This Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta is fast and easy for a weeknight dinner. It is a crowd-pleaser! Just check out this velvet-y creamy texture. This Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta recipe is the perfect way to change up your go-to tomato pasta night. We all have a jar of pasta sauce in the pantry and some dry pasta, yes? Well adding homemade creamy sauce gives that meal a very homemade, from scratch feel. Even though it only takes about twenty minutes from start to finish!
Fellow pasta lovers, give this a try!…
Pasta Night Recipe
This is such a yummy way to change up tomato pasta night. You can use any shape of pasta you’d like. I used rigatoni, and it is probably my favorite shape for this pasta, but everyone has their own pasta shape preferences.
For the tomato sauce, you can grab a jar of your favorite pasta sauce or if you have time, DIY it. This White Bean Tomato Sauce is one of my favorites, and could absolutely be used for this recipe.
My favorite jarred pasta sauce? I have a few faves. But you can never go wrong with Rao’s Marinara or Garlic Marinara. Do you have a fave sauce? I always try to buy organic when possible, but Rao’s is an exception.
Add Other Ingredients…
If you want to get fancy with this pasta, try adding in additional ingredients. Here are a few faves..
- kalamata olives
- vegan sausage
- spinach
- broccoli
- mushrooms
- crumbled tempeh
- white beans
- fresh basil or parsley
- vegan meatballs (I love Gardein)
- roasted veggies (seasonal)
What do you love to add to your pasta? You can absolutely add that to this recipe!
How Does Creamy Tomato Pasta Taste?
Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta basically tastes like a richer version of tomato pasta. The creamy sauce acts sort like a ricotta cheese would in lasagna. It adds a bit of depth and richness – and even a bit of cheesiness too. I usually make my creamy sauce rich in healthy fats from either nuts and seeds or olive oil, so it definitely richens things up.
If you love Alfredo pasta or any sort of creamy pasta, this is a great way to bring that texture and flavor to a tomato base.
I personally just love it because it mixes that tart, acidic zing of bright tomato sauce with the rich and creamy decadence of the cream sauce – similar to a cheese or even heavy cream. I actually used to add Vegenaise to my tomato pasta a loooooong time ago because I loved that creamy accent. Well, this does all that but even better. Oh gosh it is so good, I hope you can try it!
How Cheesy Do You Want it?
You can customize the flavor by adjusting the amounts of the ingredients. You can absolutely add more nooch and cheese and nuts for more nutty cheeziness – earthiness, I would say. Or you can just keep it clean with a salted tofu flavor too if that is your preference. Adding more spices also gives more depth of flavor, if that is desired.
Pasta Brands?
I have to say, I love Semolina Artisanal Pasta. I find it at Whole Foods. They make my fave rigatoni shape. We also buy most of our pasta from Eataly. I love the farro and kamut varieties of pasta.
Alrighty, enough chit chat, lets check out this recipe!
Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Creamy Sauce
- 5 oz tofu, silken
- 2 Tbsp walnuts
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
- 1/8-1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- drizzle olive oil, optional
- 1/2 tsp spices, garlic, chilies, whatever you'd like
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water and add your pasta. While the pasta boils, make your creamy sauce.
- Add to a blender: tofu, walnuts, nutritional yeast, cheese, optional olive oil and start of a few spices. Blend until silky. Taste and add salt to taste. Add more spices to taste as well. I love garlic powder and something spicy.
- Strain out water from pasta pot. Add the tomato sauce and warm together for a few minutes, over medium heat. Lid on, to hold in the moisture.
- You can either add the creamy sauce directly to the pot, or add to individual serving bowls. Once added, stir together the tomato pasta with the creamy sauce. Serve!
Equipment
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 blender
Notes
- If you want leftover or “a little too much” creamy sauce, double the sauce recipe. I usually make a double recipe using the entire block of tofu, just because it is easier. The sauce is so good on pasta leftovers.
- Sub tofu with cashews: 1 cup or cashews and 1 c up of water is a good sub for the tofu. Add more or less water to adjust the thickness of the sauce when cashews are used.
nutrition estimate | per serving
