This Vegan One Pot Pasta comes together quickly and leaves very little mess to clean up! A gluten free pasta simmers in a delicious creamy tomato pasta sauce, that is perfectly complimented by sautéed peppers, onions, garlic and sun dried tomatoes.
This post is sponsored by Chickapea Pasta — my favorite secret for healthy gluten free pasta dishes. I only work with brands who’s products I genuinely love. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Sunkissed Kitchen running at full speed.
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Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Does anyone else feel like healthy eating means an endless pile of dishes in the kitchen? I am seriously a pro at using way too many dishes, cutting boards, pots and appliances in my recipes. It’s something I have been trying to be more conscious of, and I have been working on turning my recipes into one pot or one bowl whenever possible.
This pasta (like many things I make) only really needs 1 pot, a blender, a knife and a cutting board to make. If I hadn’t intentionally set out to make it a one pot recipe, you can bet I would have used 3! I’m complicated like that.
I adore using soaked cashews in place of dairy in my recipes. There are so many people who have dairy allergies or are lactose intolerant, and also a lot of people who just want to incorporate more plant foods into their diet. I’ve found that even people without restrictions from dairy enjoy my cashew based cream sauces.
I knew a creamy tomato pasta sauce would elevate this one pot pasta to special occasion status – and since Chickapea Pasta cooks so quickly, I knew it would work perfectly in a one pot dish.
After trying this combination, my husband had a second plate. The next day he polished off the leftovers at lunch and declared this his new favorite pasta dish. (The only reason there were leftovers is because I made two batches that day to photograph!).
Make Vegan One Pot Pasta Magic
A lot of one pot pasta recipes call for throwing the pasta and the veggies into the pot all at once. You can certainly try that with this recipe — I couldn’t bring myself to do it (<– see, I told you I’m complicated). I have a thing about perfectly sautéed veggies, and that’s what I wanted here.
I wanted onions and garlic that had started to brown, and that were salty and and just a little bit crunchy in places.
If you want to make this creamy tomato pasta sauce, but don’t want to deal with cutting the veggies, I strongly urge you to use at least the garlic and the sundried tomatoes (use my recipe to make your own!). They add so much flavor to this sauce. The peppers and green beans add the extra veggie goodness I crave in my meals.
If you still haven’t tried Chickapea Pasta, you’re in for a treat. This pasta has become a favorite because it makes it so easy to prepare dinners that are high in protein and fiber. The pasta itself has all the fiber and protein needed in a dinner– 27 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fiber in 1 serving. The rest of the ingredients are just icing on the cake.
Chickapea Pasta is made with only two ingredients – chickpeas and lentils. No junk added to it, as so many gluten free products have.
That was what originally attracted me to this company. What has made me a true believer in it after a year is it’s wonderful texture. I love the pasta on the al dente side of al dente. It’s chewy and has a light nutty flavor, and is everything I want in a healthy gluten free pasta.
You can buy Chickapea Pasta in stores all across the US and Canada now, and I’ve heard rumors the company is heading into the international market soon (so those of you who have asked me if it’s available in Europe and Australia might have good news coming soon!). It’s also available in variety packs on Amazon now (and DON’T forget to try the new macaroni and cheese products. The white cheddar shells and cheese are my fav!).
Vegan One Pot Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 box Chickapea Pasta (8 ounces gluten free pasta)*
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 red onion sliced thinly
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper I used half orange, half yellow
- 2 cups green beans ends trimmed
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes chopped roughly
- herbs (fresh thyme, basil, Italian parsley or green onions) to garnish
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
- 1/3 cup cashews soaked 2 hours and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
- black pepper to taste
- 2 cups water do not add to the sauce
Instructions
- Soak cashews in cold water for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. If you don't have time for this step, soak cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes.
- Add soaked and drained cashews and diced tomatoes to a blender with all the seasonings for the sauce. Blend until very smooth, about 1-2 minutes in a high speed blender, or a bit longer in a standard blender. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, add olive oil, and onions and garlic. Saute on medium high heat until the onions and garlic have begun to brown.
