This creamy vegan rosé pasta is one of those recipes that earns a permanent spot in the rotation. As one reader put it: “I have made this more times than I can count and it’s my favorite vegan dish PERIOD.” The sauce is built from cashew cream, miso, and rich marinara. It’s bold, creamy, and deeply savory. It is also elegant enough to serve to company. Finish with a generous shower of vegan parmesan on top.
The double rosé concept is what makes this recipe distinct. In addition to the rosy blush color of the finished sauce, I use rosé wine in the cashew cream sauce itself. The result is a subtle floral, fruity note that lifts the whole dish without tasting overly wine-forward. Since we are only using a third of a cup, there is plenty left to enjoy with dinner.
The cashew cream is made by blending soaked cashews with rosé wine and a splash of water until smooth. If you have a good store-bought marinara you love, you could skip the tomato sauce-making step! Just combine the marinara with the cashew cream in the pan. The miso is important as it adds an umami backbone that makes the sauce taste far more complex than the ingredient list suggests.
This is a seasonally adaptable dish. The kale is my preference for greens, but chard, spinach, and beet greens all work beautifully. Throw in whatever vegetables need using up! It really is that kind of recipe. Hearty, cozy, and easy to make your own.
Creamy Vegan Penne Pasta with Rosé Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, small dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½-1 teaspoon dried chili flakes, or to taste
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup rosé wine (or white wine!)
- 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 sprig fresh basil, plus extra
- ½ lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon light miso
- ¾ lb dry penne pasta
- 4 cups (not packed) chopped Lacinato kale
FOR SERVING:
- vegan "parmesan"
- extra chili flakes
- chopped fresh basil
Equipment
Notes
- I used a mix of whole wheat and chickpea pasta for mine. Whatever pasta you decide on, it’s key to reserve at least a ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water before adding the chopped kale and draining!
- Chard, spinach, and even beet greens would all be great substitutes for the kale.
- My go-to canned tomato/sauce brand is Bianca DiNapoli. You will especially notice the quality in a recipe like this!
- No rosé or wine? Substitute vegetable stock and add a small squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of white wine vinegar at the end for brightness.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set a large, heavy pot on the stove with the burner set to medium.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the pot. Add the onions. Sauté the onions, stirring here and there, until completely translucent and quite soft, about 5 minutes. If they start browning too quickly, lower the heat. Add garlic, chili flakes, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir. Once the garlic is super fragrant, about 45 seconds, add the rosé to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Once the rosé has reduced by two thirds, add the crushed tomatoes and the whole sprig of basil. Place a lid on top of the pot and bring the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce heat so that the sauce is simmering. Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes.
- While the rose pasta sauce is simmering, place chopped asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread asparagus out into a single layer and slide the baking sheet into the oven. Roast until just tender, about 17-18 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the savory cashew cream that will be added to the still-simmering sauce later on. Drain the cashews and place them in an upright blender. To the cashews, add the water, nutritional yeast, and miso. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. One minute before its cooking time is up, reserve a ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water. Then, add the chopped kale to the pot, pushing it into the water with a spoon. Let the kale wilt for 30 seconds before draining the pasta and kale.
- Once the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, extract the wilted basil sprig. Add the savoury cashew cream to the sauce and stir. If you would like a smoother sauce, you can blend it in an upright blender, and simply return it to the pot.
- Add the cooked pasta, kale, and roasted asparagus to the pot with the rosé sauce. Stir to combine, adding splashes of reserved pasta water if necessary. It should be creamy and fluid. Serve the double rosé pasta hot with vegan “parmesan,” chili flakes, and chopped basil.
Made this soooo many times! Hot tip – if you want, you can substitute the cashew cream with a can of coconut milk (I use light coconut milk) and it’s delish. I also use protein pasta instead of regular so it has lots of protein.
I love a good pasta rosa. I prefer to omit the alcohol, even though it cooks off. Curious what you’d recommend using in place of it?
