
One of my favorite things to do when I make basic spaghetti and marinara sauce is to mix in a bit of my favorite vegan mayo to the pasta. It creates a lightly creamy texture and I just love it. But the more practical way to achieve this creamy tomato pasta effect is to simply craft the most amazing creamy tomato sauce from the start. And this one tastes like lasagna...
Today's recipe for Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta is a new favorite of mine. This sauce is super flavorful - bright and sassy with a hint of cheeziness, spice and tomato zing all spun together in a creamy, rich (yet healthy + dairy-free!) recipe. And the best part about this recipe is seriously how ah-mazing it tastes the next day, aka leftovers. The sauce marinates the pasta and it all just .. again .. tastes like lasagna! Get the recipe, plus, watch me make it with a video..
Try the sauce with gluten-free pasta..
Or your fave wheat pasta, like penne..
For the greens you can try spinach, basil or parsley. I love a little vegan Parm on top..
Watch me make it..
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Not into Vegan Mayo? Ok, so after posting the video on Facebook I had a few people say they didn't want to add in mayo. Well, if you are a fan of Vegenaise, you know that it doesn't really have "mayo" vibes, more of a sweet creamy delicious spread style vibes in my opinion. I have always hated normal "mayo" and I love Vegenaise. But if you want an alternative ingredient idea: try raw cashews! For best results, soak them overnight and drain before adding. I would add about ¼ - ½ cup of them, plus some additional salt if desired. you could also try subbing with a plain vegan cream cheese... but I haven't formally tested either of these options so let me know!
No Nooch? Try subbing any vegan white cheese or a spoonful of sunflowers seeds or add in another spoonful of walnuts. Nooch is optional, but definitely adds loads of savory cheezy flavor.
I almost called this "lasagna sauce" because that is what it reminds me of. All the flavors of creamy, cheesy lasagna -- in a one stop shop sauce. You know, the ricotta, mozzarella, tomato.. this sauce kinda has those types of flavors built in with the creaminess from the vegan mayo, cheeziness from the nooch and richness and earthiness from the walnuts.
...And bonus, this sauce is totally dairy-free and loaded with good stuff. Vegan lasagna tomato sauce guys.
I hope you love this one as much as I do and can whip out this recipe on your next super busy, comfort-food craving weeknight. Enjoy!
In love with this meal. And the leftovers taste just as good (or better) as day one!..
So, let's recap.. This super easy sauce is my new go-to tomato sauce because (I'll say it agin) it tastes like lasagna. Garlic, spices, tomato and layers of amazing flavor. Just add your favorite pasta and serve! You could also add in some spinach, white beans or vegan meatballs. Enjoy!..

Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
Vegan Creamy Tomato Sauce:
- ⅓ cup vegan mayo***
- 750g (3 cups) chopped plum tomatoes (or San Marzano Tomatoes)
- 2-4 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon pizza or Italian dried seasoning (salt-free)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup raw walnuts (Add a few more for an even thicker, richer sauce)
Fold in:
- ½ cup chopped white onion (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley flat leaf parsley or fresh basil - or try a handful of baby spinach
- bay leaf to simmer (optional)
Other Ingredients:
- 1 bag of your favorite pasta
- vegan Parm and/or EVOO on top
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ***(I advise using Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, it is my favorite)
Instructions
- Pasta: While you are making your sauce, you can boil your pasta. Add salted water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to directions. (Cooking times will vary.)
- Sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend from low to high until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a medium sauce pot and add the onion, herbs and bay leaf. Cover with a lid to prevent splattering as you bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for just a few seconds, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes, just enough time to cook the ingredients a bit and fully warm the sauce.
- Drain pasta and place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl. Pour in about 2 cups of the sauce and toss well. Add more sauce to taste or keep on the side so everyone can add extra if they want it.
- Serve warm with vegan Parm and chopped parsley on top. For extra richness, EVOO can be drizzled on top.













ThothsTemple says
So I have adopted this recipe for my pasta bake. I omit the onion and go for the fresh basil blended in and add a generous amount of heinz tomato ketchup to amp up the the rich tomato flavour. Once it's all been blended I simmer it with a couple bay leaves for about 8 mins. Take it off the boil and whilst that is cooling grate some original violife vegan block cheese on top of the already cooked pasta. Layer of the sauce on top of the cheese to get the cheese to melt. Rather than forming a separate cheesy layer the vegan cheese goes molten and adds extra creaminess to the sauce. Repeat the same process again to layer it up with pre cooked pasta, violife cheese and the sauce smothered all over the top. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 25 mins at 190/200 degrees centigrade.
Tracy Kardon says
Kathy, would this be good cold, for a potluck?
Heather says
I just clicked on the "print" icon to print it out and I got 12 pages! 10 of them were blank. Can you save a few trees and fix this?
John Hartil says
Oh boy what a delightful pasta meal this will be!
Kathy Patalsky says
Thanks John! It is a really delicious sauce. I am so in love with the leftovers we have been eating!
Caren says
The recipe sounds great. Just one question: what can I sub for the vegan mayo?
Kathy Patalsky says
Hey Caren! I have received that question a few times today so I updated the post. But basically, I think soaked cashews would be your best option for creaminess. I will try them the next time I make this recipe so I can report back.