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    Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free

    The Best Rich & Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

    Modified: Aug 24, 2024 • Published: Mar 8, 2021 by Dr. Erin Carter • This post may contain affiliate links • 7 Comments

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    This vegan sun-dried tomato pasta recipe is so rich and creamy! With a delicious cashew cream sauce that's taken over the top with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and given a cheesy flavour with nutritional yeast, this dish is the ultimate easy to make healthy comfort food.

    A pan of vegan sun-dried tomato pasta garnished with fresh parsley and a spoon in it.
    Table of Contents
    • Why you will love this recipe: 
    • Key ingredients and substitutions: 
    • How to make this recipe:
    • Top Tips:
    • Recipe variations and add ins:
    • How to serve:
    • How to store:
    • Frequently asked questions:
    • Other vegan recipes you'll love:
    • Recipe

    Why you will love this recipe: 

    • This dairy free sun-dried tomato pasta sauce is so rich and creamy and has the most delicious flavour! It's a dish the whole family will love.
    • This vegan pasta recipe is so simple, quick and easy to make and is ready in under 20 minutes.
    • This homemade vegan sun dried tomato and spinach pasta makes great leftovers and stores well in the fridge so it's perfect for meal prep.
    • This plant based pasta freezes really well. 
    • It's made in one pan so the clean up is so quick and easy!
    • Besides being vegan this pasta recipe is healthy, dairy free, vegetarian, Whole30 compliant and paleo. It can easily be made gluten free too.
    • It's made with no milk, no cream and no cheese and instead uses cashews, nutritional yeast and coconut milk to give the sauce that perfect cheesy flavor and creamy texture. 

    If you love pasta recipes you will also love veggie pesto pasta!

    Key ingredients and substitutions: 

    The full ingredient list is found in the recipe card, but some of the ingredient highlights include:

    • Raw cashews - these form the base of the delicious creamy sauce on this pasta. Cashews are a great way to replace heavy cream in recipes while keeping it dairy free and milk free. I recommend using raw cashews rather than roasted cashews to make the silky-smooth sauce on this pasta recipe.
    • Full fat coconut milk - to give the sauce a rich, creamy flavour. Be sure to use full fat and not low fat coconut milk for the richest sun dried tomato sauce. You could use another plant-based milk such as unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk instead. 
    • A jar of sun dried tomatoes -  this is used to add that delicious sun dried tomato flavour to this pasta sauce. You will use the whole jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes so you won't have to worry about what to do with any leftover sundried tomatoes. 
    • Spinach - baby spinach adds some delicious dark green veggies to this vegan sun dried tomato pasta sauce, plus it adds a beautiful green color to this dish. I use frozen spinach for making this pasta dish but you could use fresh spinach as well.  
    • Nutritional yeast -this gives the sauce a cheesy flavour, without the dairy!
    • Garlic - fresh garlic helps give this pasta so much flavour.
    • Onion - you can use any type of onion that you like to flavour this pasta dish including white onion, yellow onion, red onion or sweet onion.
    • Seasonings - sea salt, ground black pepper and Italian seasoning all combine perfectly to give this pasta the most delicious flavour.

    How to make this recipe:

    Step one:

    First, prepare the pasta according to the package directions on the box.

    Cooked pasta draining in a colander.

    Step two:

    While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce by placing all the ingredients into your high-speed blender and blending well until smooth.

    The ingredients needed to make a creamy sun dried tomato pasta sauce in a blender.

    Step three:

    Once the pasta is cooked and drained, transfer the cooked pasta to a large pan, large skillet or large pot on the stovetop on low-medium heat and pour the sauce over top of the noodles and stir well to combine.

    Cooked noodles in a pan topped with a red cream sauce.

    Step four:

    Lastly, add the frozen spinach and olives to the pan and heat everything together for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the sauce is warm. Then serve and enjoy!

    A pan full of sun dried tomato pasta with spinach and black olives on top.

