Easy Creamy Vegan One-Pot Pasta

Skip the mess with this vegan one-pot pasta dish! Rich and velvety from a simple cashew-based vegan heavy cream, no one would ever know it takes just 20 minutes to make from start to finish. Perfect for busy weeknights!

One-pot pasta garnished with fresh basil on a white plate with a white marble background.

Every night my husband and I spend a good amount of time cleaning our kitchen. With three kids and everyone rushing between work, school and afterschool activities, we almost never have enough time during the day to clean up as we go.

So when we finally get the kids to bed, all the dishes from breakfast, lunch and dinner are patiently waiting for us in (and around) the sink to clean. Rinse and repeat, literally!

Enter this delicious meal in the form of a one-pot recipe. We don't even need a strainer because the starchy pasta water actually becomes part of the sauce!

Starches that get released into the pasta water during the cooking process actually help to bind and thicken, making the pasta sauce both richer and creamier. In contrast, when using the traditional method of draining pasta after cooking, these starches get lost. That is why many pasta recipes recommend saving a cup of the pasta water to use for rehydrating leftovers!

In this recipe, we keep all of the starchy pasta water and combine it with marinara sauce and a cashew-based heavy cream. Shallots and garlic provide extra flavor and fresh basil adds the finishing touch. It's so quick and simple yet also incredibly gourmet and satisfying!

One-pot pasta in a silver pot garnished with fresh basil with a white marble background.

Why You'll Love this One-Pot Pasta

Only one pot to clean - obviously!
Ready in 20 minutes
Rich, creamy and satisfying
No need to wait a long time for a large pot of water to come to a rolling boil
No need to lift a heavy pot to strain
Nutritious
Works for all types of pasta

Ingredients

This quick and easy dinner comes together using just 10 simple ingredients, including water and salt! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

Extra virgin olive oil
Shallot
Fresh garlic
Salt
Pasta of choice - I typically use pasta made from chickpeas or quinoa to keep it gluten-free and add a boost of protein. Brown rice pasta also works well.
Filtered water - a ratio of 2 cups of water for 8 ounces of pasta is a good rule of thumb, but it could vary depending on the type of pasta used.
Marinara sauce - I love Rao's Homemade Marinara sauce. You can certainly use a homemade tomato sauce instead but the purpose of this dish is to keep it quick and easy!
Soaked raw cashews - these are blended with water and salt to create a vegan heavy cream.
Maple syrup
Basil
Optional garnishes: red pepper flakes, vegan parmesan cheese and fresh herbs

How to Make One-Pot Pasta

1. Sauté the shallot and garlic. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Watch the garlic carefully and turn the heat to low if necessary to avoid burning.

Sautéed shallots and garlic in a silver saucepan with a white marble background.

2. Add the pasta and water and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, cook for the time specified on the package instructions (mine is 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Pasta in boiling water in a silver saucepan with a white marble background.

3. While the pasta cooks, make the vegan heavy cream. Add the soaked cashews, water and salt to a high-speed blender and blend on the highest speed for 45 seconds. If needed, scrape down the sides with a mini spatula and blend again for 15 seconds.

Vegan cashew cream in a blender after blending ingredients.

4. Stir in the marinara sauce, vegan heavy cream and maple syrup. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, the water should be mostly absorbed. Turn off the heat and stir in the marinara, heavy cream and maple syrup. Stir in or garnish with fresh basil.

Cooked pasta in a silver saucepan with a white marble background.

One-pot pasta in a saucepan prior to adding fresh basil.

5. Serve. Enjoy immediately while hot.

A fork lifting a bite of vegan one-pot pasta from a white bowl.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe Tips

You may need to adjust the water and/or cooking time. Each time I've tested this recipe, 2 cups of water for every 8 ounces of pasta has worked perfectly. However, this could vary depending on the type of pasta used. Adjust the amount of water or cooking time as needed. After you make it once, you'll know exactly what works for your type of pasta.

The water will continue to absorb into the pasta. It's okay if not all the water is absorbed initially, as it will continue to do so when you add the marinara sauce and heavy cream.

Skip sautéing the garlic and shallot if in a rush. The first step in this infuses more flavor into the dish but it isn't absolutely necessary. If time is tight, you can simply start with the pasta water.

Additional Protein Options

When using pasta made from chickpeas, lentils or quinoa, I generally don't seek out additional protein for this dish. However, I will add extra protein if I'm using regular pasta.

My go-to options are to either stir in a can of black lentils or add these delicious vegan meatballs packed with walnuts and oats! The meatballs take about 45 minutes so I tend to only add those when I've made them in advance.

One-pot pasta served on a white plate next to the pot of pasta with a white marble background.

Serving Suggestions

While this one-pot pasta is a complete meal on its own, it pairs wonderfully alongside the following:

Your favorite veggies - serve with plenty of veggies or even just a single one like bell pepper, zucchini or diced onion.
Salad - try this simple side salad or a more gourmet apple arugula salad with candied walnuts.
Side dish - Nosh on these crispy chickpea "croutons" or even add them straight to the bowl!

More Vegan Creamy Pastas

There is just something so satisfying about a creamy sauce in a vegan pasta dish. Try some of these other easy pasta recipes:

Vegan one-pot pasta on a white plate with a white marble background.

I love that this vegan pasta recipe offers up so much flavor with such little effort. This one-pot dish satisfies our whole family and has saved us so many times on busy weeknights. I hope you enjoy it as well!