Carrot Pasta Sauce
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A silky sheet pan carrot pasta sauce brimming with roasted garlic, umami and fall flavors coating wide fettuccine noodles and finished with crispy fried sage leaves. Chef’s kiss!
Carrot Pasta Sauce
This creamy heavenly carrot sauce comes together in the blender after the ingredients get perfectly roasted on a sheet pan. It’s perfect for coating wide noodles like fettuccine or tagliatelle but works beautifully with any short tube pasta with ridges that can hold tons of sauce.
About the Carrots
Choose 6 carrots on the larger side but don’t worry too much if they are smaller as we are not baking a cake. The most important part here is that you peel the carrots to achieve that beautiful golden sauce color at the end.
Ingredient Tips
- Miso Paste – you’ll want to use a white mellow miso here either from soy or chickpeas. This will add plenty of savory and umami flavor without altering the beautiful gold color of the sauce.
- Nooch – or nutritional yeast compliments the savory profile while also adding B vitamins and micro nutrients on top of cheesy deliciousness.
- Rosemary + Thyme – my favorite combo to add a nice fall aroma and flavor to the sauce.
- Cashews – For the ultimate silkiness make sure to add some soaked cashews to your sauce. Raw unsalted pieces that have been soaked in ht water for 20 minutes or so is all you need.
- Lemon – A nice squeeze of lemon really balances the roasted flavors and sweetness of the sauce, it’s up to you how much you would like to add or not.
- Reserved pasta water – I always save some of the pasta water just in case I want to thin out my sauce in the end. This is again a preference of taste and texture so find your ideal ratio.
- Sage Leaves – totally optionally but nothing says fall has arrived like some crispy sage leaves fried in vegan butter and sprinkled over the creamy pasta. I highly recommend!
- Toppings – for extra protein and meatiness I pile up plenty of my vegan Italian sausage bits which I make at the same time with the carrots. It’s the best, please make it!
Roasting the Garlic
Make sure to slice off the top of the garlic head which is the pointy side and season it well with the rest of the ingredients and spices. At this point It’s important to place the garlic head cut side down In the center of the dish surrounded by the carrots and onions. This will prevent it from burning and also from drying out the bulbs making sure you end up with soft and creamy garlic bulbs ready to be blended into your sauce without any pungency, just a beautiful tamed and naturally sweet aroma.
Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Vegan Sausage Roasted Garlic Cherry Tomato Pasta
- King Oyster Mushroom Noodles
- Best Miso Shoyu Ramen
- Roasted Tomato Puttanesca Pasta
- Tofu Bolognese
- Amazing Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli Pasta
- Mushroom Ragu
- Fried Cabbage and Noodles
- Avocado Pesto Pasta.
How to Make Carrot Pasta Sauce
Carrot Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 large carrots
- 1 yellow onion peeled + quartered
- 1 head garlic
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dry
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 6-8 fresh sprigs
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes + more to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 Tbsp white miso paste
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 lb - 1 lb fettuccine noodles cooked al dente
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400”F. Line a medium size rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the carrots, cut them in thirds and add them to the baking sheet together with the onion, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes and a pinch of salt.6 large carrots, 1 yellow onion, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 pinch sea salt, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes + more to taste
- Slice the top off the garlic head (the pointy ends) and add it to the tray then drizzle everything with olive oil. Use your hands and toss everything to coat really well. Place the garlic head in the center of the tray with the cut side down surrounded by the veggies.1 head garlic, 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- Roast everything in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, give it a toss and continue cooking another 20 to 25 minutes until the carrots are cooked through. Keep an eye on everything to make sure the onion doesn’t burn and the garlic stays cut side down.
- Meanwhile soak the cashews in hot boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer them to your Vitamix blender (or one similarly powerful) followed by the miso, nooch and water.1.5 Tbsp white miso paste, 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, 2 cups water
- Once the carrots and aromatics are done roasting carefully transfer them to the blender. You’ll want to wait a minute until the garlic is cool enough to handle then hold it with both hands and squeeze the flesh out of its paper straight into the blender.
- Puree everything on the hot liquid setting until silky smooth using the tamper if needed to get things moving. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. ( Use some of the reserved pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce).1/2 lemon
- While the carrots are roasting make sure to get your pasta water ready and to a rolling boil then generously salt it. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain.3/4 lb - 1 lb fettuccine noodles
- Toss the pasta with the carrot sauce until lusciously coated all over. Serve hot topped with some vegan sausage, red chili flakes and some fried sage leaves in vegan butter for a taste of fall.
This was outstanding, will definitely add to my rotation as a meal with Ty roasted tofu. Perfection!