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20-Minute Creamy Red Pepper Penne

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets about 1 small head cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons high heat oil
  • 16- ounces whole grain pasta
  • 1 25-ounce jar marinara
  • 1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, strained
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower florets on the baking sheet and drizzle with high heat oil. Toss to evenly coat then arrange so that each floret is separated with space in between. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta as directed, just until tender. *If using gluten-free pasta, only cook what you plan to eat immediately. It does not hold up well when leftover. Strain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Prepare the sauce by combining the tomato sauce, roasted red bell peppers, blanched almonds, salt, pepper and oregano in a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add the reserved pasta water and blend to combine. Add the cooked pasta back to the pot then pour in sauce to coat. If you're only cooking half of the pasta, save half of the sauce for later. Add roasted cauliflower to pasta, serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Note: This recipe makes enough for 8 servings. We usually save half of the sauce (in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze it for several months) and only cook 8-ounces of the pasta to cut the recipe in half.
I like to add vegan cashew parmesan on top. 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 (a NutriBullet also works great) and pulse until finely ground.