- Add the sliced peppers and green beans, and saute until done to your liking. Remove all veggies from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pot (really, there's no need to even wash it!), bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and then add Chickapea Pasta and the creamy tomato sauce. Allow to simmer on a low boil for 5-7 minutes, until the pasta is still al dente, but the sauce has begun to thicken. The sauce will seem like a lot, but will also cover the veggies.
- Add the veggies and sun dried tomatoes in, and toss to coat. Garnish with fresh thyme, parsley, or basil.
- This pasta is just as delicious the next day. The leftovers keep very well.
Video
Notes
- Use 1/2 cup water extra, or thin the sauce out as the pasta cooks to preference.
- Boil the pasta with water and creamy tomato sauce for closer to 12-15 minutes. Chickpea pasta cooks a lot quicker than grain based pastas.
Nutrition
Other Chickapea Pasta Recipes:
- Warm Caprese Pesto Pasta, by The Endless Meal
- Chicken Penne with Sundried Tomato Sauce, by Cooktoria
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan Pasta, by Sunkissed Kitchen
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This Vegan One Pot Pasta post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small percentage of any purchases made.
This is such a beautiful and colorful dish, Michelle! I love how easy it is and so fresh for spring! Chickapea pasta is so darn delicious and versatile!
It certainly is Robyn! Thank you.
Girl. I *just* had to face a sink full of dishes upon waking up this morning because the past two days have been work-work-work and I couldn’t keep up. Not to mention the fact that a messy kitchen gives me anxiety. With that, it goes without saying that I need more one-pot dinners in my life.
And this one. looks. ah-mazing.
I’m a sucker for pasta shells, and I just lovelovelove the flavors here. So bright and perfect for summer.
And gosh, I’ve yet to do the whole cashew-soaking thing. I need to get on that! It’s brilliant!
Sink fulls of dishes in the morning give me anxiety as well! Isn’t it the worst feeling? Like you can’t start your day and everything is off. My kitchen is the one area of my house that has to stay clean and organized, I just can’t cope! So, bring on the one pot dishes — it’s a much needed challenge for me!
This looks absolutely incredible with such clean and healthy ingredients!! And of course, your photos are stunning as well, you’re truly making me crave this entire dish and make me want to make it for breakfast! Who says you can’t have pasta for breakfast?! Exactly 😉
Gigi, you’re making me blush! And NO ONE EVER said you can’t have pasta for breakfast — especially when said pasta is actually legumes!
That sauce looks out of this world!!! I can’t wait to try it!
It is wonderful!
What a delicious looking recipe! I love the fact that it is gluten-free for my daughter and lactose free for me. And all those wonderful veggies and a healthier cream sauce puts this one on my list to try. And since I’m always looking for a gluten-free pasta, I’m going to look up this brand and give it a whirl.
Amazing Linda! We have a variety of allergies and intolerances in our house too so I am always playing around with alternatives that will work for the whole family and keep everything happy and healthy! Chickapea is a great product – do let me know what you think!
What can be used in place of nuts for the sauce?
I use pureed cauliflower often but I have a feeling it would be too thin in this sauce. Coconut milk might work!
What a delicious side dish to serve at any meal. It’s full of veggies, creamy and looks delicious. I am definitely serving this one up super soon.
Would love to hear if you try it! It will definitely be made again and again here. Dreamy sauce.
I will have to try this chickpea pasta. I’m intrigued. I love how much protein it has. I try to eat less carbs but I love pasta. This one seems like a winer. Your recipe looks fantastic.
Chickapea is great if you’re trying to lower net carbs — or just as an occasional treat! Very satisfying.
What a great vegan dish! Looks delicious and can’t wait to try it.
I love one pot pastas! This looks so delicious, and I love that it’s vegan.
Love that it only takes 30 minutes to make this! Being added to my “make for dinner” list. 🙂
Veggies & pasta — a dream combo when it comes to quick dinners!
I’m always trying to cut down on the number of dishes and pots I use, too! This looks really delicious and a great way to use beautiful fresh veggies!
It’s a constant mind game, isn’t it Sue? Thank you for stopping by! We’ve missed you.
