Vegan Pasta Primavera with Garlic Cashew Sauce (19g of protein!)

A few years ago, during my annual AK Zucchini week, I wanted to create a veggie-packed, plant-based pasta that used up fresh spring and summer produce. This easy vegan pasta primavera recipe turned out even more delicious than I could’ve imagined, thanks to the creamiest garlic cashew sauce.

This plant-based take on traditional pasta primavera is absolutely loaded with flavor and fresh vegetables, and I AM OBSESSED. The best part? It packs 19g of protein and over 7g of fiber to keep you full and satisfied without any meat. Kiddos and adults will LOVE this bright, nourishing meal!

What is pasta primavera?

Traditional pasta primavera was actually founded in New York in the 1970s and is basically just pasta with lots of fresh vegetables that’s usually tossed in a buttery, creamy sauce. The options are endless for customizing with tons of different veggies, so of course, I wanted to create my own vegan take on pasta primavera with a creamy cashew sauce, which is basically a version of my jalapeño cashew cream sauce (but without jalapeños!)

Vegan pasta primavera ingredients

You’ll basically just need tons of fresh summer veggies, pasta, seasonings, and cashews to make this simple yet oh-so-delicious vegan pasta primavera:

• Pasta: I like using bowtie pasta (aka farfalle) or penne pasta, but feel free to use any kind of pasta you’d like.
• Oil: you’ll need a little olive oil to cook your veggies till they’re nice and tender.
• Veggies: we’re using red onion, carrot, red bell pepper, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini. We’re truly eating the rainbow with this easy vegan pasta primavera!
• Italian seasoning: for a little Italian flavor in the pasta.
• For the cashew sauce: you’ll need raw cashews, water, lemon juice, fresh garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper.
• Optional for serving: I like to serve this pasta with red pepper flakes, extra salt & pepper, and garlic crostini or my famous homemade garlic bread.

Customize your plant-based pasta primavera

• Choose your veggies. Add any veggies you have on hand! In the spring, peas and asparagus would be delicious, and summer tomatoes and corn would be great in here, too.
• Add extra protein. To keep it vegan, feel free to add a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas to the pasta. If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, try adding some grilled chicken, shrimp, or even crispy bacon. A sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan would also be delicious.
• Pick your pasta. Feel free to change it up with your favorite pasta shapes. I recommend rotini or bowties, or even large shells. You can use your favorite gluten-free pasta as well.

How to make vegan cashew sauce

The dairy-free garlic cashew sauce is basically a delicious, plant-based take on alfredo sauce, and I am all for it. To make it:

1. Soften the cashews. Soak your cashews in warm water for at least 2 hours. Otherwise, speed this up by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water, bringing it to a boil, then immediately turning off the heat and letting the cashews sit for about 20-30 minutes in the hot water.
2. Add to a blender. Once the cashews have finished soaking, drain them and add them to a high-powered blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients.
3. Blend until smooth. Blend up all of the ingredients on high until the sauce comes together. Taste and add any additional salt & pepper as necessary. If you want a bit of a thinner sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons more water.

Can I use a different sauce?

Sure! If you have a nut allergy or want a more traditional, non-vegan pasta primavera, make the parmesan cheese sauce from this chicken pasta bake and fold your noodles and veggies right into the sauce.

Vegan pasta primavera in 3 simple steps

1. Make the sauce & pasta. After making your creamy garlic cashew sauce, cook your pasta until al dente.
2. Cook the veggies. While your pasta boils, you can cook your vegetables in a little olive oil in a skillet or a separate large pot. I recommend cooking the zucchini for just a couple of minutes, and adding the tomatoes last to cook for just a minute so that they don’t get mushy.
3. Mix it all together. Add cooked pasta and cashew sauce to the pot or skillet with the veggies and stir to combine. Top with red pepper flakes, and extra salt and pepper if you’d like, and serve with garlic bread or crostini!

Storing tips

This creamy vegan pasta primavera will stay fresh in an airtight glass container in the fridge for about 4-5 days. It’s delicious made ahead of time, too, so feel free to prep it the night before for your weekday lunches.

Tools you’ll need

Get all of my fav kitchen tools here!

More fresh pasta recipes to try

Get all of my pasta recipes here!

I hope you love this easy vegan pasta primavera recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Stay tuned for more zucchini recipes all week, xo!

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce

byby :Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

ServesServes 4 servings

Delicious vegan pasta primavera packed with tender vegetables tossed in a creamy garlic cashew sauce. This easy vegan pasta primavera recipe has wonderful flavors and plenty of protein and healthy fats for a comforting plant-based meal the whole family will love!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces penne or bowtie pasta (or sub any kind of pasta you’d like, including gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ medium red onion, sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (or sliced and quartered)
• ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• For the sauce:
• ¾ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic (or sub 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper
• For serving:
• Red pepper flakes
• Extra salt and black pepper, if desired
• Garlic costini/garlic bread

Instructions

• First make your sauce: soak the cashews in 2 cups of warm water for at least 2 hours; otherwise, I’ve found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for about 30 minutes in the hot water, then drain.

• Once the cashews have finished soaking, you’ll be ready to make the sauce: add drained cashews, ½ cup fresh filtered water, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, onion powder and black pepper to a blender. Blend on high until sauce comes together. If you want a bit of a thinner sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons more water. Set aside until ready to use.

• Next, cook your pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

• While your pasta boils, cook your vegetables: Add olive oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper and broccoli; saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add in the zucchini and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender, but still have a little crisp to them. Finally stir in the tomatoes, italian seasoning and salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes more.

• Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the vegetables and cashew sauce to the pot with the veggies and stir to combine. Add a splash or two of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed to make it creamy to your liking. Serve with red pepper flakes, if desired. I love enjoying this with a side of garlic bread or with garlic crostini!

Recipe Notes

Feel free to mix and match your veggies based on what you have available. Mushrooms, corn, or asparagus would be perfect to mix and match!
See the full post for even more ways to customize this pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (based on 4, without side of crostini)Calories: 581calCarbohydrates: 84.1gProtein: 19.1gFat: 20.4gSaturated Fat: 3.4gFiber: 7.4gSugar: 10.8g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on August 3, 2020, republished with new photos on June 24, 2021, and republished on April 29th, 2026.