Welcome to the famous #AKZucchiniWeek 2020! Each year, I plan a themed week surrounding the veggie that always overproduces and no one knows what to do with: ZUCCHINI! Be sure to check the bottom of the post for this year’s giveaway details — you don’t wanna miss out!
As the week continues, you’ll find that this year’s zucchini recipes are more savory than usual. If you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, I suggest checking out all of our zucchini recipes here. My personal favorites include zucchini mac and cheese, chunky monkey zucchini muffins and zucchini brownies.
Today’s recipe is a vegan take on pasta primavera that’s absolutely stacked with fresh veggies and I AM OBSESSED. The cashew garlic cream sauce is so simple yet incredibly flavorful. I hope you love it!
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 jalapeno cashew cream sauce (but without jalapenos!)
Ingredients in vegan pasta primavera
- Pasta: I like using penne pasta, but feel free to use any kind of pasta you’d like (even gluten free pasta).
- Olive oil: for cooking your veggies till they’re nice and tender.
- Veggies: we’re using red onion, carrot, red bell pepper, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and of course, zucchini. Truly eating the rainbow with this easy vegan pasta primavera! Feel free to mix and match based on what you have. Corn and asparagus would be delicious, too!
- Italian seasoning: for a little Italian flavor in the pasta.
- For the creamy garlic cashew sauce: you’ll need raw cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Optional for serving: red pepper flakes, extra salt & pepper and garlic crostini or my famous homemade garlic bread.
How to make creamy vegan garlic cashew sauce (aka plant-based alfredo 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:
- Soak the raw 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 20-30 minutes in the hot water, then drain.
- Once the cashews have finished soaking: add drained cashews, ½ cup fresh 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.
How to make vegan pasta primavera
- After making your creamy garlic cashew sauce, cook your pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package.
- While your pasta boils, you can cook your vegetables. Add olive oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper and broccoli; saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add in the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender, but still have a little crisp to them. Finally stir in the tomatoes and italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute more.
- Finally, add cooked pasta and cashew sauce to the pot with the veggies and stir to combine. Serve with red pepper flakes, if desired. I love enjoying this with a side of garlic bread or with garlic crostini!
Customize your plant-based pasta primavera
- Add any veggies you have on-hand! In the spring peas and asparagus would be delicious, and summer tomatoes would be great in here, too.
- 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.
- Feel free to change it up with your favorite pasta shapes. I think it would be fun to use spaghetti noodles or bowties.
How to store vegan pasta primavera
This creamy vegan pasta primavera will stay fresh covered 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.
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!
Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce
Delicious vegan pasta primavera packed with tender vegetables and 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 pasta (or sub any kind of pasta you’d like)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced lengthwise
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered OR cut into thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- For the sauce:
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 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 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.
- While your pasta boils, you can cook your vegetables. Add olive oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper and broccoli; saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add in the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender, but still have a little crisp to them. Finally stir in the tomatoes and italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute more.
- Finally, add cooked pasta and cashew sauce to the pot with the veggies and stir to combine. 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!
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
More zucchini recipes to try
The BEST Zucchini Lasagna Recipe (low carb!)
Good Morning Healthy Maple Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (nut free, vegan & gluten free!)
80 comments
Quick question, are the carbs in the nutrition notes from the pasta? And if so, do you know the carb content without the pasta??
Hi! Yes the majority is from the pasta and the rest is from all of the veggies. I haven’t calculated nutrition without the pasta (as it’s a pasta primavera recipe) but feel free to use any pasta you’d like – even zucchini noodles!
Wow this is awesome recipe thank you so much for sharing.
Glad you loved it!
Delicious! I was worried 2 zucchinis would be too much but they cook down to make the perfect balance of pasta and veg. My clean-out-the-fridge veggie swaps were green beans, heirloom & grape tomatoes, shallot, and a little green onion. This was a great easy dinner to kick off Zucchini Week 2020!
Love that! Perfect for customizing with any veggies you have 🙂
Such a good recipe! Truly feels like you are eating a cheese sauce but without the cheese!! Mixture of veggies and flavor in this dish are just perfect! 10/10!
