Sundried Tomato Rigatoni
This has got to be one of my favorite go to budget friendly meals that tastes like an elevated version of something that I would have eaten growing up. Some of my favorite plant based recipes that I like to make at home are pretty inexpensive and require mostly pantry ingredients like sundried tomatoes, coconut milk, and pasta.
I use canned coconut milk to replace heavy cream and add lemon juice to brighten it all up before seasoning everything up. To garnish I like to give a generous amount of my favorite vegan parmesan cheese and a little sprinkle of chopped parsley before serving.
Sundried Tomato Rigatoni
* Serves 4 * Ingredients - For the sauce
2 tbsp - grapeseed oil for sauteing
1 yellow onion - sliced or julienned
3 tbsp - minced garlic
1/2 cup - white wine or vegetable stock
1 cup - chopped sundried tomatoes
1/2 tbsp - cold vegan butter ( I like the earth balance sticks )
2 cups - canned coconut milk ( Unsweetened )
1/4 cup - lemon juice
1 tbsp - nutritional yeast
1 tbsp - cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water (slurry)
4 cups - rigatoni pasta
1/2 tbsp - salt
1/2 tsp - black pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp - red chili flakes or to taste
1 cup - pasta water
Garnish
3 tbsp - chopped parsley
1/4 cup - vegan parmesan ( I always use the Violife parmesan cheese block )
Instructions
Step 1 - Veggie Prep
For this recipe there isn’t a whole lot of chopping involved. After gathering all you are going to need to make this recipe ingredients wise it is time to slice the onion, mince the garlic and chop up some fresh parsley and some sundried tomatoes.
Step 2 - Sauté the Onions
I love caramelized onions but I cant live without a bit of char on my veggies so I like to find a place in between. To do this, in a warm pan heat up a bit of grapeseed oil and cook your onions low n slow until they reach desired caramelization and color. This should take at least 30 minutes.
Step 3 - Boil the pasta
In boiling water add a bit of salt and oil to help season and cook the pasta while also not letting it stick together. I like to strain the pasta after about 6 or 7 minutes and allow it to carry over cook in the sauce. This helps to thicken the sauce and also let the pasta take in some of that flavor.
Step 4 - Add in the garlic and wine
Once the onions are caramelized add in the minced garlic and roasted tomatoes and give everything a good stir to allow everything to combine evenly. To deglaze the pan and gather all that flavor, pour in the white wine and allow to simmer. Once the wine has cooked down and simmered for about 2 minutes add in the canned coconut milk, bring the heat up to medium heat and stir to combine.
Step 5 - Season the sauce & add in the pasta
To season I like to start off by pouring in some fresh lemon juice which really helps to brighten everything up along with adding in the nutritional yeast, salt, red chili flakes and pepper. Then add in the drained pasta. Give everything a good stir and allow everything to come up to a simmer. Once the sauce and pasta are starting to thicken nicely together, stir the slurry together and pour it directly over the pasta and sauce. Bring the heat down to very low and slowly stir everything as the slurry helps to bind. This makes for a pasta sauce that really clings on to the pasta. Use the reserved pasta water to reach the desired thickness or to thin it out as the cornstarch thickens and the pasta carry over cooks in the sauce.
Step 6 - Garnish with parmesan and parsley
Once the sauce and pasta are all throughly combined and ready to go, I like to garnish this off with some chopped parsley and violife parmesan cheese.
