Go Back

Sun-Dried Tomato Vegan Pasta

Sun-dried tomato vegan pasta with a creamy dairy-free coconut cream sauce that clings to rigatoni or penne. Chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and nutritional yeast create a rich, savory finish with wilted spinach and fresh basil.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta
  • 1 lb rigatoni or penne
  • 1 cup pasta water Reserve for loosening the sauce; use up to 1 cup.
Sun-dried tomato sauce
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
  • 4 garlic, minced
  • 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut cream
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
To finish
  • 3 cup baby spinach
  • Fresh basil and extra nutritional yeast for serving
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni or penne until al dente, about 10 minutes for most packages. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta water.
Make the sun-dried tomato coconut cream sauce
  1. In a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium heat, warm the sun-dried tomato oil until it shimmers. Add the minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, coating the garlic and tomatoes until slightly darkened. Keep heat at medium to avoid burning.
  3. Add the coconut cream, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast, then stir until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce looks creamy.
Combine and wilt the spinach
  1. Add the drained pasta to the sauce along with reserved pasta water as needed, tossing until the sauce coats the rigatoni or penne. Add 1 to 1/2 cup water gradually for the texture you want.
  2. Add the baby spinach and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted and bright green. Keep tossing so the spinach disperses evenly.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each bowl with fresh basil and extra nutritional yeast right before serving.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly before adding pasta water, and add water a splash at a time while tossing. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water until silky again. Freezing is not recommended because coconut cream can break. Dietary swap: for gluten-free, use gluten-free rigatoni/penne and cook al dente.