Pasta has always been comforting to me. My favourite food BV (before veganism) was a big old bowl of macaroni and cheese, smothered in ketchup.
Since becoming a vegan, I've experimented with many different pasta sauces, some turning out amazingly, others, not so much. In the past, I would have just smothered anything pasta-related with cheese, but not only is that not an option anymore, I find my palate craving food that is just good tasting all on it's own, without having to add condiments after-the-fact. Below is a collection of my favourite of each type of pasta sauce, one red, one white, and one green. Feel free to add your own in the comments.
Red: Chunky Vegan 'Bolognese'
Ingredients
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium bulb of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 package of fresh basil, chopped
1 package fresh oregano chopped
1 package of sliced white mushrooms
1 package of Yves Veggie Ground Round (or TVP from Bulk Barn, rehydrated works as well.)
A few shakes of italian seasoning
A few shakes of garlic powder
Directions
1. Heat onion and garlic in a large skillet in a bit of olive oil until onion is translucent. Add peppers and mushrooms.
2. After mushrooms turn brown, add TVP and mix fully. Then add crushed tomatoes, all herbs and seasonings, keep lid on for 10 mins.
3. Stir and take off lid and let sauce reduce for about 20 mins. Mix into cooked pasta and enjoy.
White: Cashew Cream Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup of cashews
1 cup of almond milk (or any non-dairy milk of choice)
6 cloves of garlic (sense a pattern yet? I LOVE garlic)
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
Sea salt
Directions
1. Soak 1 cup of cashews in water for a minimum of 2 hours. Drain.
2. Add all ingredients to food processor except almond milk and salt, pulse until loosely mixed.
3. Slowly add almond milk bit by bit, while running processor in between until mixture reaches desired consistency.
4. Add salt and taste until reaches desired saltiest. Mix into cooked pasta and enjoy.
Green: Simple Green Sauce (This one is my favourite!)
Ingredients
2 or 3 handfuls of spinach
1/2 cup of Tofutti cream cheese OR silken tofu
6 cloves of garlic (or sometimes more)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of olive oil
Shake of garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Directions
1. Add all ingredients to hand blender and blend until smooth. Stir into cooked pasta and enjoy.
I tend to use Healthy Harvest pasta, as one serving contains 20-30% of your daily required iron intake, which, as a vegan, I am always trying to find good sources of.
Of course, with all these recipes I add different things depending on what I have on hand. I am also no stranger to sauces made from a roux or various pestos. I'll save those for a later post. :)
Let me know in the comments what kinds of pasta sauces you enjoy. Also, if you try any of these recipes, comment and let me know how it turned out! Or take a photo and tweet it at me... I love photos!
Great ideas.
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