Meatless Monday Challenge

30-Minute Creamy Carrot Pasta

on April 7, 2023
last updated May 19, 2023
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This nutrient-dense and hearty Creamy Carrot Pasta uses roasted carrots as a base for a savory and sweet sauce for your pasta.
Bowl of Creamy Carrot Pasta garnished with basil

Want to switch up your sauce for pasta night? This Creamy Carrot Pasta uses bright and subtly sweet carrots as a base to a truly unique, delicious, and vibrant homemade veggie-based pasta sauce.

Not only is this hearty, naturally vegan pasta sauce delicious, but it’s super quick and easy to make. This whole meal comes together in just about 30 minutes.

In this recipe, you will learn how to prep carrots, shallots, and garlic for roasting. You will also learn how to use broth as a base to turn roasted vegetables into a hearty sauce in a food processor or blender, before making it extra creamy by adding coconut milk.

Plus, the detailed directions will keep you organized and help you whip this family-friendly meal up in no time!

Two bowls of pasta with carrot sauce

As an environmental scientist, I try my very best to eat seasonally. I love carrot season because they are just so versatile and delicious in a number of dishes, including this homemade pasta sauce!

Some of my other favorite dishes incorporating carrots are this Carrot Pumpkin Soup and this Carrot Mug Cake!

Green tip: Eating seasonally is one of the best ways to live more sustainably, Local foods have less associated transportation costs and fuel emissions. Check when carrots are in season in your area with this Seasonal Food Guide.

Carrot Pasta Ingredients


Here’s everything you need:

  • Carrots. Fresh carrots work best for this recipe for the best flavor!
  • Fettucini. Or any other pasta of choice.
  • Shallots & garlic. To bring earthy, savory taste to your sauce.
  • Olive oil, salt, & pepper. To season and roast the vegetables with.
  • Vegetable broth. You can buy it or make your own vegetable broth from veggie scraps.
  • Nutmeg. To add a little nutty flavor and to ramp up the natural sweetness of the carrots.
  • Coconut milk. I love using full fat, unsweetened coconut milk because of its natural creaminess, subtle sweetness, and well-rounded fruity flavor. However, this recipe works with any unsweetened non-dairy or full fat or reduced fat dairy milk.
ingredients for carrot pasta - salt, pepper, pasta, garlic, coconut milk, olive oil, vegetable broth, carrots, shallots, nutmeg

Carrot Pasta Tips and Tricks


What is Carrot Pasta?

Carrot pasta is a bright, plant-based pasta dish consisting of your pasta of choice and a creamy sauce with roasted carrots as the base.

Shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper bring a savory balance to the sweet carrots, and nutmeg and coconut milk round out the sauce for the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

Green tip: Making your own sauces and syrups is a great way to avoid food preservatives that contain toxins that are harmful to plants, animals, and soil.

How to Prep Carrots to Roast for Sauce

The outer layer, or skins, of carrots take a long time to cook and can sometimes get gritty and even bitter when you roast them. In order to get deliciously sweet and tender carrots for your pasta sauce, it’s best to peel the skin off of them completely.

Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the outermost layer of each of your carrots. Once you peel off the skin, you will reveal a shinier and more brightly colored carrot.

You can compost the carrot peels, make these delicious carrot skin “chips”, or even save them to make your own vegetable broth.

Once your carrots are peeled, chop them into little coins, roughly 1-inch thick. They do not have to be perfectly uniform, but you want them similar in size so they roast evenly.

Peeling outer layer off carrot to make them more tender
Step 1: Chop off the ends and peel off the outer layer of your carrots.
Cutting peeled carrots into coins
Step 2: Cut your carrots into coins, about 1-inch thick.

How to Prep Shallots to Make Pasta Sauce

Just like any other onion, shallots have many layers, making them easy to peel (minus the eye tearing, of course 😆). Start by chopping both ends off of both shallots. Then, slice them in half lengthwise.

At this point, you should be able to easily peel off and discard the outermost layer of the shallot (again, you can save the ends and peels for veggie broth or compost them!)

Once you’ve peeled the outer layer off, they’re ready to roast. No need to dice or slice any further.

Slicing shallots in half lengthwise
Step 1: Chop both ends off the shallots and slice them in half lengthwise.
Peeling off outer layer of shallot
Step 2: Peel off and discard the outer layer.

How to Peel Garlic Easily

Using fresh garlic cloves goes a long way in this homemade carrot pasta sauce. In order to roast your garlic, you have to peel it first.

My favorite way to easily peel the outer layer off the garlic is by crushing it first. Just place your individual garlic cloves on your cutting board and use the flat end of your knife to push down on the garlic until you hear them crunch.

This will crack the outer layer, making it much easier for you to peel that outermost layer back.

Once you’ve completely peeled your garlic, keep the cloves whole to roast them.

Crushing garlic flat with a knife to make it easier to peel

Season Your Vegetables Before Roasting

Add the prepped carrots, shallots, and garlic to a baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. For less clean up, you can opt to line your sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Next, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle on all of the salt and pepper.

Adding olive oil to carrots to roast them

How to Evenly Coat Vegetables in Oil & Seasoning

To get the best roast on all of your vegetables, it’s important to fully and evenly coat all of the vegetables with the olive oil.

I find the best way to coat the vegetables in oil is to use clean hands to toss the carrots, shallots, and garlic in the oil, salt, and pepper.

