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    Home » Recipes » Pasta & Noodles

    March 3, 2015 76 Comments

    Creamy Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

    9.1K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    You may remember, way back on June 12th of 2014, I started a stupid, difficult, overwhelming, wonderfully, brilliant challenge. I decided that in 1 year I would post 100 recipes featuring 100 new ingredients. The 1/100/100 challenge. So here I stand and say sit and type, I have officially written 50 vegan recipes featuring 50 different ingredients, and now I have 50 more to go.

    Well that's very good news, right!? The bad news is I only have exactly 100 days left. Heart attack! Where did the last 265 days of precious cooking time go? Moving twice, my job, and dreading going out into the well below freezing temperatures might have something to do with it. But alas, never fear! I promise you 50 more vegan recipes that you can brag about cook for all your friends who think vegan food is gross.

    Let's celebrate with a big glass of wine and a giant bowl of Creamy Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta. Omnomnom.

    cream-vegan-sun-dried-tomato-pasta



    Wait, there is no wine in the house, damn you freezing rain for keeping me away from the wine store! Ehem, on to the recipe.

    If you like creamy, and if you like pasta, you will like this dish. And if you don't like those things, then you are wrong.

    creamy-sundried-tomato-fettucini

    The creaminess comes from a homemade cashew cream, (seriously cashews, what can't you do!?), toss that with lots of sautéed garlic, chewy and salty sun-dried tomatoes, a big handful of fresh basil, and hot pasta, then say hello to a scrumptious bowl of yum.

    cashew-cream-pasta

    All you're going to do is soak or boil cashews until they are tender, then blend with water until you reach a creamy smooth sauce.

    garlic-basil-and-sundried-tomatoes

    Slice basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes.

    saute-sundried-tomatoes-and-garlic

    Sauté the garlic with sun-dried tomatoes until golden and delectable.

    sundried-tomatoes-cashew-cream

    Stir in cream, water, tomato paste, and basil, then toss with hot pasta. Easy, peasy, yes pleasey.

    creamy-sundried-tomato-pasta

    Print Recipe
    5 from 27 votes

    Vegan Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

    If you like creamy, and if you like pasta, you will like this dish. Hot pasta tossed with homemade cashew cream, lots of sautéed garlic, chewy and salty sun-dried tomatoes, and a big handful of fresh basil. 
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    ingredient tag: noodles & pasta, tomatoes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 571kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 450 grams pasta (any shape) (gluten-free if preferred)

    For the cashew cream:

    • ½ cup raw cashews
    • ½ cup water

    For the sun-dried tomato sauce:

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
    • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained if in oil), sliced
    • 1 cup water
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions.
    • To make the cashew cream: Boil the cashews in water for abou 10 minutes until tender and drain. Add the boiled cashews and ½ cup fresh water to a blender and blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
    • To make the sun-dried tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium. When hot, add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and sauté, for 1 - 2 minutes until the garlic is just starting to turn golden.
    • Reduce heat and stir in the cashew cream, 1 cup of water, tomato paste, and basil. Once hot and bubbling, remove from heat, it will only take a minute or two. Add the hot pasta into the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot.

    Notes

    Make-ahead/free: the sauce can be prepped and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 571kcal
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Featured ingredient: Sun-dried tomatoes.

    Bon Appetegan!

    Sam.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dana says

      January 29, 2021 at 3:42 pm

      5 stars
      I know this is an older recipe, but I just have to say how good this is. I have made it like once a week for months. I use Banza spaghetti to make it gluten free. IT IS JUST SO GOOD!! Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Joe says

      June 21, 2020 at 1:15 am

      5 stars
      Hi Sam! Gotta say that is was really really good. The only change I made was to sub fresh spinach for the basil. Next time I think I’ll resuscitate my dried shiitake mushrooms and add them in. Mmm!

      Reply
    3. Alex says

      May 16, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      Hey! Newbie vegan here - I can't wait to make this later in the week. I picked up all the ingredients today but I'm wondering whether the cashews I've got are good or not. They are advertised as just "Cashew Kernels" and it doesn't say that they've been roasted.. should I assume they are raw, or do you typically need to buy cashew specifically advertised as raw?

      Thanks!!

      Reply
    4. Eryn says

      December 10, 2019 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      My brother moved in with me and my husband this year, and we find ourselves cooking more and more plant-based dishes since he’s vegan. I had half a jar of sun dried tomatoes leftover from a spinach orzo salad we made, and this recipe was the perfect solution to my weeknight meal conundrum. It’s so lovely and simple! I cooked a minced shallot down in oil before adding the tomatoes and garlic (I used the oil from the tomatoes), and subbed dry basil for fresh since it’s what I had on hand. I added some lemon juice to the cashew cream for brightness and topped the dish with fresh spinach. I also used pasta water for my cashew cream and for the final cup at the end. Amazing! Will definitely make again. Thanks for your recipes and your cheer!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 11, 2019 at 8:19 am

        So happy you enjoyed!!

