Vegan Pink Pasta

Vegan Pink Pasta made with gluten-free pasta and a homemade tomato-cashew sauce. Served with fresh basil and vegan parm!

         

This is a recipe I made for Valentine’s Day and never shared.

As per usual, M and I didn’t make a big fuss over the whole Valentine’s Day thing.

In fact, after a gift heavy holiday season and new year, we decided to put a moratorium on gift giving, too. 

This year, we’ve decided to stay in and cook a nice plant based dinner together at home with Flora. 

We planned to complete the meal with one of the “better” bottles of red.

You know, the bottle with a more expensive price tag that you feel a little weird about opening on a random Thursday.

I *really* like cooking with M, so the act of making dinner becomes an activity in itself. 

Lately, it usually becomes dog training, too, so the whole family gets involved.

Flora, now 7 months old, is a huge counter-surfer, meaning, she loves to jump on all of the kitchen counters and steal anything within her reach. 

So we reward the sh** out of the sits and stays and (try to) patiently correct the pursuit of chopped bell pepper, the kitchen dishcloth, and my rubber gloves. 

Dinner might take twice as long, but we love giving Flora more freedom to roam, explore, and learn. 

While she isn’t allowed upstairs yet, our downstairs is her kingdom to conquer! 

What say you to conquering upcoming celebrations or just dinner plans with this Vegan Pink Pasta?

This Vegan Pink Pasta is made with gluten-free pasta and a homemade tomato-cashew sauce. 

It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner for the family but can be gussied up for a date night-in experience, too!

What is Pink Pasta?

Unlike most “pink” pasta on the Internet, this one is pink from tomatoes, not from beets. 

I tried beet pasta sauce before, and it wasn’t really my thing. 

In this recipe, we add cashews to the mix to make a creamy tomato-based. 

In art class in college, we learned that to mix pink paint, you add a little red and white paint to your palette and mix, mix, mix. 

And that’s exactly what we create in this recipe, well, without adding paint.

Because the cashews are white and the tomato sauce is vibrant red, the resulting sauce color because a pretty muted pink.

A mauve, if you will. 

What You Need to Make Vegan Pink Pasta

Ok, so here’s what you need to make pink pasta:

• raw cashews
• extra virgin olive oil
• crushed tomatoes
• tomato paste
• garlic powder
• sea salt
• nutritional yeast

That’s it!

How to Make the Pasta

The first step to this recipe is to soak the cashews. 

This can be done quickly by covering them with hot water for ~10 minutes, then drain them. 

Next, add the olive oil, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder, and salt to a medium pot.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and continue simmering for 10 minutes or until thickened.

In a high speed blender or food processor, add soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and 1 cup of water and blend until it’s smooth and creamy. 

Finally, cook the pasta according to package directions.

When the pasta is al dente (or how you like it), drain the pasta, reserving about ~1 cup of water, and then add it back to the same large pot. 

How to Make the Pink Pasta Sauce

Add the cashew mixture to the tomato sauce pot and stir everything well to combine.

Add reserved pasta water until it becomes a thick but pourable sauce.

At this point, you can taste the mixture and adjust, adding a little salt, nutritional yeast, or garlic powder as needed to make your taste buds sing.

Finally, combine the pink pasta sauce and pasta and stir well to coat all of the noodles.

Heat the pasta over medium low until the sauce is thick and bubbling.

Now, you’re ready to serve!

Notes on Meal Prep

While this Vegan Pink Pasta isn’t made specifically for meal prep, it does make delicious leftovers! 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and reheat before serving.

The consistency of the pasta sauce will get thicker as it cools, so expect a thicker more casserole-like pasta in the days to follow.

You can counteract this by add a splash of water before reheating in the microwave. 

Give everything a stir to reactivate the creamy sauce. 

How to Serve Vegan Pink Pasta

Serve the Vegan Pink Pasta warm with fresh basil and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan.

I love serving my pasta with a green vegetable like broccoli, peas, or sautéed greens. 

Depending on what kind of pasta you use, you may want to add some protein to make it a full meal. 

I prefer using rice pasta for this recipe, so I add a boost of plant-based protein by serving with edamame or green peas.

Feel free to add grilled tofu or tempeh for another way to boost to protein content. 

This dish is also spectacular with a glass of red wine. 

Happy Valentine’s Day, loves. 

Cheers, and enjoy!

More Vegan Pasta

• Sesame Tahini Soba Noodles

• Veggie Noodles With Lentil Walnut Mushroom Bolognese

• 1-Pot SunButter Pasta

• 1-Pan Tofu Cacciatore With Zoodles

• Spicy Almond Butter Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls

• Butternut Pasta Primavera

• Avocado Tahini Pasta

• Pea Pesto Pasta Salad

• Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

• 1-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

• Avocado Collard Greens Pesto Pasta

• Vegetable Pasta Salad

• 1-Bowl Hummus Pasta Salad

• No-Boil Spaghetti Bake

• Creamy Vegan 1-Pot Pasta

• Butternut Squash Mac ‘N’ Cheese

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Vegan Pink Pasta recipe, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.

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XO Lauren

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