Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce without cream
This dairy free creamy tomato pasta has a secret ingredient that makes it super rich and creamy without any cream or milk. Ready in 15 minutes, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
As your gluten free BFF, it’s important to me that you get dinner on the table quickly, so it doesn’t take up your entire evening. That is why I focus on 20 minute meals! I know sometimes it’s hard to get kids to eat “healthy” foods, but this creamy tomato pasta is made with (hidden) white beans and I promise they will devour it!
If you love simple, healthy pasta recipes like this, you should try my Sundried Tomato White Bean Pasta , Creamy Zucchini Mushroom Pasta or Vegan Creamy Sundried Tomato Alfredo, which are all ready in under 20 minutes.
Why you will love this recipe
- Made with simple pantry ingredients
- Ready in 15 minutes
- Rich, filling and so creamy
- Great for leftovers
- Healthy – this recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free
Ingredients
- Onions and garlic – sauteed onions and garlic help to add a depth of flavor to the sauce. (These ingredients are 100% optional).
- Olive oil – olive oil is used to cook the onions and garlic. If you to omit the onions and garlic, you can also omit this.
- Raw cashews – raw cashews help to create a creamy sauce and also add a bit of sweetness to the sauce. You can also make this nut free (see substitution ideas below).
- White beans – white beans are added to the sauce to make it really thick and creamy. If you don’t have white beans, use more raw cashews, boiled potatoes or any of the alternatives listed for the cashews.
- Canned tomatoes – canned tomatoes are great in this recipe because they are easy to keep in the pantry and budget friendly.
- Balsamic vinegar – balsamic vinegar cuts through the “canned tomato” taste and takes the sauce to the next level of deliciousness.
- Spices: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt – these spices help to add flavor to the tomato sauce and are all pantry staples so should be easy to find. You can make your own Italian seasoning if you don’t have any on hand.
- Gluten free pasta – I prefer to use a lentil based or chickpea based pasta to add more protein and fiber to this vegan dinner recipe. I find these pastas are much more filling and a great way to make a plant based meal that fills you up without leaving you feeling too heavy or stuffed.
How to make creamy tomato pasta sauce without cream
Chop the veggies: Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
Soak the cashews: Pour boiling water over the cashews to let the soak (I like to use an electric kettle, but you can also get a cup of boiling water before adding the pasta to the pot). Let cashews sit for 5 minutes in hot water.
Cook the onions and garlic: Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. One skillet is hot, add oil and onions, cook 2-3 minutes before adding the garlic. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
Bring water to boil and cook pasta: Once water is boiling, add the pasta to the boiling water.
Make the sauce: Add tomatoes, white beans, drained cashews, sauteed onions and garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and spices to a large blender. Blend on high for 1 minute.
Drain pasta: Reserve ½ – 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and add it back to a pot.
Add the sauce to pasta: Pour the pasta sauce over the pasta. If needed, add some of the reserved pasta sauce to thin out the sauce.
Top tips
- Use any kind of canned tomato you have on hand, whole peeled tomatoes, chopped tomatoes or crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce (although this may contain added sugars). If you don’t have canned tomatoes, you can use jarred spaghetti sauce in a pinch.
- Make it nut free: Use hemp heart (no soaking), 1/4 cup tahini, a ripe avocado, canned coconut milk, or another can of drained beans in place of the cashews.
- In a rush? Omit the onions and garlic from the sauce. The flavor is almost the same but will save you time in prep and with dishes to clean.
- Note: If you are using a bullet style blender, you will likely need to make this sauce in batches, even with the largest blender cup.
- I recommend using about 1 cup of the canned tomatoes along with the cashews, beans, onions, garlic, vinegar and spices. Once smooth, add that directly to the pasta or to the storage container for the sauce. Then blend the rest of the canned tomatoes in the same blender without cleaning it out and blend. Add to the rest of the sauce.
- Make ahead tip: You can make the creamy tomato sauce up to 5 days in advance so all you have to do is cook the pasta and pour the sauce over and warm it up with the pasta.
- For a slightly thinner sauce: before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Stir the cooking liquid into the pasta sauce 2-3 tablespoons at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Other ingredients you can add
This vegan creamy tomato pasta is perfect on it’s own but can also have more veggies added or adding more spices/herbs to the sauce to change up the flavors!
- More veggies: Sauteed zucchini, yellow squash or bell pepper, fresh or frozen spinach or kale, chopped fresh tomatoes (added at the end).
- Spice: You can add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes if you love a little heat in your pasta sauce.
- Fresh herbs: this recipe is meant to be made with pantry ingredients but if you have fresh herbs on hand, sprinkle in some fresh basil or Italian parsley at the end.
- Deepen the tomato flavor: Add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce or add chopped sundried tomatoes (in oil, drained) at the end.
Common questions
How to make this nut free
The soaked cashews help to increase the creaminess of the sauce and really help make it silky and smooth. Some alternatives you could use to make this nut free:
- Hemp hearts (no soaking required) – hemp hearts will make the sauce taste a little more grassy, you may want to add a pinch more garlic powder and possibly 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup to help offset the flavor change.
