Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (Hidden Veggies)

Dig into this creamy vegan sun-dried tomato pasta filled with hidden veggies!

One thing I’ve been seeing a lot of on the internet and hearing from my friends is that they are not getting a typical amount of veggies into their diets as usual. At the beginning of lockdown, I was definitely having the same challenge. (You mean there are food groups other than peanut butter-filled pretzels and icecream?? Who knew.) Lately, I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate vegetables into comfort foods.

Nothing says comfort food to me like pasta with a creamy sauce 🤤. So how the heck do you make that healthy? The key is hidden veggies.

The sauce for this pasta dish is primarily made from cashews and cauliflower (with an extra something special from sun-dried tomatoes). Yeah you read that right: cauliflower. Now before you or your picky family members write this one off, you should know that this cruciferous vegetable is essentially undetectable.

What are the benefits of cruciferous vegetables?

Dr. Gregor, aka my favorite data-driven plant-based advocate, includes cruciferous vegetables as a staple to a healthy diet. His research recommends including at least one serving of this type of vegetable a day.

So what do they do?

Cruciferous vegetables can potentially prevent DNA damage and metastatic cancer spread, activate defenses against pathogens and pollutants, help to prevent lymphoma, boost your liver detox enzymes, target breast cancer stem cells, and reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression. 

I’m on board. So if you’re ready to incorporate these benefits into your life too, get cooking!

Preparation

This recipe is SO quick and easy, especially if you have a high-speed blender. Here are the instructions: boil, dump, blend. That’s it! This is perfect for a busy night when you’re just not feeling a whole production. It also saves well, so you can make a big batch for the week. I would just suggest keeping the pasta and sauce separate until you’re ready to dig in.

I always use Banza pasta to ensure I’m getting enough protein throughout the day. Plus it tastes great, is gluten-free (if you’re into that kind of thing), and has tons of fiber.

Creamy Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (Hidden Veggies)

• Author: Fueled For Adventure
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: pasta
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/3 cup of cashews
• 1 1/2 cups of chopped cauliflower
• 1 tbs of sun-dried tomatoes (no oil)
• 4oz of Banza noodles or your favorite alternative
• 1 cup of chopped broccoli
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

---

Instructions

1. Bring two pots of water to a boil.
2. Prepare your pasta according to the provided instructions in one pot.
3. In the other pot, add your cashews, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil for ten minutes on medium heat and then strain the water out. Dump in your blender. 
4. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pot along with your broccoli or another favorite vegetable to include in the pasta. Cover and steam on medium-low heat for about 7 minutes or until bright but tender. 
5. To the blender, add the almond milk, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt, nutritional yeast, and crushed red pepper. 
6. Blend until smooth. This will be a thick sauce. Add more almond milk to thin out if desired. 
7. Mix your pasta, broccoli, and sauce. Enjoy

---

---

Nutrition

• Calories: 405
• Sugar: 10g
• Sodium: 213mg
• Fat: 15g
• Carbohydrates: 51g
• Fiber: 13g
• Protein: 26g
• Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: vegan, pasta, high-protein, dinner