Pasta With Carrot Sauce & Italian Chickpea Breadcrumbs
Pasta with carrot sauce is comforting, savory, and so creamy! This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly.
Carrots are an ingredient I always have stocked in the fridge. They’re inexpensive and so versatile whether they’re used in desserts like carrot cake loaf, immune-boosting juice, roasted in the oven, or hidden in sauces like this pasta.
This recipe was inspired by my vegan butternut squash mac and cheese, and pairs incredibly well with Italian chickpea breadcrumbs (or crouton dust according to my husband) for an added boost of texture, flavor, and protein.
Ingredients
- Short pasta noodles – rigatoni, penne, ziti, cavatappi, fusilli, etc.
- Carrot sauce – a combination of olive oil, carrots, yellow onion, garlic, raw cashews, veggie broth, white miso paste, and salt and pepper.
- Chickpea breadcrumbs – chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), Italian seasoning blend, olive oil, and salt.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
How To Make Pasta With Carrot Sauce
Prep the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 400ºF then drain and rinse the chickpeas. Use a tea towel to dry them well before adding them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until they resemble breadcrumbs then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with a generous amount of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and salt, to taste, then spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-28 minutes.
Build the flavor. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Once warm, cook the onion and garlic until fragrant and starting to brown, about five minutes. Add in the carrot slices, raw cashews, and veggie broth, and bring to a boil.
Simmer. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender. While the sauce starts to simmer, cook your pasta according to the package directions.
Blend. Transfer the mixture to a blender along with the white miso paste, salt, and pepper, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and top with the chickpea breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this carrot with pasta sauce using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No yellow onion? – sub a white onion or use a large shallot instead.
- Gluten-free? – use your favorite gluten-free pasta brand.
- No chickpeas? – use toasted panko crumbs instead.
- No Italian seasoning blend? – use any combination of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and sage.
- Add-ins – add chicken or sausage to make it even more filling.
Storage
Store the cooked pasta and carrot sauce separately if not eating right away in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you have any leftover chickpea breadcrumbs, let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
Pasta With Carrot Sauce and Italian Chickpea Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
Italian Chickpea Breadcrumbs
- 15 oz can chickpeas or garbanzo beans
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
Carrot Pasta Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 cups veggie broth
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 12 ounces short pasta noodles of choice
- fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 400ºF then drain and rinse the chickpeas. Use a tea towel to dry them well before adding them to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until they resemble breadcrumbs then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with a generous amount of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, and salt, to taste, then spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-28 minutes.
- Build the flavor. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Once warm, cook the onion and garlic until fragrant and starting to brown, about five minutes. Add in the carrot slices, raw cashews, and veggie broth, and bring to a boil.
- Simmer. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are fork-tender. While the sauce starts to simmer, cook your pasta according to the package directions.
- Blend. Transfer the mixture to a blender along with the white miso paste, salt, and pepper, and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and top with the chickpea breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.