.
- This vegan parmesan recipe is yummy for serving over top.
- Mushrooms: To add mushroom to this recipe, add up to 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms with the onion and garlic.
- Other Additions: Other ingredients that work well in this recipe are cherry tomatoes, capers, olives, roasted red peppers or artichokes hearts. These would be added when you add the kale.
- You can substitute 1 tsp Italian seasoning for the dried oregano if needed.
- Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy, nutty flavour to the sauce or you can sprinkle it over top when serving.
- To serve with sausage for added protein, brown your choice of plant-based sausage in the pan before starting the onion and garlic. Once browned, remove from the pan, then add back in when you add the kale.
- You can add 1 tbsp tomato paste to the cream sauce for more depth of flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Place the cashews in a heat-proof bowl and cover with 1.5 cups of boiling water. Let them soak for 10 minutes. While you wait, start bringing a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop and prepare the lemon zest, onion, garlic and kale.
Step 2: Add the cashews and soaking water to a blender with roughly half of the sun-dried tomatoes, the lemon zest, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until very smooth
Step 3: Cook the pasta.
Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
Important Step: Before draining the pasta, scoop off 2 cups of the pasta water and set aside.
Step 4: Once the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of the reserved oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the remaining sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and chili flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Add the tomato cream sauce from the blender and stir to combine.
Step 6: Finally, add the pasta and kale, mix well, then slowly start adding the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time while stirring. Cook for another few minutes until you have a thick creamy consistency.
Serve your pasta with fresh basil or parsley and fresh cracked black pepper.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you prefer you can use sun dried tomatoes from a bag but you’ll need to rehydrate them before use.
To use them, place them in a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight and then drain before using in the recipe.
Yes, I would definitely recommend it. If you want to save the extra 10 minutes and prep them in advance, then can be soaked for a few hours up to overnight.
It’s ok to store up to 5 days but it thickens up a lot as the pasta absorbs the sauce. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The pasta is best fresh when it’s nice and creamy. If you won’t be eating it all in one sitting, consider halving the recipe.
Reheat the pasta in the microwave or add to a pan and stir in a little milk, water or broth to adjust the consistency.
You could use coconut milk in this recipe instead of cashews. Use a can of full-fat coconut milk to replace the cashews and 1.5 cups of water.
Cooking Tips
- If you forgot to save some sun-dried tomato oil or are using dehydrated sun dried tomatoes, you can use extra virgin olive oil. For an oil-free recipe, you can use water and rehydrated sun dried tomatoes instead of the jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
- To save an extra 10 minutes, prepare the cashews in advance and soak for a few hours up to overnight.
- Cook the pasta al dente or even slightly undercooked as they’ll continue cooking when you add them to the sauce.
- Don’t forget to save some of the pasta water when you drain the pasta. The starchy water is perfect for adding creaminess to finish the dish.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews, 75 g
- 1.5 cups boiling water, 375 mL
- 210 mL jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (1 cup)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 7.5 cup bowtie pasta, 510 g
- 1 tbsp oil reserved from sun dried tomatoes, or olive oil (15 mL)
- 1 medium white onion, diced (1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated (15 g)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 2 cup kale, tough stems removed and roughly chopped or torn (50 g)
- 2 cup pasta water, 500 mL
- ¼ cup parsley or basil, finely chopped, optional for serving
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soak the Cashews: Place raw cashews in a bowl, and cover with the boiling water. Let the cashews soak for 10 minutes. While you wait, start bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop and chopping up the kale.
- Drain Sun Dried Tomatoes: Drain the sun dried tomatoes well, reserving some of the oil for cooking later.
- Prepare the Cashew Cream: Add the cashews and water to a blender along with the lemon zest, lemon juice and half of the sun dried tomatoes. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Cook Pasta: Cook bowtie pasta al dente according to package instructions. Once cooked, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Cook Onion & Garlic: Once the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of the reserved tomato oil (or olive oil) over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add Herbs & Remaining Tomatoes: Add sun-dried tomatoes, chilli flakes and oregano. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add Cashew Cream: Add the cashew cream, stir well and cook for another minute.
- Add Pasta and Kale: Stir in the cooked pasta and kale.
- Slowly Add Pasta Water: Slowly start adding the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at at time until you reach a smooth, thick and creamy consistency over 2-3 minutes. You may or may not use the full 2 cups depending on the consistency you’d like.
- Serve: Divide the pasta evenly between bowls and serve with chopped parsley or basil and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
Delicious and easy to make! Added mushrooms and nutritional yeast. Whole family enjoyed it, thank you! How do you recommend making it even creamier?
So flavorful! Used half the crushed red pepper but it still had zip! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
Yum! Really enjoyed this pasta. Pretty quick and easy to make but it felt a bit fancy.