Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Pot of Vegan Sundried Tomato Pasta with a wooden spoon.

5 from 2 votes

Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is smothered in a rich and creamy cashew sauce and flavored with garlic and a touch of white wine. A delicious dinner that's easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for special occasions.

Prep Time15

Cook Time7

Soak Time4

Total Time4 22

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 646kcal

Author: Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

For the Sauce

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes (Notes 1 and 2)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Pasta

12 ounces dried rigatoni pasta
1 medium bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Place all of the sauce ingredients into a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend until smooth.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and set the timer to cook it until al dente.
When the pasta has about 30 seconds of cook time left, add the kale to the pot. Continue boiling until the pasta is finished cooking and the kale is wilted (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Reserve at least 1 cup of the water used to boil the pasta, then drain the pasta and kale into a colander.
While the pasta boils, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Stir in the wine and remaining sun-dried tomatoes. Bring the wine to a boil, lower the heat and allow it to simmer until it reduces by about half, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the cooked pasta, kale, and cashew mixture. Thin the sauce with as much reserved pasta water as is needed to reach your desired consistency. Stir and cook the mixture for about a minute, just to heat up the sauce.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the basil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.

Notes

Dry sun-dried tomatoes are preferred for this recipe, but oil packed will work as long as you drain them well.
You're going to need some additional sun-dried tomatoes to mix in with the pasta. A 3-ounce bag will give you just the right amount for the entire recipe.

Nutrition