Roasted Vegetable Penne with Creamy Marinara
Roasted Vegetable Penne- tossed with a creamy marinara and tender roasted vegetables, this pasta is super satisfying and perfect to serve for the holidays!
This comforting penne pasta is based off of a recipe I used to make all of the time when I first started cooking at home. It’s so simple that anyone can make it. All you have to do is roast some vegetables, boil some pasta and toss it in marinara. Bada bing, bada boom.
The main difference between my version and the original version is cheese. I mean, lots of CHEESE. It’s a Giada recipe so I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Because we eat dairy-free in our house, I decided to nix the cheese and instead blend cashews with the marinara to make a creamy red sauce. Sprinkled with cashew parmesan, the result is just as satisfying as the original.
The great thing about this recipe is that it can easily be scaled up to serve for family gatherings. All you have to do is double the pasta and the sauce, and transfer everything to a 9×13″ baking dish. Then you just reheat it in the oven when you’re ready to serve.
Fair warning for my gluten-free friends: I have yet to find a gluten-free pasta that reheats well so I would not recommend doubling it if you’re using gluten-free pasta. In fact, I would only cook what you plan to eat then save the leftover sauce and veggies for fresh cooked pasta later on. There’s nothing worse than going to eat leftovers and the pasta is a bunch of mush. Been there, done that!
Whether you’re looking for a simple weeknight meal or something easy to serve for the holidays, I hope this fits the bill. Enjoy!
Roasted Vegetable Penne
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons high heat oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces whole grain penne
- 25 ounces marinara
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked*
- cashew parmesan for topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F then line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Arrange the diced vegetables on top, drizzle with oil and toss to combine. Spread the vegetables out so that there is some space between each piece. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed, or until al dente. Strain the pasta while reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta back to the pot and set aside.
Strain and rinse the soaked cashews then add them to a blender with 1 cup of the marinara and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Pick out the garlic from the roasted vegetables and add it to the blender as well. Blend on high until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the pot with the cooked penne along with the remaining marinara, and the herb mix. Add the roasted vegetables and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cashew parmesan, serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe can be doubled to serve for large gatherings! I recommend doubling every ingredient except the mushrooms then transfer the finished pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and reheat in the oven before serving.
*To soak cashews: bring a pot with 2 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Add cashews and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain and rinse then add to the recipe as directed.
**To make your own vegan cashew parmesan, combine 1 cup raw cashews with 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Yesss, definitely saving this for later. I’m cutting way back on dairy, but this looks so creamy without it!
I’ve always loved yummy veggie pasta dishes. In fact, they’re one of my go-to ideas for dinner when I want something easy and delicious. I use cashew parm sometimes, but have never blended cashews right in with the marinara. Great idea!
Even though we eat dairy in our house, I still use cashews ALL the time in my sauce recipes. I just love the creaminess it adds, and I always have cashews on hands (heavy cream, not so much). Looks SO yummy with all those roasted veggies!
Ohhhh my yes! I love tomatoes and cashews whipped up to a dreamy sauce… it’s so easy too! As is tossing all the veggies into the oven! SO yum! Have you tried Jovial brown rice pasta? I absolutely love it and I find reheating it acceptable. Delicious work, Sarah!
Hi. Im glad you mentioned the tomato with cashew . iv never done this YET! I don’t like heavy cream , a few restaurants do it for me. (This is like the biggest thing (cashew) im 42, when i was younger. Grateful dead show,one of jerrys last in fact. Up in Vermont. Anyway. We stopped at MT.Snow for sum biking and hiking on the way. Some hippie chick, super cool. Let us sleep in her yard, tent…she invited us in for dinner and made manicotti, all homemade. Even the pasta! As she filled the tubes, she had a .99cent bag of cashews. She smashed em. And mixed in with cheese for the manicotti. It was AWSUM!!!. And now ,like 20yrs later i still have yet to do this) so ,back to my question. The recipe here says marinara. But im wondering, is it meaning jarred? Or homemade? I assume homemade but IDK. You posted tomato in blender with cashew. So. ? . thank you!
Either homemade or jarred will work! I use buy marinara to save time. :)
haha sounds like what I used to do with baked ziti! Pasta, jarred sauce and veggies :)
But this sounds delicious! Loving that dreamy cashew sauce – cashews are seriously the best!
We just made this recipe and it was amazing! We eat dairy, but are trying to limit it. This was our first time using cashews and the cheese was not missed at all, we even loved the parmesan. Definitely going to be making again.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for the review!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was INCREDIBLE! Considering how easy it was to make, I did not expect it to be as delicious as it was. I added some red pepper flakes to mine for a little extra spice but other than that I made it exactly the same. I’m definitely going to add this to my usual rotation of dinners.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review, Emily!
Just making this now and wondering at what point to add the Italian herb mix?
Thank You!
Sorry for leaving that out! You can add it with the sauce to the pasta and vegetables at the end. :)
My family loves this pasta! It is the one that everyone asks for on their birthdays. Yummmmmmmm. I make the recipe just like it says here, except that I add about 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the sauce. It is truly the best and makes my vegan and non-vegan friends happy. You have to try it.