Eric, Steve, Dan, Shayne, and Steve worked on the deck this weekend and they got so much accomplished!
It almost looks like a deck now. :)
The weather was what the boys called, ‘Deck Building Weather’. Sunny and just warm enough to be comfortable.
The workstation Eric set up…heh
View from other end:
This is the view from our back door:
Our old deck didn’t extend this far, but we thought it would be really nice to walk straight out onto the deck so we extended the deck about 7 feet or so. I’m very happy about this extension because it will be much easier for me to carry my camera and food to the deck!
If you recall, it used to look like this…
On Sunday night, I treated Eric to a fancy smancy dinner as a thank you for all his hard work- Vegan Yum Yum’s Tomato Basil Cream Pasta dish that I have been meaning to try for a while now. This dish tastes so much like a traditional cream pasta, you could fool even the toughest critic!
Easy Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
Yield
2-3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is one of the best creamy pasta sauces I have ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. It is right up there with 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta! This was also one of those moments when Eric and I looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe this is vegan?’ I find that cashew cream sauces can be a bit bland, but this one was fantastic (probably due to the basil, tomato, and garlic trio adding so much flavour). Lightly adapted from Vegan Yum Yum.
Ingredients
- 2 servings uncooked spaghetti (I used Kamut)
- 1 large ripe tomato or two smaller tomatoes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3)
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 3-4 tbsp water or wine, (optional)
- 1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Chop tomato and add it to the blender (including skin and seeds). Now add the cashews, water, and tomato paste. Blend until smooth.
- Add your pasta to boiling water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet and heat to low. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes being careful not to burn it.
- Pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add the salt and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, watching closely. You may add water or wine to thin out the sauce to you desired consistency, but this is not necessary.
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in the chopped basil and pepper. Once the pasta is done cooking, rinse and drain it. Add the drained pasta back in the pot and now gradually add pasta sauce until your desired amount is achieved. Stir and serve immediately. Makes 2 servings, likely with sauce leftover.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I love making pasta sauces because with just a few ingredients you can create something that tastes so gourmet and special.
And this was one of the best creamy pasta sauces I have ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. It is right up there with 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta!
This was also one of those moments when Eric and I looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe this is vegan?’ I find that cashew cream sauces can be a bit bland, but this one was fantastic (probably due to the basil, tomato, and garlic trio adding so much flavaaaa).
Time to get to work and then I’m off to another Moksha hot yoga class at lunchtime. Ange took me to my first hot yoga class on the weekend and I loved it. Many of you have been telling me for a long time now that a class is so different from a DVD and I must say you are 100% right! I will give a recap of my experience on the blog shortly.
Have a great day 
I really love how you’ve been including home renovations and gardening updates in your posts! Your deck looks like it is coming along great! Can’t wait to see the finished product!
I made this last night! It was so delicious. Never would have thought to add cashews to a sauce. Thank you for sharing it!
love, dana
p.s. come stop by and say hi! I’ve got some Sur la table $ to give away :)
i made this last night and….it’s my new favorite sauce! seriously.
also, i used jarred tomato sauce in place of the tomato paste, since i didn’t have any. about a tablespoon and a half.
delicious!
YUM YUM! (haha). This looks amazing.
I tried this recipe for dinner tonight. It was fabulous!!! My husband liked it too, and was amazed at how creamy it tasted with no actual cream.
This looks seriously delicious. I’m going to make this tonight – my first Oh She Glows meal ever! x
First — kudos to Eric and all your friends who are making such impressive progress on the deck.
Second — I cannot wait to try this. I “fooled” my husband with a vegan mock vodka sauce pasta dish awhile ago (used pureed white beans). . . so this will be next up on the list when we have pasta.
Looks yummy lady. And what a beautiful TOMATO!
Hello,
I made your Tomato Cream Sauce Pasta for dinner tonight. WOW! This completely exceeded my expectations! My fiance (who never likes anything healthy) even agreed he liked it!
