This is a tomato basil pasta with a cashew cream sauce — no dairy, ready in about 35 minutes, and genuinely creamy without feeling heavy. The real reason to make it is that the sauce holds up well after a few days in the fridge, which makes it one of the more practical pastas to cook once and eat several times.
The technique that matters
Two things actually move the needle here. First, blending the soaked cashews until completely smooth before the sauce is done — any graininess in the cream will stay grainy in the finished dish, so give the blender a full 60 seconds and scrape the sides. Second, adding the cashew cream off the heat or at a very low simmer. High heat causes the cream to break and turn gluey rather than silky. Stir it in gently once the tomato base has finished reducing, then bring everything back up to a bare simmer just long enough to warm through.
What can go wrong
- Sauce too thick after storing: Cashew cream thickens considerably as it cools. When reheating a batch, add a splash of water or plain unsweetened plant milk and stir over low heat — it loosens back up quickly.
- Bitter or flat tomato flavor: If your tomatoes are underripe or canned tomatoes are acidic, a small pinch of sugar added during simmering balances the sauce without making it taste sweet. Taste before adding the cashew cream, not after.
- Basil turns black: Chopped basil oxidizes fast once it hits a hot surface. Stir it in right before serving, not while the pan is still on the burner.
- Pasta clumps when stored separately: If you’re portioning this for the week, toss the cooked pasta with a very small amount of olive oil before storing it apart from the sauce. Combine them only when reheating.
- Cashew cream doesn’t fully incorporate: If the tomato base is too cold when you add the cream, it can sit on top rather than blend in. Make sure the sauce is hot and actively steaming before stirring the cream in.
Storage and reheating
Store the sauce and pasta separately if you’re planning ahead — the sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and cooked pasta keeps for 3 days. Combined leftovers are fine for 2 days but the pasta absorbs the sauce and softens. To reheat, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat with a tablespoon or two of water, then add the pasta and stir until heated through; the microwave works too, just cover it and use 50% power to avoid drying out the cashew cream. The sauce freezes well on its own for up to 2 months — freeze it flat in zip bags for faster thawing. Skip the garnish of fresh basil when freezing portions; add it fresh when you serve.
Vegan Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Equipment
- Blender (high-speed preferred)
- Large sauté pan
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
Base:
- 12 ounces penne pasta use gluten-free if desired
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin for best flavor
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced finely
- 4 cups heirloom tomatoes chopped; or use 1 (28-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Cream Base:
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 20 minutes then drained
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk or any neutral plant-based milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast adds umami and cheesy notes
Fresh Additions:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat (about 176°C / 350°F). Add minced garlic and diced onion. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and golden. Stir continuously to avoid burning.
- Add chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes, until tomatoes break down into a sauce. Stir occasionally.
- While tomatoes cook, prepare the cashew cream. In a high-speed blender, blend soaked cashews, almond milk, and nutritional yeast until silky smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir the cashew cream into the tomato sauce. Lower heat and allow to gently simmer for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and stir in chopped basil and lemon juice. Toss in the cooked pasta, adding pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- For a deeper flavor: Add sun-dried tomatoes or a touch of miso paste to the sauce.
- Substitution: Coconut milk can replace almond milk for extra creaminess.
- Nut-Free: Use silken tofu in place of cashews for a similar creamy texture.
- Short on time? Prep the cashew cream the day before and store in the fridge.
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Do the cashews really need to soak, or can I skip it?
Soaking is worth doing — it’s the difference between a smooth sauce and a slightly gritty one. If you’re short on time, cover the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes instead of soaking them for hours; that gets you most of the way there.
Can I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh?
Yes, canned whole peeled tomatoes work well and are often more consistent than out-of-season fresh ones. Crush them by hand as you add them to the pan so they break down evenly.
What’s a good substitute if I have a nut allergy?
Silken tofu blended with a little unsweetened plant milk makes a workable cashew-free cream. The flavor is slightly more neutral, so you may want to add an extra teaspoon of nutritional yeast to compensate.
Can I make the sauce ahead and freeze it?
The sauce freezes well for up to 2 months — freeze it without the basil, which doesn’t survive freezing with any texture intact. Add fresh basil when you reheat and serve.
Will this work with gluten-free pasta?
It works fine with chickpea or brown rice penne, which both hold their shape reasonably well. Just watch the cook time closely — gluten-free pasta goes from done to mushy faster than wheat pasta, so start checking it a minute or two early.
More plant-based recipes to try
- Macadamia Nut Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Polenta Mushroom Bliss
- Spring Pea Mint Risotto
- Mediterranean Orzo Artichoke Salad