This bright orange, vegan creamy carrot pasta sauce is packed full of all the benefits of carrots! It’s going to be your new favourite pasta sauce. Get the recipe below.
HIDDEN VEGETABLES
Hiding vegetables in sauces is a clever way of getting more vegetables into your diet. They’re particularly popular with parents who are trying to encourage their children to eat more veg.
But whatever your motivations for making it, this creamy carrot pasta sauce tastes delicious. So good in fact that you won’t believe that it is made with just a handful of carrots and cashews.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO TOMATO SAUCE
We are so used to making pasta sauces using tomatoes. So, you might be wondering why you’d want to make a pasta sauce out of carrots. When so many sauces use tomatoes as a base it might seem unusual to pick a root vegetable instead. But, there are lots of good reasons for doing so (that aren’t just taste!).
Carrots have a wide range of health benefits. They are full of:
- beta carotene (which makes the carrots orange) and turns into vitamin A in the body which is good for a strong immune system;
- fibre for a good digestive system;
- vitamin K1 which can be good for your bones and blood;
- potassium; and
- antioxidants.
And of course we all know that old wive’s tale that carrots can help you to see in the dark! There might be some truth in this as carrots have been shown to contribute to good eye health!
CREAMY CASHEWS
The two main ingredients in this recipe are carrots and cashews.
Cashews are a surprisingly versatile nut. One of my favourite ways to use them is to create really creamy sauces. When they are boiled in water they plump up and become soft. When they’re then blended with water (and other ingredients) they become super creamy.
It’s the perfect alternative to using cream in vegan dishes like this pasta sauce.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CREAMY CARROT PASTA SAUCE
We’ve got our carrots and cashews at the ready but how do you actually make this creamy carrot pasta sauce? Let’s take a look at the various steps:
- First boil your carrots and cashews until the carrots are soft and the cashews are plump
- While the carrots and cashews are boiling, saute some onion and garlic.
- Let the cooked veggies and cashews cool before adding to a blender along with the seasonings.
- Blitz on high until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
Once you’ve made your sauce all that’s left to do is cook your pasta, pour the sauce over the top and heat through.
I like to serve mine with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Some vegan parmesan would also work well!
WHICH PASTA SHOULD I PAIR WITH CREAMY CARROT PASTA SAUCE?
So you’ve made your sauce and you need some pasta to smother in it. What pasta shapes do you choose?
Any pasta shape will do but I like sea shell pasta (conchiglie) as they scoop up all of the sauce. Orecciette (also known as little ears) also work really well.
THE RECIPE
- PREP TIME: 15
- COOK TIME: 15
- TOTAL TIME: 30
- COURSE: Dinner
- CUISINE: Italian
- SERVINGS: 4 people
- CALORIES: 267.83 kcal
EQUIPMENT
- 1 high speed blender
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 35 g cashew nuts
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper
To serve
- 200 g pasta
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the carrots and cashews into a pan of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes until the carrots are soft and the cashews are plump.
- In the meantime cook your pasta according to the packet's instructions.
- Drain and leave them to cool.
- Once cool, transfer the carrots, cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to a blender.
- Add 200 ml of water and blitz on high until smooth and creamy.
- Drain the pasta and pour over the sauce.
- Heat until the pasta sauce is bubbling then serve.
NUTRITION
- Calories: 267.83kcal
- Carbohydrates: 46.17g
- Protein: 10.46g
- Fat: 4.86g
- Saturated Fat: 0.83g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.02g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 2.17g
- Sodium: 35.74mg
- Potassium: 393.66mg
- Fiber: 4.12g
- Sugar: 4.03g
- Vitamin A: 7643.06IU
- Vitamin C: 2.98mg
- Calcium: 30.19mg
- Iron: 1.61mg