This pasta looks amazing!! Cashew cream sauces are the best and this one looks extra good with all the veggies. And I love that you’ve used Chickapea Pasta. It’s my fav!!
Doesn’t Chickapea make preparing a healthy dinner so easy? Love that I can just use up veggies on hand and don’t have to worry about protein.
1.) I LOVE one pot dishes – I’m far too lazy to clean out too many dishes at one time! 2.) Cashew based vegan sauces are my favourite! They’re just so creamy & perfect. Can’t wait to try this!
Cashews definitely work magic in the kitchen! I have to buy them in bulk!
I love a great pasta dish any night of the week. This looks delicious…and I love all the flavours here. I just might have to give this a try in the next day or so. Thanks for a great recipe.
Absolutely! I do hope you try it — I’ve gotten such good feedback on this one already!
I NEED to try that tomato sauce!
I’ve never made a creamy tomato sauce before, but it was SO good! Definitely will be on repeat here.
Can this sauce be made ahead of time? Even canned for future use??
It can definitely be made a day or two ahead of time. I have no idea how it would can! I have never tried.
This is such a bright and flavorful recipe, Michelle! It would be perfect for a meal prep idea or a fast weeknight meal! Who doesn’t love ONE POT!!
It would be perfect for meal prep– I like Chickapea the best when it has a creamy sauce. It’s delicious for days!
Haha, I’m a pro at using way too many dishes too! 🙂 I love one pot pasta meals and this one is so bright and vibrant! That sauce sounds so delicious and I love all the veggies!
One pot is a great challenge to rein in our creativity! LOL
I love how you made dairy-free cream sauce, because I love a rich pasta but don’t love how it makes me feel. I will definitely be trying this. Also, your food styling is ON POINT!
Thanks Rachel! I was really happy with how these photos turned out. Colorful veggies really make it so easy. I am with you on the dairy free sauces — I eat cheese occasionally, but milk or cream are not tolerated by my sensitive stomach!
I love all the veggies you added! I’ll have to try that brand of chickpea pasta, I’ve tried the Banza brand and I wasn’t a fan of the texture. I’m excited to try this!
You should definitely check out Chickapea — I really think it’s a much better product than Banza.
I can see why your husband declared this his new favorite — it looks so delicious! This sauce sounds so amazing and I love all of the veggies that you’ve packed in here. Your photos are truly beautiful too!
Thank you Marcie! I was really happy with how these turned out.
Genus! What beautiful colours and amazing flavours! Can’t wait to try this one.
Thanks Michelle — definitely a winner.
In love with the rainbow of veggies in this dish and especially how easy it is to make in one pot!
Easy to make is key!
A weight would be very helpful on the pasta amount. I see that it has a hyperlink but those do not always work and would not work when I was making the recipe, I ended up using too much pasta as a result. We liked the recipe. Additionally, I would like to know if other high protein pastas could be substituted. FYI for anyone making the recipe, the pasta amount is 8 oz.
Thanks for adding in that information — you’re right. I will add that to the recipe. I am glad you enjoyed it. And yes, you can sub other pasta. I also used a quinoa/rice pasta, and it worked, but I had to cook it for about twice as long, so I added extra water. All good notes I can add! Have a great day Kelly.
Thank you! I was going to ask about that. I need to substitute because I can’t get chickpea pasta and coming from Australia have no idea how much a “box” is!
Hi Deborah! Glad you caught that in the comments — I am going to go add that and additional directions RIGHT NOW! 🙂 Would love to hear how you like this recipe!
I am so in love with that sauce! I bet the cashews give it such a great flavor and consistency. I am definitely trying this healthy meal!
I’ve already had so many people let me know they’ve tried and loved it! So simple, so delicious!
