Our approach celebrates the magic of simple, whole-food ingredients to craft something extraordinary. The secret to its success is a wonderfully blended sauce. Soaked cashews provide an incredibly smooth texture, while sun-dried tomatoes deliver a deep, concentrated burst of sweet, tangy umami notes. This is one of those plant-based pasta recipes guaranteed to win over everyone at the table, from long-time vegans to those just beginning to explore plant-based eating. Let’s get into the kitchen and create this wonderful meal together!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Incredibly Creamy, Completely Dairy-Free: We harness the natural creaminess of cashews to produce a sauce so luxurious and velvety, it’s hard to believe it’s vegan. This is the ideal solution for anyone craving a truly satisfying dairy-free pasta.
• Full of Intense Flavour: A masterful blend of sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, nutritional yeast, and fresh basil results in a multi-layered sauce that is savoury, subtly sweet, and utterly delicious.
• Ready in Under 30 Minutes: This recipe is perfectly suited for a busy schedule. The sauce comes together while the pasta is boiling, making it a superb choice for a quick yet sophisticated healthy vegan dinner.
• Wholesome and Nourishing: Crafted from whole-food ingredients, this dish is not just a treat for the taste buds but is also brimming with nutrients. It’s a meal you can feel fantastic about enjoying and sharing.
• Wonderfully Versatile: While we adore this recipe just as it is, it also serves as a brilliant canvas for your own culinary creativity. Try adding roasted vegetables, wilted kale, chickpeas, or your preferred plant-based protein to make it uniquely yours.

Ingredients

• 350g of your favourite pasta (penne, fusilli, or rigatoni work well)
• 150g raw, unsalted cashews
• 1 cup boiling water, for soaking the cashews
• 200g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve 2 tbsp of the oil)
• 2 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A large handful of fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 100g fresh spinach (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)

How to Make Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta

Putting together this gorgeous meal is surprisingly straightforward. We have outlined the process in a few simple stages to guide you. Follow along, and you’ll be serving a perfect pasta dish very soon. There’s a good reason this is one of our most-loved vegetarian pasta dishes!

Step 1: Prepare the Cashews and Pasta

1. Soak the Cashews: Place the raw cashews into a heat-resistant bowl and pour boiling water over them. Allow them to soak for a minimum of 15 minutes. This is an essential step that softens the nuts, which is the secret to a perfectly smooth and creamy sauce. If your blender isn’t a high-speed model, we suggest soaking them for an hour or even longer.
2. Cook the Pasta: As the cashews soak, fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package instructions until it’s al dente. Before draining, be sure to reserve about 250ml (one mugful) of the starchy cooking water. This liquid is brilliant for adjusting the sauce’s consistency later. Drain your pasta and put it to one side.

Step 2: Build the Flavour Base

1. Sauté the Aromatics: In a large frying pan or skillet, warm the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomato jar over a medium heat. Tip in the chopped onion and let it cook for 4–5 minutes until it has softened and turned translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one more minute until it’s aromatic, making sure it doesn’t catch and burn. This foundational step builds a wonderfully fragrant base for the sauce.

Step 3: Blend the Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

1. Drain the Cashews: Tip the soaked cashews into a colander to drain them completely, and discard the soaking water.
2. Blend Everything: Transfer the drained cashews, sautéed onion and garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vegetable stock, dried oregano, and fresh basil into a high-speed blender. Blend at high speed for 1–2 minutes, or until the mixture is exceptionally smooth and creamy. If the sauce appears too thick to blend properly, a little more vegetable stock can help. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using), then blend for a final moment to incorporate everything. For more details on the nutritional benefits of cashews, this article from Healthline is a great resource.

Step 4: Combine and Serve

1. Bring It All Together: Tip the drained pasta back into the pot. Pour the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce all over it. Gently stir everything over a low heat until the pasta is thoroughly coated and the sauce is heated through. If it seems too thick, add a small amount of the reserved pasta water until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
2. Wilt the Spinach: If you are including spinach, add it to the pot now. Stir for a minute or two, just until the leaves have wilted into the dish.
3. Serve Immediately: Share your Healthy Vegan Pasta between serving bowls. Finish with a generous garnish of fresh basil leaves and another twist of black pepper. We recommend enjoying it straight away!

Serving Suggestions

While this creamy pasta is wonderful on its own, a few simple sides can elevate it into a complete feast. We suggest a crisp green salad to offer a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the sauce; our Classic House Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette is a perfect match. If you fancy something more hearty, a side of crusty vegan garlic bread is ideal for soaking up every delicious drop. Alternatively, roasted asparagus or tenderstem broccoli provides a fantastic and nutritious pairing.

FAQ

A New Vegan Favourite Awaits

We truly hope you are excited to give this Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta a go. It serves as wonderful proof that simple, plant-based ingredients can be combined to make a meal that is sophisticated, fulfilling, and packed with flavour. This is precisely the kind of dish that adds warmth and happiness to any dinner table, showing that vegan food is full of excitement. For those looking for more comforting pasta inspiration, we think you’ll also love our Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta.

So, we encourage you to gather your ingredients and indulge in this delightful meal. We’re sure it will earn a permanent place in your collection of favourite recipes. If you do make it, we would be thrilled to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave a comment below or tag us in your photos on social media—we always love to see what you’ve cooked up!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 350g of your favourite pasta
• 150g raw, unsalted cashews
• 1 cup boiling water, for soaking
• 200g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 50g nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A large handful of fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 100g fresh spinach (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Place cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 250ml (1 cup) of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat the reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
3. Drain the soaked cashews. Add them to a high-speed blender with the sautéed onion and garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vegetable stock, oregano, and basil. Blend until completely smooth.
4. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta in the pot. Stir over low heat until the pasta is coated. Add reserved pasta water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
5. If using, stir in the spinach until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 785,
Carbs: 97 g,
Protein: 28 g,
Fat: 33 g