        Reply
    5. Hang says

      September 29, 2019 at 3:23 pm

      5 stars
      I usually don’t comment, but this dish I had too. This was so comforting and heavenly! I ate this 3 times in 2 days. I added sautéed mushrooms and spinach. DELISH!! thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 30, 2019 at 5:17 pm

        Haha! Well, thank you so much for commenting, Hang! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂

        Reply
    6. Tara @ Plantae Nutrition says

      June 02, 2019 at 8:29 pm

      5 stars
      I added 1 can of navy beans (1.5 cups cooked) and a little extra water to the cream sauce for protein, and it as delightful! Thanks for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 10, 2019 at 12:29 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it, Tara 🙂

        Reply
    7. Karen says

      February 27, 2019 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      Made this last night...it was a smash hit! Thanks for the boiling vs. soaking idea - really made the cream creamier. Can't wait to make this again.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 27, 2019 at 9:53 am

        Yay!! So happy you loved it, Karen 🙂

        Reply
    8. Jennifer says

      February 14, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      5 stars
      Dang, this recipe is amazing! It tastes so rich and decadent! We had it for Valentine’s dinner served over cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. We also added diced Field Roast Italian sausage.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 19, 2019 at 12:15 pm

        That sounds amazing! So happy you loved it 🙂

        Reply
    9. Michelle says

      January 20, 2019 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      ANOTHER winner Sam!!!! I added some spinach since it's winter and I didn't have any fresh basil and it was DELICIOUS! Will definitely be making this again. You are a genius!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 21, 2019 at 1:24 pm

        YAY!!! Delighted you are enjoying so many recipes, Michelle 🙂

        Reply
    10. CJ says

      November 25, 2018 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      I’m so glad I made your recipe; my husband and I both loved it! Within the reviews, I read that someone had forgotten to reserve one cup of the pasta water; to ensure I wouldn’t miss this step, I placed my one cup measuring cup inside the colander. My husband and I recently began following a whole-food plant-based lifestyle. Since then, I’ve been searching for healthy delicious recipes with ingredients that we normally have on hand; this recipe fit the bill on this football Sunday. My husband voted to include your recipe into our rotation. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 27, 2018 at 5:55 pm

        Wonderful!!! Thrilled you and your husband enjoyed it so much 🙂

        Reply
    11. kerry says

      November 16, 2018 at 6:42 pm

      5 stars
      Pre-vegan, one of my fav dishes was pasta in Cardinale sauce - this is an awesome sub! Can't stop eating it. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 17, 2018 at 4:44 pm

        Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it, kerry!

        Reply
    12. Carolyn says

      June 12, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      This turned out amazing! This is the third time I've tried using cashews as a cream base but this is the first time I really felt satisfied with the results. I think the boiling step is what made the difference - way more effective than soaking, in my experience. Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 15, 2018 at 8:29 am

        That's wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Carolyn 🙂

        Reply
    13. KareninStLouis says

      June 01, 2018 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight for the first time and thought it was great. I used zoodles instead of pasta, and also added some spinach. It was just fantastic. What a wonderful change of pace, and how great to have a creamy sauce. On top of all that, I learned the cashew boiling trick!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 03, 2018 at 11:17 am

        Wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for the comment 🙂

        Reply
    14. Jennifer says

      May 28, 2018 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      We had this today and it was a big hit. We will definitely make this one many times again in the future. We used smoked sun dried tomatoes since that is what we had and that worked really well with this recipe. 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 30, 2018 at 10:38 am

        Oh awesome those sound delicious!! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much 🙂

        Reply
    15. Penny says

      May 25, 2018 at 12:09 am

      5 stars
      This is one of my favorite recipes now--I've made it multiple times since I tried it for the first time last month. Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 25, 2018 at 8:35 am

        That's awesome! Thrilled you enjoy it so much, Penny 🙂

        Reply
    16. Jenna says

      April 02, 2018 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      This was amazing!!! My boyfriend loved it and he is picky when it comes to vegan dishes! I doubled the recipe and it was delicious!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 03, 2018 at 9:02 am

        That's awesome! Thrilled you both loved it so much, Jenna 🙂

        Reply
    17. julie says

      January 31, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      5 stars
      I blended it in a blender, all of it because I know my husband wouldn't like pieces of tomatoes. It was AMAZING and we all loved it. It reminds me of a rosee sauce 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 31, 2018 at 12:30 pm

        Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it! I do have a vegan rose sauce in my cookbook too if that interests you 🙂

        Reply
    18. thea says

      November 05, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      can you use sundried tomatoe in oil instead of dry?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 06, 2017 at 12:45 pm

        For sure!

        Reply
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    Sam Turnbull

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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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