This creamy vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is a quick and easy weeknight meal that will satisfy the whole family. Made with sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and kale, this healthy plant-based meal is sure to be a hit.
If you are a sun-dried tomato lover like I am, this recipe is for you! My son loves sun-dried tomatoes too and he frequently eats them as a snack, but when he saves me some, I make this pasta sauce.
❤️ Why make this recipe
This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is dairy-free and easily made gluten-free too since the sundried tomato sauce is naturally gluten-free.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Pasta - you can use any type of pasta that you would like. See which brands of pasta are vegan. Use gluten-free pasta if desired.
- Sundried Tomatoes -I like to use the oil-packed sundried tomatoes that come in a jar and use the oil as a base of the sauce, but you can use the dry ones that come in a bag too.
- Olive Oil - If you are not using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
- Garlic - for flavor.
- Mushrooms - taste great in this pasta, but they are optional.
- Kale - you can swap this out with spinach or other leafy greens if you want.
- Salt and Pepper - for flavor. Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper will also give this dish extra spice if wanted.
- Vegan Cream - I usually use a can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream, but you can also use cashew cream. (see vegan cream options below) You can also leave out the cream for a lighter fresher tasting pasta.
- Fresh Basil - or vegan pesto to garnish after cooking. You can also sprinkle it with herbs like fresh parsley or dried oregano.
🔪 Helpful tools
- A large non-stick frying pan or a well-seasoned iron skillet.
🥄 How to make sundried tomato pasta
Step 1 - Prepare your veggies. Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Dice your sundried tomatoes into small pieces. Wash and slice mushrooms. and wash and break apart kale into small pieces and set aside.
Step 2 - Cook your choice of pasta according to the package instructions in salted water. (Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.)
Step 3 - While the pasta is cooking, to a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (or use olive oil) and 3 cloves of minced garlic and heat on low for about 2 minutes.
Step 4 - Turn up the heat to medium and add 2 cups of washed and sliced mushrooms, sprinkle with a 1/2 tsp salt, and saute for 3-4 more minutes.
Step 5 - Toss in the diced sun-dried tomatoes and stir well.
Step 6 - Massage the kale pieces with your hands for a minute or two until they get bright green, then toss them into the skillet and stir well.
Step 7 - After adding the kale, and before draining the pasta, scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta water and add it to the veggies. Stir and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes allowing the kale to wilt.
Step 8 - Add a can of coconut milk (or 1 1/2 cups of any other vegan cream that you choose) 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir well.
Step 9 - Stir in drained cooked pasta and garnish with fresh basil or pesto. Sprinkle with a little vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Feel free to leave out the cream and make it a light pasta sauce with just oil and veggies.
- You can also use vegan heavy cream instead of coconut cream.
❓ Optional add-ins
To make this a heartier meal, toss in some vegan chicken strips, vegan shredded chicken, or vegan Italian sausage while cooking the veggies.
Make a healthier sun-dried tomato sauce by tossing in some more veggies like broccoli, spinach, or asparagus.
🥛 Vegan Cream Options
Coconut Milk - A can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
Vegan Coffee Creamer - You can use store-bought creamer like silk or an equivalent brand, or you can use my vegan coffee creamer recipe.
Cream Sauce - You can easily make a vegan bechamel sauce with a roux and add it to the veggies to make a tomato cream sauce.
Thickened Plant Milk - Use 1 1/2 cups soy milk or oat milk with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in it for a lower-fat method.
Cashew Cream Sauce - Soak 3/4 cup of cashews overnight or for an hour in hot water, then blend in a high-speed blender with 1 cup of filtered water until smooth and creamy. See the full cashew heavy cream recipe for more detailed instructions.
Tofu Cream - Add a container of silken tofu to a blender with 1/2 cup of plain flavored plant-based milk and blend until smooth and creamy.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This vegan sundried tomato pasta will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: Leftover sundried tomato pasta freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat a serving of pasta in the microwave for about 3 minutes or add a few tablespoons of water and reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.
🌟 More easy pasta recipes
See my post with 30 easy vegan pasta recipes you can make in 20 minutes or less.
- Vegan Sausage and Kale Pasta
- Tofu Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Alfredo
- Coconut Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Vodka Sauce
- Pesto Orzo Salad
- Pasta and Peas
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan sun-dried tomato pasta recipe
Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) package pasta
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups kale
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk or 1 1/2 cups of vegan cream of choice
- 1 dash red pepper flakes and/or black pepper
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your veggies. Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Dice your sundried tomatoes into small pieces. Wash and slice mushrooms. and wash and break apart kale into small pieces and set aside.
- Cook your choice of pasta according to the package instructions in salted water. (Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.)
- While the pasta is cooking, to a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (or use olive oil) and 3 cloves of minced garlic and heat on low for about 2 minutes.
- Turn up the heat to medium and add 2 cups of washed and sliced mushrooms, sprinkle with a 1/2 tsp salt, and saute for 3-4 more minutes.
- Toss in the diced sun-dried tomatoes and stir well.
- Massage the kale pieces with your hands for a minute or two until they get bright green, then toss them into the skillet and stir well.
- After adding the kale, and before draining the pasta, scoop out 1/2 cup of pasta water and add it to the veggies. Stir and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes allowing the kale to wilt.
- Add a can of coconut milk (or 1 1/2 cups of any other vegan cream that you choose) 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir well.
- Stir in drained cooked pasta and garnish with fresh herbs.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
No, it's more than enough pasta. The problem is the amount of other ingredients, the mushrooms. Two cups of mushrooms cooks down and is just enough for one-two people in my opinion. Just telling you what I experienced. It was a mountain of pasta with very little of other stuff.
I made this last week for 4 people. I used the recipe for 12 servings. It barely served 4 people. It was more like 2 servings. What's wrong with the recipe?
I'd like to try again for 4 people. What are the correct measurements? The sliding scale doesn't seem to work.
I'm glad that you like the recipe so much that you want to make it again, but confused why you say that this would only serve 2 people? Are you following the recipe as written? It calls for a full pound of pasta (which is 8 serving on the box) If you used all the pasta, plus oil, coconut milk, and veggies the dish would contain 2,784 calories or 1,392 per serving if you served 2 people. You can double the recipe if you feel like you need twice as much. (I make this for my family of 4 (including 2 teen boys that eat a lot) and it fills us all up.) Maybe serve it with a side salad and bread as well for a complete meal. You can also add a package of vegan chicken strips along with the veggies to add more protein to the meal.
No, it's more than enough pasta. The problem is the amount of other ingredients, the mushrooms. Two cups of mushrooms cooks down and is just enough for one-two people in my opinion. Just telling you what I experienced. It was a mountain of pasta with very little of other stuff.
Hi, Monica,
Would the recipe work with spinach instead of kale ?
Thank you!
Love, Chantal
Yes, definitely, just add the spinach towards the end of cooking so it just wilts and doesn't over cook. Enjoy! 🙂
Delicious! Made it with palm hearts as I didn't have mushrooms. Thanks, definitely a recipe for keeps
I'm so happy that you liked it! 🙂