Being plant-based doesn't mean you can't enjoy creamy pasta sauces anymore. Eating vegan actually makes it easier to expand your horizons and realize just how many other ways there are to get that creamy richness without any dairy! This roasted vegetable pasta sauce infuses roasted red peppers into coconut milk for a slightly sweet and earthy flavor. Just toss it with freshly cooked pasta, roasted cauliflower, mushrooms, and crispy white beans for a deeply satisfying dinner packed with veggies.
What is a Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce?
Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, softens them, and adds a caramelized flavor you won't get with raw veggies.
This roasted pepper pasta sauce uses roasted red bell pepper, coconut milk, and tomato paste for a super simple yet deeply satisfying sauce that will cling to each noodle.
It's an easy way to add lots of flavor quickly and tastes wonderful with the sauteed mushrooms, roasted cauliflower and crispy white beans. It's also my favorite way to turn wilting peppers into something new!
Why you’ll love this Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms
- Infused with multiple roasted vegetables for lots of fiber (and flavor)
- Rich, creamy sauce that sticks to your ribs
- Loaded with texture, like roasted cauliflower, tender mushrooms, and crispy white beans
- Fun alternative to traditional tomato sauces
- Great way to serve more veggies to the whole crew
- Customizable with lots of different vegetables
- Made with wholesome ingredients the whole family will enjoy
Ingredients for Creamy Roasted Vegetable Pasta
This creamy vegan pasta dish has a few components, but it's easier than you may think. Cook the pasta while you're roasting the vegetables and beans, and saute the mushrooms in a large saucepan to dry them out and bring out that meaty texture. Once the peppers are roasted, blend them up to build up the sauce and serve!
For Roasted Vegetables & Beans:
- Cauliflower: This will be roasted to bring out a subtle sweetness and add texture.
- White beans: To roast until crispy on the outside.
- Bell pepper: I used half a red pepper and half a yellow pepper for a slightly different flavor profile. Feel free to mix and match colors, if you'd like.
- Olive oil
For Pasta
- Baby bella or white mushrooms: Instead of roasting, we'll saute these to dry them out and bring out their flavor.
- Tomato paste: To add a punch of umami to the sauce.
- Canned coconut milk: For plenty of creaminess. Make sure it is unsweetened coconut milk. Feel free to use lite for fewer calories.
- Seasonings: Season with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. For a little heat, add red pepper flakes (optional).
- Nutritional yeast: This adds B vitamins and a cheesy flavor, similar to parmesan.
- Dry pasta: Choose your favorite shape of pasta. Gluten-free pasta works, too.
How to Make Creamy Vegan Red Pepper Pasta
The oven will do much of the work for you, including roasting the pepper, cauliflower, and white beans. It's like a sheet pan meal, but turned into the most deliciously creamy pasta dish - the best of both worlds!
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Add cauliflower, beans, and peppers to a large baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. Flip once halfway. (You may remove peppers at the 20 minute mark).
- Put on a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve until last step.
- In a large saucepan, add oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes if using and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are well browned.
- Add tomato paste and cook with the mushrooms for 5 minutes, until the color red has deepened, then add coconut milk, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and salt.
- Blend the roasted pepper (remove seeds and stems) with water until smooth and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce, along with the roasted cauliflower, crispy white beans, extra nutritional yeast and black pepper.
Tips for Making the Best Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce
- Blend more veggies. One perk of making a roasted veggie sauce is that you can add extra vegetables. For a stronger pepper flavor, feel free to use an extra bell pepper, different types of peppers, cherry tomatoes, and more. This is also a delicious way to use up those bits and bobs that may be about to go bad!
- Garnish. I like to add black pepper and sometimes extra red pepper on top, but you can also add fresh herbs, like fresh basil or parsley, grated brazil nut, extra nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan cheese, and more.
- Roast extra veggies. Consider the cauliflower and mushrooms to be your starting place. Feel free to add other roasted vegetables as well. There are tons of options, like roasted red onion, brussels sprouts, zucchini or yellow squash, tomatoes, and more. If you add a lot more, consider making extra sauce to have enough to coat them all!
How can you add more veggies to pasta sauce?
There are so many options to make your own "roasted veggie pasta sauce," and this version is just one of them. I'm a huge believer in serving more vegetables, and you'd be amazed by how versatile they are.
For example, I often like to roast tomatoes with garlic and onion, then blend them until creamy with silken tofu (like this roasted tomato pasta).
I use a similar strategy in this vegan bean lentil chili with hidden vegetables. I blend the vegetables together first, then cook them down. This adds tons of flavor but you can't even see the veggies in the sauce!
It's the perfect way to serve veggies to picky eaters (kids and adults alike) who may be reluctant to eat veggies on their own.
Don't be afraid to blend your favorite roasted veggies to make something new. This method works especially well with roasted butternut squash, carrots, and beets, too. The options are truly endless!
FAQs
Roasted red pepper sauce is one of the best pasta sauces ever, and it's easy to make without any dairy. I typically start by roasting the pepper, then blending it in water to make a smooth sauce. Then, mix it with tomato paste (for a concentrated meaty flavor), nutritional yeast (for that parmesan-like cheesiness), and coconut milk to make it decadently creamy.
Season to taste with your favorite spices, like Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and spoon it over warm pasta. Serve with your favorite roasted veggies and enjoy!
Absolutely! Red peppers are slightly sweeter than other colors, which makes them perfect for adding to sauces and such. Although you can use green bell peppers, they have a different flavor profile that doesn't work quite as well. Try using yellow, orange, or red peppers or even baby bells, which are naturally sweeter.
Other Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
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Creamy Vegan Pasta with Crispy White Beans and Mushrooms
Ingredients
For Sheet Pan ingredients:
- ½ head cauliflower cut in florets
- 1 can white beans rinsed and drained well
- 1 whole red pepper (or two halves like I used, red and yellow)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For Saute:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound baby Bella mushrooms or white mushrooms
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 15 oz can coconut milk unsweetened; use Lite for less calories
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Blended Roasted pepper from above
- ½ cup water
For Pasta
- 1 pound dry pasta your favorite shape; use GF if desired
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for garnish
- Ground black pepper to taste, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Add cauliflower, beans and peppers to sheet pan and cook for 30 minutes. Flip once halfway. (You may remove peppers at the 20 minute mark).
- Put on water to boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package and reserve until last step.
- In a large sauce pan, add oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes if using and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until mushrooms are well browned.
- Add tomato paste and cook with the mushrooms for 5 minutes until the color red has deepened then add coconut milk, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and salt.
- Blend the roasted pepper (remove seeds and stems) with water until smooth and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce, along with the roasted cauliflower, crispy white beans. Extra nutritional yeast and black pepper.