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You are here: Home / Main Dishes / Easy Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Vegan Lemon Parmesan

Easy Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Vegan Lemon Parmesan

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Easy Vegan Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Vegan Lemon Parmesan Cheese for a super fast dinner that is loaded with flavor!

tomato garlic sauce over rigatoni and fresh basil

EASY TOMATO AND GARLIC PASTA

Don’t you just love ridiculously, easy and fast dinners? I know I do. Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, it is packed with flavor, feels gourmet, but is so so easy and fast to make. And really, who doesn’t love tomatoes and pasta?

It’s amazing how delicious simple ingredients like fire-roasted tomatoes, lots of fresh garlic, salty briney capers and fresh basil taste EPIC together! Then, to top it with my Vegan Lemon Parmesan that I just posted and created to go on top of this pasta, the whole dish is so so so yummy. I’m so serious, go make this now.

By the way, are you seriously drooling over that unbelievable toast with all that melted cheese on top? Yup, thought so. That is the Best Vegan Mozzarella cheese recipe out there! We’ve also put it on pizza and it’s divine. And there is no weird ingredients or added starches. It’s absolutely to die for and my family is obsessed.

vegan lemon parmesan cheese in red bowl

My hubby and daughter absolutely LOVED this for dinner last night…especially this vegan lemon parmesan cheese. Oh boy, it’s a game-changer. It really adds a wonderful punch of flavor, thanks to strong pop of lemon flavor, not typical of a parmesan cheese.

HOW TO MAKE EASY TOMATO PASTA

First, gather these easy 8 ingredients:

  • rigatoni pasta
  • fire-roasted tomatoes
  • fresh garlic
  • fresh basil
  • capers
  • blanched almond flour
  • dried oregano
  • fresh lemon juice

Make the pasta according to the package directions and don’t forget to salt the water.

While the pasta is cooking, make the lemon parmesan cheese so it will be ready as soon as the pasta and sauce are done, as it comes together super fast. Add the almond flour, dried oregano and salt to a small bowl and whisk well. Add the lemon juice and use a fork (not a spoon) to press and mixture for a couple of minutes until all of the almond flour is coated evenly. It will clump a bit so use your fingertips to rub the mixture between your hands into a fine meal.

Spread the parmesan out onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Make sure to set a timer or else it may burn, watch closely.

Make the tomato sauce by adding 3 tablespoons water to a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

Add the cans of fire-roasted tomatoes to a food processor or blender and puree into an applesauce consistency. Add the tomatoes to the pan of garlic, with the capers and red pepper flakes. Heat through a couple of minutes.

Pour desired amounts of tomato sauce over pasta and toss with fresh basil and parmesan cheese!

rigatoni with fresh basil tomato sauce and lemon parmesan cheese

Does that not look freaking fabulous or what? My mouth is seriously watering. I hope you all love this easy vegan tomato pasta dish as much as we did!

OTHER VEGAN PASTA DINNERS TO TRY:

  • Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells With Spinach
  • Vegan Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Pasta
  • Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce
  • Vegan Pimento Cream Sauce

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!

rigatoni with fresh basil tomato sauce and lemon parmesan cheese

Easy Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Vegan Lemon Parmesan

Brandi Doming
Easy Vegan Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Vegan Lemon Parmesan Cheese for a super fast dinner that is loaded with flavor!
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Yields 4

Ingredients

  • 12 oz rigatoni pasta
  • two 15oz cans fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) minced fresh garlic
  • 2 tablespoons (22g) drained capers
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but oh so good)
  • 1/2 cup (12g) loosely filled chiffonade fresh basil leaves

VEGAN LEMON PARMESAN CHEESE

  • 1 cup (112g) blanched almond flour (see NOTE at bottom for nut-free)
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Make the pasta according to the package directions and don't forget to salt the water.
  • While the pasta is cooking, make the lemon parmesan cheese, so it will be ready as soon as the pasta and sauce are done, as it comes together super fast. Add the almond flour, dried oregano and salt to a small bowl and whisk well. Add the lemon juice and use a fork (not a spoon) to press and mixture for a couple of minutes or so until all of the almond flour is coated evenly. It will seem too dry at first, but be patient and keep working it. It will clump a bit so use your fingertips to rub the mixture between your hands into a fine meal.
  • Spread the parmesan out onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Make sure to set a timer or else it may burn, watch closely.
  • Make the tomato sauce by adding 3 tablespoons water to a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.
  • Add the cans of fire-roasted tomatoes to a food processor or blender and puree into an applesauce consistency so it's not longer chunky, but don't fully process into a liquid. Add the tomatoes to the pan of garlic, with the capers and red pepper flakes. Stir a couple of minutes just to heat through. Remove from the heat.
  • Pour desired amounts of tomato sauce over pasta and toss with fresh basil and parmesan cheese! Add extra capers and red pepper flakes if desired.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Keyword easy tomato pasta, easy vegan tomato sauce, vegan parmesan cheese, vegan tomato caper sauce

