Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli

This Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli is super satisfying and flavorful, that’s also simple to prepare. It’s flavored with sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy sauce that is sure to become a favorite.

This creamy pasta is so simple to make and is also quick enough to become a go-to for weeknight meals! But, there’s never really a bad time for creamy pasta.

The sauce is super flavorful and creamy, and has broccoli florets for delicious texture and nourishment.

Where the flavor comes from in this pasta:

• onions and garlic
• sun-dried tomatoes
• coconut milk (and it doesn’t end up tasting like coconut!)
• fresh tomatoes
• tomato paste and crushed tomatoes

How This Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli Comes Together

This pasta of your choice cooks separately while the rest of the dish comes together in another pan on the stove.

First, cook the pasta in salted water, until just al dente. Then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onions and add them to a skillet with some oil (you can use avocado oil or olive oil, or vegetable broth instead). Let those cook while you mince the garlic, halve the tomatoes, and cut the broccoli florets. Then add those to the pan along with a bit of water. Place a lid on the skillet, and the water will assist the broccoli with cooking.

Then add in the remaining ingredients, and stir and let cook for a few minutes. In goes the cooked pasta, and then everything cooks together for a minute or two. It doesn’t get much simpler!

I like to serve this pasta topped with black pepper, and red chili flakes and/or vegan parmesan is great too.

Substitutions and Tips

Using fresh or frozen broccoli: you can totally substitute frozen broccoli in this recipe. However, sometimes frozen broccoli florets vary in size. Therefore, you may want to cut any large pieces, once they start thawing in the pan. Simply remove them from the pan onto your cutting board, cut carefully if they’re hot, and add back in.

Other options besides full-fat coconut milk: you can use lite coconut milk or oat milk, although the sauce won’t be quite as creamy. You may want to start with 1/2 cup rather than the full amount, to avoid the sauce being too thin. Another option is to use cashews blended with vegetable broth. You can use equal parts cashews and vegetable broth, and it’s helpful to soak the cashews overnight or boil them for 20 minutes to soften them. Check out my Pasta with Cashew Cream Sauce to see a recipe that uses this method. You won’t need the full amount of cashews for this recipe as you do for the Pasta with Cashew Cream Sauce recipe, so you can halve the amount of cashews/broth used, and save the rest for another pasta dish. Yet another option is to use vegan sour cream or vegan cream cheese. You can add in around 1/4 cup or to your desired creaminess, at the very end prior to serving.

Using tomato paste and crushed tomatoes: we use a combination of both in this recipe. Alternatively, you can use one or the other, but keep in mind that the tomato paste is more concentrated tomato flavor than the crushed tomatoes.

Other Delicious Pasta Recipes

Primavera Pasta Salad

Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

Pasta with Vegan Ragu

Orzo with Roasted Chickpeas

If you try this pasta, I’d love to hear how you like it! You can tag me on Instagram @janetsmunchmeals or leave a comment here!

Print Recipe

4.60 from 15 votes

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli

This Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli is super satisfying and flavorful, that's also simple to prepare. It's flavored with sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy sauce that is sure to become a favorite.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Keyword: broccoli, creamy pasta, pasta recipes

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 medium head broccoli florets cut small, large stem pieces removed
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 7.5 oz. full-fat coconut milk* see Note
• Black pepper for serving

Instructions

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions, in salted water until al dente. Drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat a large pan on medium heat. Finely chop the onion and add it to the pan with the olive oil and kosher salt. Cook for 5 to 7 min until softened, during which time, halve the tomatoes, mince the garlic and cut the broccoli.
• Add these to the pan with the 2 tbsp water, stir, cover and cook for 3 to 4 min or until broccoli is just for tender. Add in the remaining ingredients, and cooked pasta. Stir, cook together for a couple min, then top with black pepper.

Notes

*If the can of full-fat coconut milk looks separated (the thin separated from the thick creamy part), then pour the whole can out into a mixing bowl and whisk it all together, then use half of it for this recipe. You can use the rest in one of my other recipes. To find them, search “coconut milk” in the search bar here on my website.