Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce
Delicious vegan pasta primavera packed with tender vegetables and tossed in a creamy garlic cashew sauce. This easy vegan pasta primavera recipe has wonderful flavors and plenty of protein and healthy fats for a comforting plant-based meal the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta (or sub any kind of pasta you’d like, including gluten free)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced lengthwise
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered OR cut into thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- For the sauce:
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For serving:
- Red pepper flakes
- Extra salt and black pepper, if desired
- Garlic costini/garlic bread
Directions
- 1
First make your sauce: soak the cashews in 2 cups of warm water for at least 2 hours; otherwise I've found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for about 30 minutes in the hot water, then drain.
- 2
Once the cashews have finished soaking you'll be ready to make the sauce: add drained cashews, ½ cup fresh water, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, onion powder and black pepper to a blender. Blend on high until sauce comes together. If you want a bit of a thinner sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons more water. Set aside until ready to use.
- 3
Next, cook your pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package.
- 4
While your pasta boils, you can cook your vegetables. Add olive oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper and broccoli; saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add in the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender, but still have a little crisp to them. Finally stir in the tomatoes and italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute more.
- 5
Finally, add cooked pasta and cashew sauce to the pot with the veggies and stir to combine. Serve with red pepper flakes, if desired. I love enjoying this with a side of garlic bread or with garlic crostini!