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pasta Tagged With: Basil, Dinner, Pasta, Tomatoes

Previous Post: « Vegan Lemon Parmesan Cheese
Next Post: 12 Vegan Beach Recipes »

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Comments

  1. Allison

    January 5, 2023 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    Big hit at our house. Made exactly as written and it came out great. Don’t skip the lemon Parmesan- it’s excellent!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      January 6, 2023 at 9:48 am

      SO awesome!!

      Reply
  2. LavenderBee

    November 18, 2019 at 9:23 am

    5 stars
    Yum, just like Pasta Puttanesca without the anchovy & olives. I am a lover of the olive, so added a few kalamata’s. The parmesan recipe is excellent.

    Reply
  3. Sandy

    August 24, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    G’Day, I can’t find fire roasted tomatoes down here in Australia so wonder if I can substitute a tin of diced tomatoes and add some liquid smoke ??
    Cheers
    Sandy

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      August 25, 2019 at 12:21 am

      Yes, you can just purée those tomatoes the same way. No need to add liquid smoke. I don’t think it’s necessary since the flavor may be too strong here.

      Reply
  4. Tonya Landgraf

    May 22, 2019 at 1:25 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and everything about it was outstanding! Love the “Parmesan cheese”!!
    Every recipe I have made of yours has been wonderfu! 😊 thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      May 22, 2019 at 4:35 am

      Yay! Really glad to hear that Tonya! Thank you so much for making it and so happy to hear you have loved every recipe you’ve made so far!!

      Reply
  5. Sophia DeSantis

    May 20, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    Looks delish girl! Love the spin on regular parm. And big congrats on your meal collaboration. I know it will be a hit!

    Reply
  6. Melanie

    May 19, 2019 at 7:06 pm

    Your Pasta looks amazing! Especially with the vegane parmesan on top 🙂 Such a great combo!

    Happy Sunday!

    Reply
  7. Deb

    May 17, 2019 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    This was amazing! I have a bit of coconut flour in my pantry. Could I sub it for the almond flour?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      May 18, 2019 at 5:16 pm

      Yay! So happy you loved this! As far as the Parmesan, no, coconut flour wouldn’t work here. It’s much much drier and more absorbent, as well as having a different flavor and burns easily. The almond flour is perfect here for the Parmesan!

      Reply
      • Debbie Curry

        June 2, 2019 at 11:45 pm

        5 stars
        We loved it. My husband says it’s a keeper. And we also had a friend over and he said it was fantastic. We also used the Parmesan cheese on top of crunchy bread which was topped with roasted garlic butter- no oil. Thank you so much for a new pasta recipe that is so easy to make.

        Reply
  8. s76

    May 17, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    I don’t see the NOTE for a nut-free parmesan.
    Is it in another page?

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      May 17, 2019 at 7:29 pm

      Yes click the link to the Parmesan recipe at the beginning of the post and it’s on that recipe.

      Reply
    • Trish

      May 17, 2019 at 11:41 pm

      Is the cheesy bread on a different page? Having guests over this weekend and would love to make the pasta with the bread for a complete meal. Thanks!

      Reply
      • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

        May 20, 2019 at 5:49 pm

        Hi Trish, yes, it’s mentioned in the top of the post!

        Reply
  9. Cyd Notter

    May 17, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    I was wondering what type of pasta dish to make this week – and here it is! Looks amazingly good, can’t wait to tryt it!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      May 20, 2019 at 5:48 pm

      Wonderful Cyd, I hope you love it!!

      Reply
  10. Colleen

    May 17, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    Is there another way to get that cheese recipe? I looked at the site and they sent me a sample menu but it has a lot of oil/butter and processed ingredients and don’t really want that in my diet. Thanks!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      May 18, 2019 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Colleen! The recipe is exclusively featured in my meal plan. My whole collection of 22 recipes is oil-free. There is no butter in their vegan meal plans. If you try the free trial, you get immediate access to my full collection, which includes the cheese pasta dish. As far as oil used in their vegan recipes, some of them are easily subbed by cooking the veggies in broth or water (in the ones calling for sautéing in oil). Of course some recipes will not work, but each week is a new set and you can always cancel before the free trial period if you like.

      Reply

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