Vegan Creamy Tomato Cheese Pasta. Delicious pasta tossed in a simple dairy-free tomato cheese sauce. A quick and simple pasta recipe ready in less than 30 minutes.
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This Vegan Creamy Tomato Cheese Pasta is made of penne pasta coated in a cheesy tomato sauce that is also dairy-free, thanks to the homemade cashew cream! This serves well as a main course or side dish. It's also one of my favourite pasta recipes when I’m looking for a quick weeknight meal as it's made with simple ingredients. I've made this numerous times for my husband who loves a good plant-based meal and it's his favourite too!
Ingredients
You will need the below ingredients for this pasta dish:
- Penne rigate pasta: this is highly recommended as the edges on the pasta really hold onto the sauce. Or replace with fusilli pasta or rotini pasta.
- Marinara sauce: or a good quality tomato basil sauce that you enjoy
- Vegan cheddar cheese: make sure to use a good quality vegan cheese that you would actually eat.
- Fresh basil leaves: this adds a wonderful aroma to our pasta dish that you can't get with dried basil flakes
- Fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cashew Cream
- Raw cashews: you could substitute with the roasted kind but it will take longer to soak in the hot water
- Boiling hot water: it must be boiling hot
How to make Tomato Cheese Pasta
- Add cashews and hot boiling water into a blender. Allow this to soak for 5 minutes. Then blend into a smooth liquid.
- Boi pasta until Al-dente according to package instructions, approximately 11 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and sauté garlic slices until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Then mix in marinara sauce and homemade cashew cream. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a rolling simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes covered.
- Add in strained pasta and cheddar cheese slices and mix until the cheese melts into the sauce. Once combined, toss in fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Leftover pasta will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.
Other pasta recipes you may like!
- Creamy Tomato Zucchini Pasta
- Kimchi Cream Pasta
- Dairy-free Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Tomato Garlic Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Sage Pasta
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Vegan Creamy Tomato Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 500 grams pasta penne rigate
- 640 ml marinara sauce
- 2 slices cheddar cheese vegan kind
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 500 ml hot boiling water
Instructions
- Add cashews and hot boiling water into a blender. Allow this to soak for 5 minutes. Then blend into a smooth liquid.
- Boi pasta until Al-dente according to package instructions, approximately 11 minutes. Strain and set aside.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and sauté garlic slices until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- Then mix in marinara sauce and homemade cashew cream. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a rolling simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes covered.
- Add in strained pasta and cheddar cheese slices and mix until the cheese melts into the sauce. Once combined, toss in fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Mark
Really good, simple and easy. Just make sure to follow the instructions and use good quality vegan cheese.