Recipe Info:

Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients:

Sauce:

  • 1 lbs. vegan ground meat alternative
  • 12 oz fire-roasted italian red peppers, drained
  • 12 oz fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 red onion, quartered
  • 1 cup almond milk (or other nut milk)
  • 2 tbsp. cashew butter
  • 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil (1 tbsp for browning the vegan ground, 1 tbsp for sauce)
  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2-3 tsp. salt (based on personal taste)
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. red chili pepper, flakes (optional)

Pasta:

  • 8-10 oz chickpea rotini (or other vegan short pasta, such as penne or gemelli)

Garnish (optional):

  • 1 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.)

Instructions:

  1. On the stove, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. While the pot comes up to tempurature, place all sauce ingredients (except for the vegan ground meat!) into a blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved. If you want a thinner sauce, you can add more olive oil and nut milk to thin.
  3. Place the sauce into a medium sauce pan and heat on medium-low to incorporate and bring up to tempurature. Once hot, reduce to a simmer.
  4. In a medium-sized pan, add 1 tbsp. of oil and heat to medium heat.
  5. Cook the vegan ground meat according to the instructions on the package.
  6. Add the cooked ground to the sauce and continue to simmer.
  7. While sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the instructions.
  8. Drain the pasta and coat with the red pepper sauce.
  9. Plate and garnish if desired.

Suggested Pairing: Chianti Classico