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Carrot Sauce for Pasta
Carrot sauce with pasta is slightly sweet, savory and easy to make. Ready in just 20 minutes, this creamy carrot sauce is perfect with pasta and freezes well also. Great for meal prep too! This recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo or Whole30 friendly.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Chop the onion, garlic and thinly slice the carrots into coins.
Once the skillet is preheated, add olive oil and chopped onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Once the onions soften and become slightly caramelized on the outside, add the garlic and sliced carrots.
Cook the carrots for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package indicates for gluten free pasta. If you are making a lentil pasta or chickpea pasta, cook for 1 less minute than indicated.
Once the carrots are soft, remove them from the heat. Add the carrot and onion mixture to the blender with the vegetable broth, tomato paste, coconut aminos, salt, garlic powder and dried thyme. Blend until smooth (you can use the blender or an immersion blender).
Right before the pasta is done cooking, remove about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Then drain the pasta and add it back to the pot. Add the carrot sauce and stir well. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and stir well. Add more if needed.
Notes
Top tips
Reserve at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining it. The pasta water helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
Blend the carrot sauce with an immersion blender or a high speed blender. I recommend using an immersion blender or a blender that has a top so you can vent the blender in case there is a lot of excess heat from the carrots. Since the vegetable broth is at room temperature this is less of a concern but still something to consider. I don’t recommend blending the carrots in a bullet style blender unless you have time to let them cool slightly first.
Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than recommended on the package for gluten free pasta or 1 minute less than chickpea or lentil based pasta. This ensures that the pasta doesn’t get overcooked when you are cooking the sauce with the pasta at the end.
You can make this carrot sauce for pasta even creamier by adding soaked cashews, hemp hearts or white beans.
Other additions
Spice: Red pepper flakes
Creaminess: Add soaked raw cashews (1/2 cup), hemp hearts (1/2 cup) or 1 cup white beans. Note that adding this to the sauce may require you to add a pinch more salt.
Brightness: Add the juice of ½ -1 lemon or lime
Cheesiness: Add 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, ¼ cup of parmesan or feta cheese (regular or dairy free alternatives)
Fresh herbs: add fresh thyme, flat leaf parsley or basil
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store leftover carrot pasta in the fridge for up to 5 days (if you are making the carrot sauce fresh). The pasta may get a little soft in the fridge but the flavor will still be there.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stove in a small saucepan with a lid over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes until heated through. You may need to add a touch of water when reheating on the stove.
Freezer: Freeze pasta with carrot sauce for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag or container. Defrost in the fridge or reheat in the microwave or on the stove on low heat in a small saucepan with a lid 10-15 minutes or until completely heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
439
Fat
6
g
Carbohydrates
82
g
Fiber
7
g
Sugar
10
g
Protein
15
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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