A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with a bright and flavorful Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. If you are a fan of the Orecchiette with Broccoli Sauce I know you’ll appreciate this too! Flavorful and healthy!
We’ve been loving this vegan Orecchiette Pasta lately and I think you might too. It features fresh, happy carrots, not just the roots, but the tops too! The Orecchiette pasta is the perfect little scoop for the creamy carrot sauce. Pillowy cups of goodness.
The carrot sauce is so simple to make and basically simmers while the orecchiette pasta cooks, very quick and efficient – and then it is blended into the creamiest silkiest sauce that glows with nutrients.
The vibrant green carrot tops are turned into a tasty, herby Gremolata Sauce. Double the flavor and double the nutrients!
Orecchiette w/Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce! | 45-second video
Why this Orecchiette works?
It hits all the marks for me:
- satisfyingly creamy -yet surprisingly vegan!
- so much depth and umami (from the miso)
- gratifying texture and crunch (from the toasted bread crumbs)
- bright and tangy flavors from Carrot-Top Gremolata
- full of nutrients!
Altogether it is an orchestra of flavors- and basically- it just makes me happy!
Try it and see if it makes you happy too. Just curious. 😉
It starts with fresh sweet carrot and their tops. If you can’t find carrot tops, feel free to sub flat-leaf parsley.
Slice the carrots thinly for the fastest cooking, and rough-chop the garlic and shallots.
Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden and fragrant.
Add the carrots, water, and cashews, and let simmer covered until the carrots are tender- about 15 minutes. At the same time cook the Orecchiette pasta.
When the carrots are tender, stir in the miso. I like to use white miso here to help keep the sauce bright and orange.
Then you will blend it into a silky smooth sauce.
To make the Carrot top Gremolata, pick a 1/2 cup of tender carrot tops. Alternatively you can use flat-leaf parsley.
Place in a food processor with parsley, lemon zest and a garlic clove. Pulse repeatedly.
Add olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and salt.
Set aside.
Toast up some bread crumbs.
Here I’ve toasted panko with a little olive oil, salt, and granulated garlic. You could make your own bread crumbs with leftover crusty bread- sourdough if you are on that train. 🙂
The bread crumbs add the PERFECT TEXTURE to the creamy pasta. TRUST ME!
Drain the orecchiette pasta and pour the creamy carrot sauce over top.
It will almost feel like creamy mac and cheese but wayyyyyyy better.
Divide among bowls and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
The pasta is good without the Gremolata, but the gremolata really elevates it.
I hope you have beautiful weekend friends. You’ll find the freshest carrots (and their vibrant green tops) at the farmers market this weekend so get outside, get some fresh air and go get some carrots.
xoxo
Sylvia
More Recipes you may like:
- Creamy Spring Pea Pasta (Vegan)
- Orecchiette with Broccoli Sauce
- Spring Orecchiette with Asparagus and Peas
- Vegan Alfredo
- 25 MUST-TRY Vegetarian Pasta (that are not boring!)
- North African Carrot Soup with Chermoula
- Carrot Salad with Quinoa and Almonds
- Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: vegan, pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with a bright and tasty Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette
Ingredients
- 8–10 ounces orecchiette pasta, cooked in salted water, according to package directions.
Carrot Miso Sauce:
- 2 shallots, rough chopped (or 1/2 an onion)
- 4–6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 heaping cups carrots, thinly sliced (3 medium carrots)
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (or sub raw hemp seeds)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons White Miso Paste
Carrot Top Gremolata (optional, but tasty)
- 1/2 cup carrot tops (small tender leaves) packed or sub 1/2 cup more Italian Parsley
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley
- 1 fat garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest ( zest from one med lemon)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup– 1/2 cup olive oil (make sure it is not bitter-taste it!)
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Toasted Bread Crumbs
Instructions
- COOK PASTA: Set 6-8 cups salted water to boil for pasta, and cook according to directions.
- COOK the SAUCE: Heat oil in a medium pot, over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots, cashews, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to low and simmer gently until carrots are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of miso ( it doesn’t need to dissolve fully) and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- While the carrots simmer make the optional Carrot Top Gremolata and Toasted Panko or Bread Crumbs (see notes!)
- BLEND THE CARROT MISO SAUCE: Once the carrots are tender and slightly cooled, place all in a high-speed blender, covering tightly with a kitchen towel, blend on the lowest setting, gradually increasing speed, until fully blended, creamy and silky smooth about 1- 1 1/2 minutes. Take your time here and get it SMOOTH!!!