Thank you for sharing!
Jackie
If this is anything like that avocado pasta, I know I’m going to love it! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! :D
thank you for this recipe! I just tried it and it is soooo good! I am not a vegan but due to my lactose intolerance I like to cook a lot vegan…so your blog is great!!!! Love your blog!
bisous,
mia
heylilahey.blogspot.com
thanks Mia!
made this recipe yesterday ..it was soo creamy and the flavor so good. it wasnt bland at all. I did use 4 garlic cloves . my husband loved it and wanted more. easy and yum and healthy! thanks for the recipe
This was delicious! Thanks for posting!
that looks delicious! my kids will luv- yes to hot yoga – been teaching hot yoglates for 10 years – awesome!!!!!
So good, my 3 yr old ate two big bowls of it .
I made this tonight – it was FANTASTIC! And I loved not having to worry about getting sick like I always do after eating dairy-based cream sauces! :)
Just made it for my family, & it tastes delicious! Thanks, Angela!
OMG! This is so good! Made it tonight for the first time. This recipe is a keeper.
I just made this for my boyfriend and I and we loved it! I love recipes that I can whip up using ingredients that are kitchen staples. I added the 3-4 tablespoons of red wine and it gave it great depth. Thanks again!
Made it last night for dinner. Creamy, flavorful & delicious.
Served it over vegan ravioli (purchased at whole foods).
Another winner.
Made this tonight it was DELICIOUS….even my husband liked it and he wasn’t so excited about me making a Vegan meal. My goal for the month of September is to have no Meat days and have dinner be Vegan. Thanks for all recipes to help me reach my goal.
Eating this right now. O. M. G. No words. Seriously no words.
Hi Angela,
Got all your ingredients and I am going to try and make this for my date tonight! I am excited!! :)
I made this tonight along with some roasted cherry tomatoes and seared squash. My mom and I loved it!
I also added some roasted tomato juice while the sauce simmered–highly recommended.
This is hands down now my favorite vegan recipe it’s on our weekly menu yummo!
Just finished having this for dinner. It is absolutely delicious! It makes me think of a healthy tomato-based pesto. The cashews add some protein and a texture of parmesan cheese which makes it very filling. I will definitely be making this again. It was so easy tasty!
I made this a few days ago, and my almost 10 month old LOVED it! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her gobble something up so quickly. And the adults loved it as well – going into our rotation, for sure!
I love love love this sauce! Today I used the leftovers as a dip with some rice crackers – AMAZING!!!! I think my next batch will be used as dip for veggies/crackers instead if on pasta since it’s so good!
I made this tonight and the whole family loved it. It gave me the same satisfaction as a sauce that actually uses cream.
Your blog is fabulous! Funny thing is that I am Canadian and used to live in Toronto. However, I recently discovered your blog here in Australia where I have been living for 1.5 years. I can’t wait to try more recipes. Although I am not a vegan, I love healthy cooking and have greatly reduced our dairy and meat intake.
So glad you liked it Vanessa! Have fun in Australia :)
We tried this recipe tonight and found that it is missing a critical dimension. The cashews wash out the spicy bite of garlic and leave it a little bland. I would recommend adding some more spice of your choice to give it more flavor to balance the sweet-ish creamy flavor from the cashews. Also, add more salt rather than less for better flavor.
Delicious! Love the texture and creaminess! I did not have enough basil, maybe that’s why it was missing a kick. I added an onion with the garlic. Next time I might add a little something… Green olives or sun dried tomatoes. This sauce is an awesome base to play with. Will make it again. My meateater hubby likes it so I’m happy!
I used this recipe for a nice Sunday dinner and I have to say that it was very tasty! So simple to make with only a small number of ingredients. I couldn’t believe it was vegan!
This is definitely something I will make again. Thank you!
