PinkPasta the Savarab

Creamy, cheesy, savory, and PINK vegan pasta! A quick and easy, plant-based, and oh-so-comforting side or main. Just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes required!

Pasta:

🍝 Water for boiling
🍝 1 Tbsp salt (for seasoning the water)
🍝 12 ounces pasta of choice (penne is best here // gluten-free as needed // we like Jovial brand)

Sauce:

💟 3/4 cup raw cashews*
💟 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (if oil-free, sub water and use more as needed)
💟 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
💟 4-5 cloves garlic, minced (~3 Tbsp minced)
💟 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
💟 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
💟 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
💟 3/4 tsp sea salt
💟 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
💟 1 cup water (plus more for soaking)

For Serving (optional):

💟 Freshly chopped basil
💟 Vegan parmesan cheese


🍝 1. Add 3/4 cup cashews (90 g // adjust amount if altering batch size) to a bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Set aside to soak.

🍝 2. For the pasta, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

🍝 3. Heat a large rimmed skillet (or large pot) over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions and cook until tender — about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking until fragrant — about 30 seconds.

🍝 4. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue simmering for 10 minutes or until thickened.

🍝 5. When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and stir to prevent clumps. Cook to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) of pasta water and drain the pasta.

🍝 6. Drain cashews and add them to a high-speed blender with nutritional yeast and 1 cup (240 ml // adjust amount if altering batch size) of water. Blend until smooth and creamy.

🍝 7. To the tomato sauce, add cashew mixture and stir to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until it becomes a thick but pourable sauce. Taste and adjust, adding more tomato paste for tomato flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, red pepper flakes for heat, or salt for overall flavor.

🍝 8. Add drained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. It should be quite saucy and well coated. Serve warm and garnish with fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese (optional).

🍝 9. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Sauce can be frozen up to 1 month.


💟 If cashew-free, you can sub full-fat coconut milk for the cashews and water, but sauce will have a slight coconut flavor.