Hi Andrea! I would just use vegetable stock instead and then if you feel the sauce needs a bit more acidity at the end, go in with a splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
-L
This was delicious! I used red wine and made the cream with hemp hearts instead of cashews since that’s what I had on hand, and it worked great, though I imagine cashews would be even richer.
Is there a standard substitution amount to use plant-based milk instead of the cashew cream? Is it generally equal the amount of water that is used? A bit more…a bit less?
Thanks!
Hi Deb,
Generally you can just go by the volume measurements–especially with an easygoing recipe like this! Here, there’s 1/3 cup cashews and 1 cup of water, so I’d go in qith 1 1/3 cups non-dairy milk of your choice.
-L
Where do you find your chickpea miso? I’m also in the Niagara region. Thanks :) Very excited to try this.
Hi Alison,
Tradition Miso is available in Canada and makes a chickpea miso. I’ve only been able to find it at certain grocery/health food stores though.
-L
I would like to know if you cooked this meal in a braiser and what size. I’m slowly adding cookware to my kitchen. Love your recipes.
Hi Shawn,
I did cook the sauce and finish this pasta in a braiser. Mine is by Staub and holds 4 quarts.
-L
Thank you so much for this recipe Laura. I have made this more times than I can count and it’s my favourite vegan dish – PERIOD. Love, love, love it!
This was delicious! Thank you Laura! I made it vegetarian rather than vegan but it worked out super well.
Could I use something to substitute for the cashew cream? Maybe cashew milk? I don’t have a blender!
Your best bet would be an unsweetened non-dairy creamer–something super rich!
-L
Hi, I love cashews but my husband is severely allergic to cashews and almonds. What can I substitute in this recipe to achieve the same effect? Thanks!
Hi there!
You could also use soaked macadamia nuts or pine nuts.
-L
I made this yesterday. I used veggie broth instead of wine just FYI. It was really tasty, and easy to cook. This can easily go into the weeknight routine come fall, and would be even easier if I had the sauce already prepared. My husband really enjoyed it too. Thanks for this!
DELICIOUS!!!
I just made this for dinner and it was SO delicious. The sauce tastes exactly like a vodka sauce! I did use a Chardonnay in place of the Rose and Rao’s marinara instead of the tomatoes with some fresh chopped basil mixed in instead of the sprig. Everything else I followed exactly and it was perfection. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
This was absolutely amazing and will go into my files under fit for “Company Meals”. Thank you so much for such a beautiful plant based meal!
This is so delicious!!! Love it! And so easy to make! I used cabernet sauvignon, because it’s what I had on-hand, but definitely am going to try with rosé next time! Thank you for a great recipe :)
This pasta is so beautiful! I’ve always abstained from alcohol, but it is really fascinating to see how different alcoholic beverages such as champagne, white wine, red wine, and rose can be integrated into recipes. Love the color of the sauce and how much vegetables are packed into the sauce!
Wow…it was such a surprise the taste was way better than i expected…it was absolutely lovely…Thank You …
it was so tasty and delicate.. will be on our best list..Thank you
Hi Amy! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the pasta.
-L
Why is this called “double” rose? It looks like the rose ingredient is used only once. Sorry to be obtuse… Just want to be sure I don’t miss a step.
Hi Lily,
Pasta that has a marinara + cream-based sauce is often called “Rosé Pasta.” In my version here, we’re adding a cashew-based cream to some homemade marinara IN ADDITION to deglazing with rosé wine. I allude to this a bit in the blog post, but perhaps not explicitly enough. Hope this clarifies things.
-L
Ah, thank you! Your blog explanation is perfectly adequate. I jumped to the recipe and was shopping for ingredients and was too hasty in asking.
This was absolutely delicious!
All good! ;) So glad that you enjoyed it too.
-L
This looks delicious! I will be making this ASAP.
I love asparagus so definitely this recipe goes into my “to cook” list. Thanks so much!
This looks amazing! Is there anything that could be used in place of the miso? The stores around here quit carrying chickpea miso, and my husband is allergic to soy so we can’t use regular miso.
Can you get coconut aminos where you are? I would add a splash of that and double up the nutritional yeast!
-L