Absolutely! New fav 🙂
I made this tonight and…OMG! So creamy and delicious – you would never know this was vegan! One of my favorite meals I’ve ever made from Ambitious Kitchen and I’ve made a ton. Another winner!
Amazing! So happy you loved it!
My husband and I made this recipe last night and it was AMAZING! One tip that worked well for me was to save some of the pasta water (about 1/2 cup) and add it when I was combining the sauce, pasta, and vegetables. This recipe made 5 servings for us, and reheated super well on the stove with the addition of a little bit of water. Also, I definitely recommend making this in a Dutch Oven (or similar) to leave plenty of room for stirring!
Perfect! Love that tip. Such a great dinner!
Really amazed by how creamy this was! I didn’t have onion powder so I used a small slice of a white onion. I do think adding Parmesan cheese on top helped a lot with bringing flavors together. Overall really liked it!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I tried making this, loved the flavor, but my sauce consistency was off. When I put it in the pan it kind of curdled. Want to make again so help!
Hmmm, I would try to make sure that your pan isn’t over heat when you add in the sauce or it can burn it.
Made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious! The vegan cream sauce was so flavorful. Didn’t miss the traditional “alfredo sauce”
So happy you loved it!
I made this recipe last night and the sauce was amazing! Thank you for a simple and delicious vegan recipe!
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
So simple, yet delicious! I’d never tried a cashew sauce before and I was amazed at how similar to cheese it tasted. I’ve been testing lots of recipes from your blog and I loved all of them. Greetings from Brazil 🙂
Absolutely! So glad you found this one and that you’re loving the recipes here 🙂
This was fantastic!!! I made it pretty much to the recipe, except i didn’t have red onion so used yellow onion instead. Will definitely be making this again!
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
This was really fantastic. Going to become a staple in our house! We added mushrooms to the suggested veggies and my husband topped it with some crab meat, and that went really well.
Perfect! Glad you both loved it!
SO delicious! The cashew sauce is so flavorful and the little bit of lemon juice gives it the perfect hint of zestiness. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser- I’ll be making this again and again!
Isn’t it amazing?? Glad you loved this one!
So delicious!! I modified some of the veggies with what I had on hand and added a can of tuna for a meat source, per my husbands request. That sauce is amazing! My 3 year old loved it too 🙂
Perfect! Love that idea 🙂 such a great dinner!
This is delicious! Very easy to make and very flavorful. We will definitely make this again. I love it so much that I shared the recipe with some family members in other households as soon as I got up from the table.
Amazing! So happy you loved it!
Delicious! I’ve made it a few times and it’s always a hit. The last time I made it I added in mushrooms, pea shoot leaves, parm, and shrimp. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! And those add-ins sound delicious.
A go to recipe for me when I’m having company. Not only does everybody love it but I enjoy the leftovers after. Easy to make and easy on your stomach as it’s not too heavy. I use whole grain pasta.
Absolutely! Such a great dinner.
I have made this recipe twice- once following the exact recipe and once making changes to suit my taste. The first time it was ok – the sauce absorbed too much into the pasta and the veggie combo wasn’t my fav. Second time, I changed the veggies to my liking and rather than tossing in the sauce, I drizzled over the top. Absolutely amazing! Best creamy vegan sauce I’ve ever made! Thank you for a great recipe!
Perfect! I’m glad you were able to adapt it well 🙂
The sauce in this is 🔥 it’s my new fave pasta to make and ALL THE VEGGIES, so good.
Absolutely! My fav too 🙂
Sorry to be harsh but this is the absolute worst recipe I have ever tried. Do not recommend making & will never make again. If it was possible to do 0 stars I definitely would.
Sorry to hear that! I wish I could help troubleshoot for you as many readers have loved this recipe. Was it the flavor? Ingredients?
LOVE this dish!
I’m so glad!!
This was soooooo good. Like, crazy good. You would never know the sauce is vegan. I used what I had so I sautéed frozen broccoli, a white onion sliced, and a carrot. I also roasted some canned whole tomatoes earlier and tossed those in. Love a delicious pantry meal! Thank you!!!
Right?? So glad you loved it!
