One Pot Creamy Vegan Sundried Tomato + Broccoli Pasta
Sunday night feels like a good time for a new pasta recipe, yeah?
Specifically a cozy, luscious, one-pot pasta that is dairy-free but full of flavour and richness. I’ve been craving a sundried tomato pasta (no idea why?) and when I took requests on my Instagram the other day for pasta recipes, it seemed like many people were craving some sort of super creamy vegan pasta. So I put those two things together with this creamy sundried tomato and broccoli pasta, and as an added bonus, the entire recipe is made in one pot for minimal cleanup. I use my Always Pan because it’s deep enough to hold all of this deliciousness, but you could also use a regular pot!
The combination of salty sundried tomatoes, broccoli and creamy pasta here makes for the tastiest and most comforting winter meal. I also add some Calabrian chili paste for a bit of heat but you can definitely leave that out if you’re not into it. For some reason this reminds me of a dish I used to eat in my childhood - I think it’s something about the specific combination of flavours here that is nostalgic for me. Topped with flakey salt, a dollop of pesto and tons of fresh herbs, this is the ideal quick and easy one pot pasta meal!
One Pot Creamy Vegan Sundried Tomato + Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
1 jar sundried tomatoes packed in oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced (or sub 1 medium white/red onion)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp Calabrian chili paste (omit if you don’t want it spicy)
½ cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 30 mins
½ cup water, plus more for cooking the pasta
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ lb pasta of choice
1 medium head of broccoli, chopped into small (½-inch) florets
½ tsp sea salt, plus more
Fresh black pepper
Fresh lemon + herbs, to finish
Pesto to finish, if desired
Method
Start by blending your soaked cashews with ½ cup water, the nutritional yeast and a big pinch of salt and set aside.
Heat a large, deep skillet or pot over medium and pour in some oil from the sundried tomato jar. Once hot, add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and and cook until they’re starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for another 3-4 minutes until everything is soft and translucent.
Chop up ½ cup of the sundried tomatoes and add to the skillet along with the chili paste, if using. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
To the same skillet, add your pasta and 2 ½ cups of water. Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 6-7 mins, or until 2 minutes short of al dente according to the directions on the pasta you’re using. Stir frequently for even cooking as the pasta absorbs the water. Add your chopped broccoli along with an additional 1 cup of water and ½ tsp sea salt. Pour in half of your cashew cream mixture, stir, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for another 3 minutes to soften the broccoli. You can add a bit more water as needed if the pasta is getting too thick.
Once pasta is cooked to your liking and broccoli is tender, turn heat to low and stir in your remaining cashew cream and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Serve right away topped with more salt and pepper to taste, fresh herbs if using and vegan or regular parmesan cheese (or more nutritional yeast). I also love serving this pasta with a dollop of pesto on top! Enjoy.
Serves 4