If you don’t want to get your hands messy, you can use kitchen tongs or two large forks to toss everything together instead of your hands.

Then, once again, spread the vegetables out in a single layer, ensuring that no vegetables are stacked on top of one another. Then, roast them at 425°F for about 20 minutes until tender.

Using clean hands to toss carrots, shallots, and garlic in olive oil, salt, and pepper

Blending Roasted Carrots into a Sauce

Once the carrots, shallots, and garlic are roasted and tender, carefully add them to a food processor or high-powered blender with the nutmeg and vegetable broth.

Turn your food processor or blender on high and leave it to blend for about 3-5 minutes until it is completely smooth and there are no solid chunks left. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down any vegetables chunks that get stuck to the sides.

In this step, there is no such thing as too much blending. Keep blending until your confident that it is completely smooth.

Adding vegetable broth to food processor with roasted carrots to make pasta sauce

Don’t Over-blend the Carrot Pasta Sauce Once You’ve Added Milk

Next, add the coconut milk. After adding the milk, you don’t want to blend it too much. You just want to mix it until it is combined and creamy.

Use the pulse button on your blender or food processor 3-5 times to just combine the sauce.

Adding coconut milk to carrot pasta sauce

Serving Your Carrot Pasta

This Carrot Pasta was designed to be hearty enough to serve as is but is also a super versatile plant-based sauce and pasta dish that works well with a lot of different proteins.

My favorite fish recipes to serve this Carrot Pasta with are:

My favorite side dishes to serve up with this Carrot Pasta are:

Twirling Carrot Pasta on a fork

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Carrot Pasta

This pasta with plant-forward sauce will last up to 5 days in an airtight container when stored in the refrigerator. It can also be safely frozen for up to 4 months.

The easiest way to reheat this pasta is in a pot or saucepan over the stove on medium heat. Cover it and stir frequently until heated through.

You can also reheat leftover carrot pasta in the microwave or oven.

To reheat in the microwave, cover and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, stopping and stirring every couple of minutes, until heated all the way through.

In the oven, add the pasta and carrot sauce to a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated thorughly.

With any of these reheating methods, if the sauce gets too thick and dense in the refrigerator, add a splash of vegetable broth or milk.

Green tip: Did you know that of the billions of pounds of food wasted annually, it is estimated that 50% of food waste happens inside of our homes? Decrease your contribution to waste by properly storing and reheating leftovers.

Carrot Pasta Frequently Asked Questions


Why do people put carrots in pasta?

Carrots are often found in many pasta sauces, including some classic marinara and often in Bolognese. This is because carrots add depth of flavor and texture to pasta sauce. They also mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes with their subtle sweetness.

This carrot pasta takes it to the next level by using carrots as the main ingredient for this pasta sauce.

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Why You Should Make this 30-Minute Creamy Carrot Pasta


  • The texture. This sauce is so thick and creamy!
  • The flavors are balanced. The perfect balance between savory and sweet.
  • It’s quick! This meal comes together in just about 30 minutes.

If you’re loving this Creamy Carrot Pasta and want more meatless pasta recipes, check out this this Vegan One-Pot Pasta and Meatless Lasagna.

Bowl of Creamy Carrot Pasta garnished with basil

30-Minute Creamy Carrot Pasta

4.9 from 7 votes
Marley Goldin
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This nutrient-dense and hearty Creamy Carrot Pasta uses roasted carrots as a base for a savory and sweet sauce to serve over any pasta of your choice. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound carrots (1 pound = approx. 4-5 large carrots)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 large shallots
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 16 ounces pasta of choice (I used Fettuccine)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup coconut milk (or other milk of choice)
  • ½ ounce basil for garnish (optional)
Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F.
  • Prep your vegetables by peeling the carrots, shallots, and garlic. Chop the carrots into coins and slice the shallots in half longways. Leave the garlic cloves whole.
    Prepped shallots, garlic, and carrots ready for roasting
  • Add the carrots, shallots, and garlic to a baking sheet with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and roast for 18-22 minutes until tender.
    Roasted carrots, garlic, and shallots on a baking sheet
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packaging.
  • Add the roasted carrots, shallots, and garlic to a food processor or high-powered blender with the vegetable broth and nutmeg. Blend on high for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
    Roasted carrots, shallots, and garlic blended in vegetable broth
  • Add the coconut milk and use the pulse button to quickly blend 3-5 times until integrated.
    Creamy carrot pasta sauce in the food processor
  • Pour the carrot pasta sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Option to garnish with some fresh basil and extra pepper. Enjoy!

Pro Tips

  • This Carrot Pasta Sauce recipe works with any shape pasta—short or long!
  • For more recipes like this, check out these Meatless Pasta Meals.
  • For another veggie-based pasta sauce similar to this Carrot Pasta, check out this Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce.
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Carrot Pasta, Carrots, Meatless Pasta, Pasta, Pasta Sauce
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4 thoughts on “30-Minute Creamy Carrot Pasta”

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is really delicious! I love the taste of all those ingredients together. Will be making this again!

    1. 4 stars
      My husband and I both enjoyed this very much. The flavor from that roasted garlic is amazing! This is the most economic meals and so easy that there is no excuse not to make it! I will make it again.

      1. So glad you two enjoyed, Mary! The garlic is my favorite part! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback

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