- Raw sunflower seeds (need soaking) – these will change the flavor slightly but not too much, as sunflower seeds don’t have that same natural sweetness as the cashews do.
- Tahini – use ¼ cup to replace the cashews in this recipe. You may need to add some water as well (2 tbsp – ¼ cup depending on how thick or thin you want the sauce). This will change the flavor slightly, as tahini is not as naturally sweet as cashews are.
- Avocado – this will help create that same creamy consistency without any seeds or nuts. The color will change slightly but it won’t be very noticeable.
- Another can of white beans (drained) – if you are looking to keep the fat down in this recipe, use another can of white beans in place of the cashews. The sauce will be thick but not quite as creamy as the cashews make it but sill delicious.
- Canned coconut milk or coconut cream – refrigerate the coconut milk and scoop out the solid coconut cream from the top of the can (don’t use the water, it will water down the sauce). If you are using coconut cream, you will need about 1/2 – 1 cup.
Why soak cashews
Soaking cashews helps them break down easier in the blender and also helps the sauce get as thick and creamy as possible. When you soak cashews you want to drain the cashews and discard the soaking liquid.
What if you don’t have white beans on hand
f you don’t have any white beans on hand or cannot tolerate beans, you can increase the cashews to 1 cup or try 1.5 cups of steamed peeled white or yellow potatoes to keep the fat content down.
Make ahead tips
Make the sauce up to 5 days in advance (store in the fridge) so all you have to do is boil the pasta.
Freeze the sauce up to 3 months if you want to make a large batch to use over time. I recommend freezing the sauce flat by adding it to a freezer bag and laying the bag flat in the freezer. Once frozen, you can stack this easier than if it was a frozen block or glass jar.
Can you freeze leftover dairy free creamy tomato pasta sauce?
Yes, you can freeze leftover pasta and sauce to use later. I would recommend freezing this vegan creamy tomato pasta in single serve servings for easy reheating. You can also just freeze the sauce for later if you make a double batch.
Note: I love to use Soupercubes for freezing leftovers, as you can portion things out in ½, 1 cup or even 2 cup measurements depending on what a portion looks like for you. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftover pasta in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Note if you made this sauce in advance you may not be able to store it as long.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag. Be sure to label the bag with the name, date, use by date and any heating instructions.
Reheating leftover creamy tomato vegan pasta
- Stove – reheat over medium low heat covered, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water, broth or dairy free milk as needed to thin out the sauce.
- Microwave – reheat 1:30 -2 minutes, stirring halfway through. You may need to add 2-3 tablespoons of water, broth or dairy free milk to thin out the sauce at the halfway point.
Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce without Cream
$7.90 recipe/$1.98 ServingIngredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 can white beans
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 oz. lentil pasta - or chickpea pasta or gluten free pasta of choice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While water is coming up to a boil, chop the onion and slice the garlic.
- Place a small skillet over medium heat to preheat.
- Add cashews to a bowl or glass and bring water to a boil in an electric kettle or plan on getting about 1 cup of boiling water from the pot when it comes up to a boil before adding the pasta.
- Once skillet is preheated, add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes. After 2-3 minutes, add the sliced garlic and turn down to medium low heat and cook 1-2 more minutes then turn off the pan.
- Pour boiling water over the cashews, allow the cashews to soak for 5 minutes.
- Add pasta to boiling water.
- Rinse and drain the white beans and open the can of tomatoes.
- After 5 minutes of soaking drain the cashews and add the tomatoes, cashews, white beans, balsamic vinegar, italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder to the blender. Blend 1 minute until smooth.
- Before draining the pasta, take 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the water. Once pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta. Stir well. If needed add 2-3 tablespoons of cooking liquid at a time to the pasta until it is the consistency you are looking for.
Notes
- In a rush? Omit the onions and garlic from the sauce.
- Note: If you are using a bullet style blender, you will likely need to make this sauce in batches, even with the largest blender cup.
- Make ahead tips: You can make the sauce up to 5 days in advance so all you have to do is cook the pasta and pour the sauce over.
- For a slightly thinner sauce: before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Stir the cooking liquid into the pasta sauce 2-3 tablespoons at a time until you reach desired consistency.
- More veggies: Sauteed zucchini, yellow squash or bell peppers, fresh or frozen spinach or kale, chopped fresh tomatoes (added at the end).
- Spice: You can add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Fresh herbs: if you have fresh herbs on hand, sprinkle in some fresh basil or Italian parsley at the end.
- Deepen the tomato flavor: Add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce or add chopped sundried tomatoes (in oil, drained) at the end.
- Hemp hearts (no soaking required)
- Raw sunflower seeds (need soaking)
- Tahini – use ¼ cup to replace the cashews in this recipe.
- Avocado
- Another can of white beans (drained)
- Canned coconut milk (or coconut cream) – refrigerate the canned coconut milk and scoop off the solid portion (discard the water) or use 1/2 cup coconut cream.
- Fridge: 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag.
- Stove – reheat over medium low heat covered, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water, broth or dairy free milk as needed to thin out the sauce.
- Microwave – reheat 1:30 -2 minutes, stirring halfway through. You may need to add 2-3 tablespoons of water, broth or dairy free milk to thin out the sauce at the halfway point.
