If you’re looking for the ultimate EASY vegan dinner then this Creamy Tomato ONE POT Pasta is your girl! It comes together with a handful of pantry staples and if needed, the veggies could easily be swapped for frozen veggies of your choosing.

I have another vegan one pot pasta that you should check out as well. It’s this One Pot Lentil Pasta and it’s GOOD.

large skillet with creamy tomato pasta that has yellow bell pepper and zucchini

One of the things that y’all have been asking for more lately is EASY one pot plant based dinners and that is exactly what this creamy tomato one pot pasta is. It’s not the *prettiest* dish that I’ve ever made but I promise it’s SO SO TASTY!

My goal for this was to make something that felt very summery and uses up ALL of those yummy seasonal veggies that are so cheap at the store right now. Mission accomplished! You could use any veggies in this really but we happened to have zucchini and bell peppers on hand so that’s how I’ve made this.

large skillet with a tomato pasta in it and yellow bell pepper, sauteed zucchini and sun dried tomatoes on top

One of the things that I HATE is when I see a recipe that calls for cashews soaked overnight. I totally get that it’s a necessary evil of blending up cashews but I never ever remember to do it. SO, I was very happy to find out that it was possible to flash soak cashews by boiling them in water for 20 minutes. I learned this from one of my clients, Lexi from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. HERE is her post all about making cashew cream if you’re interested.

I used Lexi’s method for soaking the cashews and then blended them together with some diced tomatoes and spices. The sauce for this is very similar to the VERY FIRST vegan recipe that I ever posted on my blog and I wanted to give it a fresh look :)

Tomato Cashew Sauce in the base of a blender

If you want this to cook even faster, you COULD saute the veggies in a separate skillet while the pasta is cooking. But if you’re looking for as FEW pots to clean as possible then the one pot method is for you!

Personally, I’m an extremely impatient person so I often make this in 2 skillets so I can have it ready in just about 15 minutes. But, either way works well :)

skillet with sauteed zucchini and yellow bell pepper

Ingredients in this one pot pasta:

  • Pasta-I used a simple penne pasta but you could use pretty much anything here. If you use a different pasta, the main thing you’ll want to watch out for is cook time. Obviously different pastas need varying cooking times so just check it for doneness. I’ve tried this with a gluten free lentil pasta and it worked out great!
  • Veggies– while I used bell pepper and zucchini, you could truly use ANY veggies that you like in this recipe. I’ve made it before with a bag of frozen veggies and it was still so so good! If you do use other veggies you just want to cook it for the proper amount of time before adding it into the skillet with the cooked pasta.
  • Creamy tomato sauce– the sauce is a cashew and tomato based sauce that’s SO CREAMY and so delicious! I used canned tomatoes for ease and added in a few spices.
  • Sun dried tomatoes– I’m not usually a big fan of sun dried tomatoes but I really love them in this recipe! You can leave them out if you don’t have them/ want them but I highly suggest throwing them in :D

Should I make more one pot vegan dinners like this? Are you into these? Let me know because I’ve been having so much fun creating these easy weeknight plant based meals for you!

up close shot of penne pasta with a creamy tomato sauce and veggies mixed in

More delicious vegan pasta recipes to try:

See how to make the past here:

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Creamy Tomato One Pot Pasta

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Brita Britnell
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Easy and DELICIOUS Vegan Creamy Tomato One Pot Pasta!!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces of penne pasta
  • 1 tablespoon of oil
  • 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced*
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup of packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup of chopped zucchini, about 1 large*

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of cashews
  • 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil (can also use fresh chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups of water

Instructions

  1. You can either soak the cashews overnight OR quickly soften them by boiling the cashews in water for 20 minutes. To do this, simply place the cashews in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil lightly for 20 minutes. Drain the water and let cool.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the oil and once hot, add in the bell pepper and zucchini. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the veggies begin to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes. Place the veggies on a plate and set aside.
  3. Make the sauce by combining soaked and drained cashews, diced tomatoes, herbs, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until completely smooth which can take a few minutes.
  4. Without bothering to whip the skillet clean, add in the water and tomato/ cashew sauce and bring to a simmer. Add in the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
  5. Once the sauce has thickened, add the veggies back into the skillet as well as the sun dried tomatoes. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed and cook another couple of minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*You can make the whole meal a little bit quicker if you cook the veggies in a separate skillet at the same time that you’re cooking the pasta in the sauce. Then you can combine into the same skillet when the recipe indicates.

*If desired, you can also leave out the fresh veggies and instead stir in about 2 cups of frozen veggies. This makes this recipe a little cheaper (depending on the time of year) AND easier to throw together :)

  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: american

Keywords: vegan dinners, vegan recipes, one pot vegan