- Drain the pasta and pour the sauce over the pasta, gently warming if needed. Taste and adjust salt. (If you didn’t salt your pasta water, chances are you’ll need salt.)
- Divide among bowls, and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and spoon the flavorful Carrot Top Gremolata over top.
Notes
Feel free to toss in 1 cup of other veggies into the cooking pasta at the end to steam. For example, sometimes I’ll add a cup of peas to quickly blanch in with the pasta at the last minute.
You can make the sauce ahead, refrigerate and warm up before serving.
Carrot TOP Gremolata:
- Place carrot leaves, parsley, lemon zest and garlic in a food processer and pulse repeatedly until finely chopped. Add the salt and oil, pulsing a few more times until incorporated (but not too smooth). Add more oil if you prefer a looser version.
Toasted Bread Crumbs or Panko.
- Place a 1/2 -1 cup of bread crumbs or panko in a large skillet over medium heat, and drizzle with just enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add a good pinch of salt and granulated garlic if you like. Stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: without bread crumbs or Gremolata
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 6.7 g
- Sodium: 201.3 mg
- Fat: 12.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.7 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 11.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This was fantastic. Wondered if you can tell me if this recipe can be turned into a pasta & beef casserole for my not vegan husband but cannot have dairy. Would the sauce become too dry in the oven? Thanks
Hi Fran- I am not sure? the cashews may keep it from becoming overly dry- but have not tried, so not positive here!
This was so unbelievably easy to make and sooooo delicious! I have given this recipe to a few others all coming back with rave reviews!!!
Thanks Charlene!
I added a package of silken tofu to the sauce for some added protein and you can’t tell the difference!
Nice! I bet that made it ultra creamy.
This has become a staple vegan comfort meal that I crave! Because I’m lazy, I use 2-1/4 C unsweetened oak or hemp milk instead of cashews and water. It turns out great!
That is good to know! Glad you are enjoying.:)
This was so delicious!!! I wonder if the sauce would be good drizzled over a vegan pizza or nachos? Have you tried this? Thanks for another winning recipe!
Hi Diane- glad you enjoyed and funny you should say this- something very similar coming out this week!
Can you use red miso paste instead of white one ? Thank you, can’t wait to try it!
Yes, that should be fine!
so good – new staple
Great to hear!
This was great! Luckily someone else does the dishes. I used a full pound of pasta and the sauce was the right amount.
That is the BEST when you have a clean up person! Glad you enjoyed!
Yet another home run Sylvia! I didn’t want to run to the store, so I started searching pasta. I had carrots, garlic and shallots so off I went. I had mezi rigatoni which worked beautifully and gave it some texture. I used Dave’s english muffin for the panko and I had leftover parsley gremolata from last week. I noticed this morning that there was an ad over the note about the veggie add-in on my tablet, but the peas would have looked beautiful.
Love it Lynn, so glad it worked out!
I just made this for the first time tonight and literally licked my plate clean. So delicious and light. The perfect comfort food. I was a little short on carrots so subbed in about 1/3 of a yam which worked well. Love the flavor combo with the gremolata.
Great to hear Alysha!
Excellent!
Hi there! Is it possible to freeze this sauce?
Hi Dewi, I havent tried freezing the sauce, but I think it should freeze ok?’
This is one of my favorite recipes. I return to it year upon year, and look forward to it every time. It’s deliciously healthy and the gremolata is a win. Recently when I was purchasing carrots, the check out clerk offered to cut the tops off and I was appalled! Since then it’s been harder to find carrots with the tops left on… 🙁 but regardless, well worth the effort.
Thanks and happy you liked this!
Hello! I am very excited to try this! Curious if anyone has substituted the miso paste for anything else, like tahini? Also, thoughts on substituting spinach for the carrot tops in the gremata?
The miso really adds depth here- and tahini won’t not give it that. It does have plenty of richness with the cashews already. Spinach may not be the most flavorful swap- flat leaf parsley would be a good sub!
Absolutely delicious! Recipe makes plenty of sauce. I made the sauce and pasta as written but did not use oil. Also did not make Gremolata or add breadcrumbs. This dish is a winner!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Absolutely delicious! Made the sauce and pasta as written but did not use oil. Also did not make the gremolata or the breadcrumbs. Recipe makes plenty of yummy sauce. This dish is a keeper!
Great to hear Terri!
I have enjoyed so many of your recipes, especially the Vegan varities. Many thanks
So nice to hear this Marge!
Loved this, especially with the toasted bread crumbs!!
Great to hear!