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This Creamy Tomato Pasta is the ultimate easy vegan dinner! Made with just a handful of pantry staples in one pot, it’s quick, cozy, and endlessly adaptable—swap in your favorite fresh or frozen veggies and dinner is done!
Love a good one pot pasta dinner? Check out my One Pot Lentil Pasta and One Pot Taco Pasta next!
Creamy tomato pasta is exactly the kind of easy, one-pot plant-based dinner you’ve been asking for, and trust me, it delivers on flavor! It might not win any beauty contests, but it’s packed with that rich, cozy taste you’ll crave again and again.
I wanted this recipe to feel like summer in a bowl—simple, vibrant, and a great way to use up all those fresh, seasonal veggies that are everywhere right now. You can toss in whatever you have on hand, but I went with zucchini and bell peppers for a colorful, flavorful mix.
Why It’s a Total Weeknight Hero
- One Pot Wonder: Less mess, fewer dishes, and so much deliciousness packed into one pan.
- Ultra Creamy, No Dairy: Cashews make the sauce luxuriously rich without a drop of cream.
- Pantry-Friendly & Flexible: Made with simple ingredients and easy to customize with whatever veggies you have.
- Fast & Fuss-Free: Ready in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients in this one pot pasta
You only need a handful of pantry staples and fresh veggies to bring this creamy tomato pasta to life. It’s simple, flexible, and perfect for using up whatever’s in your fridge! Here’s what we’re working with:
- Pasta: I used penne pasta but you could use pretty much any noodle you’d like. If you use a different pasta, the main thing you’ll want to watch out for is cook time. I’ve tried this recipe 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 dish. I’ve made it before with a bag of frozen veggies and it was still so so good!
- Creamy tomato sauce: The sauce is a cashew and tomato based sauce that’s SO CREAMY and so delicious!
- 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 or want them but I highly suggest throwing them into the mix!
How to make creamy tomato pasta
The first thing you’ll want to do is either soak the cashews overnight OR quickly soften them by boiling the cashews in water for 20 minutes. To do this, 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.
STEP #1. Sauté the veggies – In a large skillet, heat the oil and once hot, add in the bell pepper and zucchini. Cook, stirring frequently, until the veggies begin to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes.
STEP #2. Blend the sauce – Combine 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.
STEP #3. Combine sauce and pasta –Without bothering to whip the skillet clean, add in the water and tomato/ cashew sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Once the sauce thickens, stir in the veggies and sun-dried tomatoes.
STEP #4. Combine sauce and pasta – Season with additional salt and pepper as needed and cook another couple of minutes. Serve and enjoy!
If you want this to cook even faster, you could sauté 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.
See how to make the pasta here
Creamy Tomato Pasta (vegan)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced*
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup of packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup of chopped zucchini, about 1 large*
For the sauce:
- ½ 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is really good! I’m finally getting around to leaving a review…we’ve actually been making this recipe for a few months now. It’s a great go-to dish!
The BEST pasta recipe I’ve ever tried! So saucy and FLAVORFUL! Also, the sundried tomatoes are just the best combo with this pasta! MUST TRY!
Absolutely delicious and super simple to make! I’ll have this for lunch for 3 days!
I forgot to buy dried tomatoes so I used fresh ones and it’s definitely not the same. Next time I make it I’ll definitely use dried ones.
I also didn’t have cashews, or vegan cream, so instead I used coconut milk to make the sauce. I added extra cumin, basil, and paprika + extra salt, to “hide” the coconut taste. I was a bit worried about this but it turned out great! Not weird at all!
I will definitely be making this again!
Love this recipe because it has so many substitutions. I added asparagus and used veggie broth in place of water! Can’t wait to make it again!
Can I substitute cashews with another ingredient?
I would try subbing the cashews for coconut milk or some other thick liquid that will add that creamy effect to the recipe. A thicker oat milk would also be good I think!
If subbing the cashews with coconut milk, how much coconut milk should I add?
Thank you Brita!
This recipe is so good and versatile! I tried first with dried tomatoes and yesterday with basil. SOOOOOO goood!
Thank you again!
WOW!!! THIS IS DANG GOOD! PERFECT RECIPE TO USE SUMMER ZUCCHINI IN SEASON. I MADE EXTRA TO HAVE LEFTOVERS! I’M GETTING READY TO MAKE IT A SECOND TIME AND WILL TAKE YOUR ADVICE TO SAUTE VEGGIES WHILE PASTA IS COOKING. I LOVE MUSHROOMS TOO AND WILL BE ADDING THOSE. ALSO…THE REDUCTION/COOKING PASTA TOOK A BIT LONGER THAN THE RECIPE STATED…BUT NO BIGGIE…NOW I KNOW! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
aww yay! SO GLAD that you liked it!!