Quick and easy, creamy tomato pasta is a tubular pasta bathed in a creamy, oil-free, nut-free pink sauce. Topped with fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese, the creamy tomato pasta recipe is made in under 20 minutes!
Whenever it's cold outside and I need comfort food, I always make creamy tomato pasta. Pasta, no matter how it's prepared, gives me a warm feeling inside. But, nothing tastes better than eating a creamy tomato pasta recipe!
I don't know about you, but I love making quick and easy recipes. For that reason, I often pick a recipe to make during the week on my busiest day. As a matter of fact, today was such a day.
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Even though it doesn't rain in Arizona often, the storms rolled in last winter, and it hailed, leaving an inch of slush on the ground. Of course, it melted within minutes, but the day was gloomy and cold. But my friends from Michigan love to see pictures of these rare occurrences.
So, cold, rainy, and busy turned into a great excuse reason to make a creamy tomato pasta recipe, a dish I enjoyed on cold nights when I lived in Michigan.
Pasta Ingredients
Even though tomato pasta may seem simplistic, the combination of ingredients and creamy component gives it a tasty flare.
- Pasta: I chose short pasta, such as penne, but any pasta shape and size works well.
- Yellow Onion: Yellow onion is milder than white onions and caramelized well with garlic.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Mushrooms: I love mushrooms and try adding them to as many recipes as possible.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes give the sauce a little kick and deepen its flavor of the sauce.
- Sea Salt/Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Seasoning food properly is the thing that separates good food from great food. The point is not to make something salty, but to add enough salt to make an ingredient shine. And dried pasta is no exception
- Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes are a mixture of diced tomatoes and tomato puree or paste. Stewed tomatoes are cooked and then canned, usually with other seasonings.
- Oat Milk: I like oat milk because it's naturally creamy.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy component to the pasta recipe, but also helps thicken the sauce.
- Flour: I used whole wheat flour, but any flour works well to use as a thickening agent for the pasta.
- White Wine: White wine often works just as well as red if you're trying to add a little flavor and depth to tomato sauce
- Basil Leaves: Fresh herbs always taste fresher.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I make my own vegan parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the top of the pasta right before serving.
Pasa Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any type of pasta. Try gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free option.
- White onion often substitutes yellow onion in recipes.
- If you don't like mushrooms, try chopped eggplant or zucchini.
- Fresh tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes replace crushed tomatoes in recipes.
- Add small amounts of red pepper flakes or skip them for those sensitive to spice.
- Any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works in this recipe. Or, you can use water instead of plant milk.
- Substitute vegetable broth or white vinegar for white wine.
- Use one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.
- Vegan parmesan cheese is available in store-bought options if you don't want to make your own. Or skip this ingredient if desired.
Quick and Easy Meals in Under 20 Minutes
I don't know about you, but I'm always grateful if I can make dinner in under 20 minutes. And that includes prep time. Often, I find myself inundated with chopping and prepping food. Sometimes, however, I need more time or feel like doing it.
Therefore, I make and share many quick and easy meals for busy people. As a mom, I understand how time gets away from us. And let's not forget all the other responsibilities we have in life.
Based on my schedule, I plan at least one easy meal each week. Then, I make sure I have leftovers for at least one lunch. Sometimes, an easy meal creates several meals, which is a bonus.
How to Make Creamy Tomato Pasta
Because I love mushrooms, I added sliced portobello mushrooms to my garlic and onions as part of the sauce. This, however, is optional. A typical creamy tomato sauce does not necessarily include mushrooms, but vegetables can be added for a little more veggie love.
How to Make the Sauce Creamy
Instead of using nuts to make this sauce creamy, combine plant milk (I used oat milk), nutritional yeast, and flour.
Italian and French recipes often call for white wine in the ingredient list. It's used to deglaze the pan or add a complex, acidic flavor to dishes.
Once the sauce thickens, add the cooked noodles, chopped basil, and vegan parmesan cheese! You won't believe the incredible flavors!
Of course, I served this delicious creamy tomato pasta with Italian chopped salad and vegan garlic bread!
If you need a quick and easy meal, try creamy tomato pasta. You'll love it!
More Easy Vegan Recipes
If you love this creamy tomato pasta recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry tubular pasta such as penne
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces thinly sliced portobello mushrooms or mushrooms of choice (optional)
- Pinch red pepper flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more as needed
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup white wine I used Chardonnay
Plant-based milk creamy mixture
- ½ cup oat milk or plant-based milk of choice
- 2 Tablespoons flour of choice I used chickpea flour
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
Garnish
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- Vegan Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Combine oat milk, nutritional yeast, and flour in a blender.
- Blend until smooth, and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a separate pan.
- In a pot, saute onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Then add mushrooms (if using) and cook until browned.
- Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and white wine.
- Stir and heat on medium until the tomato mixture begins to boil.
- Then, whisk in the creamy plant-milk mixture, and reduce heat to low.
- The sauce will thicken as it cooks.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colander, and add it to the creamy tomato sauce.
- Now turn the heat off, and stir the pasta into the sauce.
- Add the chopped basil and vegan parmesan cheese.
- I suggest serving with an Italian Salad and crusty bread.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Raj Bharadia
I made your tomato creamy pasta and loved it! So beautiful and warm on a cold Toronto evening! Thanks Kathy! Shhh! I am pasta fanatic!
Kathy Carmichael
Raj, I'm so glad you enjoyed the pasta dish. Thank you so much for the feedback. I appreciate it.