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Vegan red pepper pasta with creamy cashew sauce, rigatoni, roasted tomatoes, and fresh herbs

Vegan Red Pepper Pasta with Creamy Sauce and Tomatoes

Vegan red pepper pasta is a creamy, plant-based pasta dish with a smooth cashew sauce, roasted tomatoes, and fresh herb finishing touches. It is a flavorful and comforting choice for an easy weeknight meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 generous servings
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 563
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 1 lb. rigatoni
Creamy Sauce
  • 1 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 large roasted red pepper (or about 1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Topping
  • 2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
  • olive oil, as needed
  • salt and pepper, as needed
  • chives and basil for topping

Method
 

Cooking
  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
  2. Preheat the broiler. Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Broil for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are deeply roasted.
  3. While the tomatoes cook, blend the cashews, water, roasted red pepper, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt until the sauce is very smooth and creamy.
  4. Combine the blended sauce with the hot cooked pasta after removing it from the heat, stirring until the pasta is evenly coated.
  5. Top the pasta with the roasted tomatoes, chives, basil, and additional salt and pepper as desired before serving.

Notes

The sauce becomes thicker when reheated, so add more water as needed when enjoying leftovers.