So delicious! I made it nightshade-free and it was still really good. Highly recommend, already sent the link to my sisters!
Perfect! I hope they love it, too 🙂
An absolute staple in our house. I use banza pasta. I love how rich the sauce tastes and how many veggies are in the recipe. Pro tip: don’t use pre-shredded carrots – they are not as good in the pasta as matchstick chopped carrots.
Really great flavor and pretty quick recipe it pull together. Loved all the fresh veggies this one had in there
Love this dish! So creamy and tasty, without the guilt. I’ve swapped out veggies, added mushrooms and it tastes good every time.
This sauce is the BEST- you’d never believe it has no dairy! I love how this dish is packed with veggies too. I like to top it with nutritional yeast for extra dairy free cheesiness – so so good!
Made this and wow, that cashew sauce is amazing! This dish has everything- pasta, lots of fresh veggies, and a sauce that reheats well the next day. Will definitely make this again!
I love this easy, delicious, healthy recipe. Most of the time, I just throw in whatever veg I have in the fridge. As a novice cook myself, I love the simplicity of this and the fancy feel it brings to the dinner table.
This recipe is a great way to get some servings of veggies in and so easy to make! Once you soak the cashews you really just have to combine in the blender and cook your veggies and pasta. Also have never used cashews for a sauce before and they are super creamy!
Such a great lunch or dinner! Easy & delicious 🙂
This is one of my fave pasta recipes! There’s nothing that I change about it as it’s perfect as is!
I’m so glad! One of my favs, too 🙂
This is a lovely meal – super easy to make, nice variety of vegetables, and delicious cashew sauce. All comes together really well. A favorite!
Absolutely! Glad you love this one 🙂
Hi! just made this and it tastes yummy, but the sauce is very clumpy not creamy? Should I have blended longer or added more water to make it liquidy? Thank you!
The sauce should be very creamy, if it’s not, you’ll need to add more water and/or blend longer. Also be sure to let your cashews soak long enough in order for them to be easily blendable!
This recipe is so good, and so customizable based off of the vegetables that you have on hand. I subbed out the carrots with frozen peas, and it was great! I also used roasted cashews instead of raw, because they are so much cheaper and more accessible, and the sauce still tasted great!
Absolutely! Glad you love this one!
So yummy! Used gluten free penne, but otherwise followed the recipe. This will become part of our regular rotation!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I’ve made this recipe a couple times now, and it is quick and tasty. I could eat the sauce alone with a spoon 😉
So delicious! Glad you love it 🙂
This was mind-blowingly good. I literally exclaimed out loud when I tried the sauce before putting it on the pasta. WOW.
I made this with whole wheat penne, mushrooms a red bell pepper, shredded carrots, asparagus, and some sweet italian chicken sausage to round out the protein content. So delicious
YES so glad you loved it! And those mix-ins sound amazing 🙂
That cashew sauce is divine! I made this dish with red lentil pasta for extra protein and used a spicy italian seasoning. My fiance complimented it 3 times! We decided to go mostly plant-based for Earth month to transition to eating more sustainably year-round and the vegan recipes on this site have made it so easy to find dishes that he also enjoys (as a meat & dairy-lover). This is one I will be making all summer long.
Love that! So happy you’re finding plant based recipes here to try 🙂
I made this exactly as written for dinner earlier this week and it was absolutely amazing! My partner isn’t totally sold on plant-based eating, and he was shocked at how amazing this vegan cream sauce was – we both loved it. Plus, I love how packed with yummy veggies this was. I will definitely make again. Thanks Monique!
So happy to hear that! This is a great one to try as a little intro to plant-based eating 🙂
Tasty sauce. Pretty easy to execute recipe. The tomatoes in this really give it something extra.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and wasn’t expecting it to be so good! I was hesitant about the cashew sauce but so glad I went For it. must try for sure!
So glad you loved it!
Already cut up all the veg for this recipe and now I’ve noticed that the sauce calls for garlic cloves and salt, meanwhile the instructions don’t mention garlic cloves, yet mention garlic salt (which isn’t listed in the ingredients list). 🙁
Thanks for the catch! It was just missing a comma, so you’ll add “garlic, salt, etc.”