Hi Angela,
This looks delish! And I’m going to make it as a part of my Valentine’s Day feast tomorrow! I was wondering what you think about adding a touch of spice – some chili, maybe? Not having tasted the dish yet, I wasn’t sure if it would compete, or if you had an idea for the best way to spice it up. Thanks!
Just made this tonight and it was honestly one of the best entrees i have EVER had. I had my little brother taste it and he LOVED IT. love you blog and all of your recipes!
Yummy!!!!!!
Cooked pasta for dinner yesterday, basil and nuts give special flavor!
Thank you Angela.
This is our fav recipe on ur site. I add 3tbsp of nutritional yeast to the sauce! Mmm so good.
This was amazing! So tasty!
I am so interested in eating more vegan meals, but everything always has tree nuts in it! I am severely allergic to all tree nuts. Would sunflower seeds be an acceptable substitute in this recipe? Or any recipe for that matter?
Im sorry but Im not sure as I havent tried any other nut or seed in this before. if you try it, let me know. thanks!
I might be late to the party, but I made this dish for dinner last night. WOW! I loved it. Randomly throughout the night after dinner I would look over to my boyfriend and say, “Man that was some good sauce…” haha! It was awesome!
I added few squirts of Siracha because I food with a kick.
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I made this tonight with sauteed garlicky mushrooms/kale and vegan sausages. It was super duper delicious! Thank you!!
This is a wonderful sauce! I’ve been looking for a creamy sauce that isn’t too “nutty” tasting or without adding Nutritional Yeast (sometimes I just tire of that flavor). This one definitely hit the spot! I didn’t even have tomato paste, but this came out great…I used veggie broth instead of water to give it some extra flavor.
I was trying to use up the fresh veggies I got in my CSA from the Farmer’s Market this week, so I actually paired this recipe with your Eggplant Parmesan. I made the eggplant cutlets, then put this sauce over them. Delicious!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am staying away from dairy for some weeks (just want to see how that goes), so this is just genius. I also tried an dessert recipe from your page, a chocolate cake with an almond crust an an coconut-dark chocolate filling. Was great, too!
wow! we tried this tonight, and this is one of very few recipes that has received rave reviews on my first try! Both my husband and my daughter loved this! My dairy-intolerant daughter asked if I was sure there was no cheese in it :). Thank you, this one’s a keeper!
This was surprisingly delicious, creamy, and SUPER EASY TO MAKE! I am new to this vegan lifestyle and your website has really helped make it a smooth transition for a mom of 2 boys & husband that are not vegan. Thank you!
Just made this for the non-vegan boyfriend! Delish :]
Hi Angela,
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for cashew substitutes in recipes like this, though. I’m somehow allergic to all nuts except peanuts and almonds, so unfortunately, cashews are off-limits for me. I would love to try making this pasta but I’m just not sure what to use in place of the cashews.
You might be able to get away with using soaked almonds? I would try soaking them for 10 hours or so, pop the skins off (Or simply used blanched almonds from the get go) and then blend as usual. Almonds might not get as smooth as cashews though, so that’s something to keep in mind. Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
I made this tonight. It is so creamy and delicious. I didn’t have tomatoe paste and it was great with out it.
I just made this tonight for dinner! Such amazing flavours and texture! Thanks for the recipe!
I know that this comment is not very timely; I’m not even sure if you will ever read it. I have had this recipe in my to-do box for a long time now. Although it is winter time and not the best time to buy tomatoes and basil, I made this last night and it was so good. It tastes like summertime. I was eating the sauce with a spoon. I do not have a blender and did it in the food processor. I’m sure it was not as smooth as was intended, but it was really really delicious. It is a dish I will make again and again.
Hey Johanna, So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your feedback.
WONDERFUL!!! I LOVE YOUR SITE!! I doubled the garlic and added 1/4 cup if pinot gris wine and a pinch of red pepper flake. Thank you!! EXCELLENT!!!