    Top Tips:

    • If you like a thinner sauce, add a little extra water, vegetable broth or coconut milk. You could even save some of the pasta water for this.
    • You can use any type of pasta noodles that you prefer for this recipe including chickpea pasta, whole wheat pasta, lentil pasta, brown rice pasta, or cassava pasta.
    • This recipe makes 8 servings, so feel free to cut it in half if you want less, or you can easily save any leftover pasta to eat later on those busy weeknights when you don't have time to cook. 
    • If you don't have a high speed blender you could blend the sauce in a large food processor.
    • Stir the pasta regularly when it's in the pan so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

    Recipe variations and add ins:

    • If you don't like olives omit them from the recipe.
    • To make this recipe Whole30 compliant: use Whole30 friendly noodles such as zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles or carrot noodles.
    • Feel free to add other vegetables such as bell peppers, cauliflower or broccoli.
    • To make this recipe gluten free: use gluten-free pasta noodles.
    • To make this recipe paleo: use paleo friendly noodles such as Jovial food grain free noodles, zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles or carrot noodles.
    • If you want the sauce to have a little heat add some red pepper flakes to it.
    • If you prefer a stronger garlic flavour add an extra 1-2 garlic cloves. 

    How to serve:

    This pasta recipe is best served warm rather than cold. You can serve this creamy pasta on its own or with a side kale and apple salad, garlic bread, or biscuits with almond flour. You could make this pasta look even more delicious by topping it with some fresh herbs such as fresh basil before serving. 

    How to store:

    Store any leftover pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This pasta also freezes really well for up to 3 months.

    Pasta noodles covered in a creamy sun-dried tomato sae garnished with fresh parsley and a spoon in it.

    Frequently asked questions:

    Where do you find sun-dried tomatoes in the grocery store?

    The jarred sun dried tomatoes are normally located in the same isle as olives and canned vegetables.

    What if I'm allergic to cashews?

    I would try using pine nuts instead.

    What can I use instead of coconut milk?

    I would use cashew milk or almond milk. If you tolerate grains oat milk would also be a great option.

    Is this sun-dried tomato sauce paleo?

    Yes this recipe its paleo and dairy free.

    Is this a Whole30 sun-dried tomato sauce?

    Yes it is.

    Other vegan recipes you'll love:

    • Carrot Chili Dip
    • Healthy Apple Pie Bars
    • Dairy Free Spinach and Artichoke Dip
    • Walnut Dressing
    • Turtle Cookie Bars

    Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star rating before you go!

    Recipe

    Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

    This vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is so rich and creamy. You'll love how easy it is to make and how delicious the cashew cream sauce is.
    4.92 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 533kcal
    Author: Dr. Erin Carter

    Equipment

    • Vitamix blender
    • Skillet or pan

    Ingredients

    • 16 oz pasta of choice
    • 1 can sliced black olives, drained
    • 300 grams fresh or frozen spinach

    Sauce Ingredients

    • 2-3 cups water (depending on how thick or think you like your sauce)
    • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
    • 1 cup raw cashews
    • 300 gram jar or bottle of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
    • 1 small white onion, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box.
    • While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce by placing all the ingredients into your Vitamix or other high speed blender and blending well until smooth.
    • Once the pasta is cooked and drained, transfer it to a large pan and pour the sauce over top and stir well to combine.
    • Add the frozen spinach and olives and heat everything together for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the sauce is warm.

    Notes

    1. If you like a thinner sauce, add a little extra water or coconut milk.
    2. If you don't like olives omit them from the recipe.
    3. Feel free to add other vegetables such as bell peppers, cauliflower or broccoli.
    4. Store this pasta in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1046mg | Potassium: 1198mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4201IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @pureandsimpleno or tag #pureandsimpleno!

    DISCLAIMERS: The statements made on this website have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You assume full responsibility for how you use this information. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making any diet or lifestyle changes. This post may contain affiliate links whereby if you purchase these products I receive a small percentage of the sale price. This allows me to keep the blog running and I thank you for allowing me to do that!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pam

      June 13, 2021 at 2:00 pm

      Very very good!!! Must try!5 stars

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        July 31, 2021 at 3:17 pm

        I'm so thrilled you love it!!!

        Reply
    2. Stacy

      May 30, 2021 at 8:03 pm

      This was amazing! Drinkable. I served it on zoodles with chicken sweet potato meatballs and everyone gobbled it!

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        May 31, 2021 at 2:13 pm

        Oh I'm so glad you loved it!!!

        Reply
    3. Kristie

      May 10, 2021 at 5:03 pm

      Mmmmmm yummy!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Ramya

      March 08, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      Will be making soon but without olives as am not a big fan of them i love pasta sooooooooooo much will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya

      Reply
      • Erin Carter

        March 13, 2021 at 4:36 pm

        I hope you love it!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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    Hi everyone!

    My name is Dr. Erin Carter and I am so thrilled you are here. I am a physician with specialties in both internal medicine and rheumatology, and I believe that food and healthy living are forms of medicine. In my spare time I share health information and delicious, healthy recipes here on Pure and Simple Nourishment.

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