I think I did something wrong! I soaked the cashews for 4 hours and have a ninja blender. When I blended everything it seems like it’s just small little flecks of cashews and it didn’t break down into a smooth consistency! Should I try soaking over night next time? And is it raw cashews? (That’s what I used)
Hi Jaclyn, It shouldn’t be difficult to blend the cashews. I used a Ninja once a long time ago and returned it because I couldn’t get anything smooth in it. Do you have just a standard blender? You also might want to try blending the cashews with less liquid at first to help get it going, and add more of the liquid once it’s become a paste. You can also try soaking the cashews in hot water. Yes, I always start with raw cashews, but honestly, I don’t think it matters with consistency, only flavor.
Do you have any recommendations for someone that cannot have cashews? This looks fantastic and I am missing that creamy option.
I do! There are two that would work well – 1 is to put the cream back into this recipe, if you are not vegan and can have milk. The other is to use full fat coconut milk. Both will be delicious – the coconut milk will come through in flavor, but it will be delicious still!
This pasta dish is amazing! Everyone should know about it! *sends link to EVERYONE*
Thank you for such a lovely recipe with such a small amount of washing up!
I grow my own veg so I used my own tomato sauce and also stuck some globe artichokes in here. I guess you could play around with the veggies quite a lot.
I added some chipotle paste as well. What can I say, it was looking at me! It works really well.
Delish!
K 🙂
Kate, thank you so much for taking the time to leave that comment and review! I adore this dish — it’s my husband’s new favorite pasta dish and he is always asking for it. Absolutely mix up the veggies! The artichokes sound like a PERFECT addition!
Hi, I was wondering if there is anywhere else to purchase the Chickpea brand pasta besides Amazon? $5 a box seems a little steep. I buy the Banza brand at my local supermarket for $2.99 a box, but I’d like to try the Chickpea brand too. This recipe looks lovely, and I can’t wait to try it!
You can purchase it from their website with free shipping — the cost is the same, but if you follow them on social media or subscribe to their email newsletter, they have deals all the time where it’s discounted or buy one get one free. You should definitely try — I like it a lot more than Banza!
If using milk or coconut milk, instead of cashews, how much would I use? Thanks!
I would use 1/2 cup of half and half, or 1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk!
Do you think lentil pasta would work for this recipe?
I am guessing yes, since the pasta I used was chickpea/lentil — it’s my favorite pasta to use for one pot recipes. Let me know if the pasta you used worked! I would say if your pasta normally cooks up al dente and not mushy/soft, it will work here.
I’ve used this sauce for a few different pasta dishes- it’s easy and super delicious!
I also adore that sauce, Amanda! Thanks for letting me know you’ve been enjoying it!
I’ve run into this often with Vegan recipes, cashews. My son is allergic to them. We’re constantly trying to find an alternative. Otherwise, this recipe sounds amazing! Suggestions?!
Is he allergic to all nuts? I also make a cream sauce with unflavored almond milk and some coconut milk to give it some richness. I am just posting that recipe next week. I am allergic to soy so I haven’t tested using that!
Adore this!
Looks like a lovely dish. Anyone know if the sauce freezes well?
I wouldn’t try freezing anything in this recipe! Enjoy.
Any substitutes for cashews?
You can use coconut milk or half and half — about 1/3 cup!
I made this tonight for myself and my meat eating boyfriend. He loved it! I made extra sauce just to make sure there was enough. I added mushrooms to the veggies and fresh basil at the end of the dish. We ate dinner, and hours later he was talking about how good it was. I will definitely make this again!
I LOVE hearing this! That’s what my husband said about it as well. One of his favorite things that I’ve made.
I am not solely a vegan, but this meal was incredible! It definitely needs to be eaten by everyone! I will try more of her recipes for sure. And I’ve never made a cashew sauce before but I think it turned out pretty well. My roommates love it and I will have leftovers for forever! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
I found this to be quite yummy and satisfying! I didn’t use as much water and served the green beans on the side. Made it accordingly other than that and was happy with the result! It was a huge bonus that I didn’t have a stack of pots and pans to clean up afterwards!
Love this Holly! Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s a great recipe that’s been popular for years. If you love the creamy cashew sauce, I highly suggest trying this Creamy Tomato Basil soup — dairy free! https://sunkissedkitchen.com/creamy-tomato-basil-soup-recipe/
Can I use hazelnuts instead of cashews?