Vegan Creamy Chipotle Pasta!
This pasta sauce is super rich and creamy. The base of the sauce is made with blended cashews, which gives the sauce a rich cream like feeling. The smoked paprika and chipotle add depth of flavour and a subtle smokiness, which pairs perfectly with fresh cherry tomatoes. There’s a little bit of heat to this sauce with the addition of chili flakes.
I served this sauce over brown rice fettuccine for a simple gluten-free dinner. This meal is pretty filling on its own, but I also like to sprinkle it with hemp hearts for an extra boost of protein. It’s super quick to make, and the sauce comes together in minutes while you saute the other ingredients.
For more pasta recipes, try my Vegan Lasagna, Easy Vegan Pesto, or Walnut Mushroom Bolognese!
Vegan Creamy Chipotle Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cashews soaked and drained (soaked for at least 4-6 hours)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large handfuls spinach chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 16 oz package of your pasta of choice cooked
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and cooked down, about 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by blending the soaked cashews, water, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, chipotle, salt, and pepper. Blend until fully smooth. Add the blended sauce into the pot along with the spinach and chili flakes. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until the sauce is warmed and the spinach is wilted.
- Serve over your pasta of choice. I used brown rice linguine.
Jodi says
YUM this is sooo creamy !
livesimplyhealthy says
Thank you 🙂
Kait says
How long do you soak the cashews for?
livesimplyhealthy says
I like to soak the cashews for at least 4-6 hours or overnight. If you are tight for time you can pour boiling water over them and soak for about 2 hours!
Sarah says
As someone who is not vegan but loves to experiment with making plant based substitutions in my diet, this recipe has been a game changer. Cheese and cream sauces are some of my greatest weaknesses but I don’t miss them at all in this recipe. It’s become a go-to in my household and I love that it’s delicious, hearty, and feels indulgent yet comprised just of healthy ingredients that we almost always have on hand. Sometimes I crave just this sauce by itself!
livesimplyhealthy says
Thank you so much for your comment Sarah! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Caroline says
so tasty!!!!! my non-vegan family loved it too
livesimplyhealthy says
So glad to hear that!
Hannah says
Added vegan sausage and mushrooms
livesimplyhealthy says
Delicious!
Chaunny says
One of our favorite pastas, it’s important to soak the cashews in boiled water for around an hour before use, and to purée until smooth. I double the paprika and chipotle. and mix in a cup of cooked pasta water to the final sauce. So yummy.
livesimplyhealthy says
I’m so glad you have enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Kim says
This recipe is the BEST!!! We LOVE it and make it over and over.
livesimplyhealthy says
This makes me so happy to hear, thank you!!
Karen says
This was very easy to make and ohhhh so yummy! My non plant based husband liked it better than plain marinara
livesimplyhealthy says
That is so amazing!
SMC says
I recreated the recipe you posted except I didn’t have cashews so I made my own cheese sauce and seasoned it and then added vegan cream cheese to it. Then I followed the rest of the steps it honestly came out amazing ! Thanks for posting 🙂
livesimplyhealthy says
That sounds delicious! So glad your substitutions worked. Thanks for posting!
MP says
Made it! Loved it! I used cherry tomatoes, but crushed them all after I had put the cashew sauce in. Thanks for sharing!
livesimplyhealthy says
Yum!
Anonymous says
Just made this with the sundried tomatoes. Absolutely delicious and my ‘meat is essential’ husband agreed. Bravo!
livesimplyhealthy says
So glad to hear that 🙂
Julie says
This was a hit – soooo good and so easy to make! Thank you for the recipe