This creamy vegan bell pepper and carrot sauce was created as a response to red pesto. I wouldn’t call it a substitute for that kind of pesto; rather, it’s a completely new sauce, inspired by red pesto. The difference is that my recipe contains no oil and no cheese, yet it’s packed with wonderful, nutritious ingredients such as ground cashews, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, and nutritional yeast.
Creamy Vegan Bell Pepper and Carrot Pasta Sauce (Oil-free)
This creamy, oil-free vegan pasta sauce features delicious, wholesome ingredients like ground cashews, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, and nutritional yeast.
Equipment
- Blender
- Saucepan or deep skillet
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 red bell peppers
- 4 carrots
- 1 garlic clove
- 80 g cashews
- 300 ml water
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp rolled oats
Extra for the sauce:
- 500 g frozen edamame
- A handful of fresh basil
For serving:
- 500 g whole grain macaroni or any pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Wash and clean the bell peppers, carrots, and garlic. Cut the peppers and carrots into smaller pieces to make blending easier.
- Start cooking the whole grain pasta in salted water.
- Place all sauce ingredients into the blender: bell peppers, carrots, garlic, cashews, water, salt, black pepper, sweet and smoked paprika powders, nutritional yeast, and oats. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a saucepan or large skillet, cook the frozen edamame with a little water and salt for about 5 minutes.
- Add the blended sauce to the edamame and cook for a few more minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens slightly. Once thickened, remove from heat.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and combine with the sauce and edamame.
- Wash the fresh basil and serve it over the pasta.