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! 

 Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with  Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette

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.

Creamy carrot sauce - vegan!

creamy carrot miso 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.

Carrot Top Gremolata

Add olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and salt.

Carrot Top Gremolata

Set aside.

Carrot Top Gremolata

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.

creamy carrot miso sauce

It will almost feel like creamy mac and cheese but wayyyyyyy better.

 A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with  Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette

Divide among bowls and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

 A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with  Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette

The pasta is good without the Gremolata, but the gremolata really elevates it.

 A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with  Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette

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

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  3. Spring Orecchiette with Asparagus and Peas 
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  5. 25 MUST-TRY Vegetarian Pasta (that are not boring!)
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 A simple delicious vegan recipe for Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce, topped with  Carrot Top Gremolata (optional) and Toasted Bread Crumbs. Flavorful and healthy! #orecchiette

Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce (Vegan)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 148 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • 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

Units Scale
  • 810 ounces orecchiette pasta, cooked in salted water, according to package directions.

Carrot Miso Sauce:

  • 2 shallots, rough chopped (or 1/2 an onion)
  • 46 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!)
  • 12 teaspoons lemon juice.

Toasted Bread Crumbs


Instructions

  1. COOK PASTA: Set 6-8 cups salted water to boil for pasta, and cook according to directions.
  2. 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.
  3. While the carrots simmer make the optional Carrot Top Gremolata and Toasted Panko or Bread Crumbs (see notes!) 
  4. 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!!!
  5. 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.)
  6. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

 

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Comments

  1. Absolutely delicious. I had this last night. Yummy!!!! Only change I made was the gremolata (which I do love as hubby is Italian and I lived there for 28 years so know it well). I am just trying to cut down on oil, so I just lightly fried the fresh breadcrumbs until crunchy, added parsley, pinch of salt and a good grating of lemon zest. Sprinkled it over everyone’s pasta and sauce. Will definitely make again. Thank you, Sylvia, for another great plant-based recipe. xx

    PS. Am cooking your Thai turkey meatballs for hubby and kids tomorrow night; I’ll be trying it with tofu for me. Will keep you posted.






  2. Oh my, my first experience using soaked cashews with my new Vitamix blender. So excellent! Those who committed that it is better than Mac & Cheese we dead on.

  3. I did not care for this on pasta at all. But I did turn this into the most delicious soup. Just added some cream and some broth. It is absolutely amazing!!! I will definitely make this again!






  4. I’m not really a huge fan of carrots, but I’ve gotten a lot of them in my CSA box recently and wanted to make something that would use the tops as well. This recipe is perfect! The flavors in the sauce are delicious and it’s so creamy you would never guess it’s vegan. The gremolata and bread crumbs are easy to make and add nice brightness & texture. I had to use GF rotini (couldn’t find any GF orecchiette) so there was lots of sauce left over, but I will just make more pasta to eat it with 🙂






  5. It seems the delicious vegetarian recipes are endless here. This is yet another keeper. Don’t skimp on the gremolata.

  6. This is delicious! I added some fresh ginger to the sauce and it paired nicely with the flavor of the carrots. The gremolata was a great way to use up carrot tops and was, indeed, very tasty. 🙂






  7. This recipe is amazing. Full disclosure, I’ve made it multiple times and I forget about the cashews almost every time. Either I have them measured out on the counter and my husband thinks they’re a pre-dinner snack and eats them, or I think I have cashews and when I start cooking I realize I don’t. Regardless, my husband practically licks the bowl clean every time I serve this. We like it with a squeeze of lemon juice after it’s been plated. Don’t skimp on the bread crumbs!






  8. This is hands down incredible. I’m so glad I took the time to make this, the sauce is PHENOMENAL and the gremolata, which I used cilantro for instead of parsley, is AMAZING, I even added a small piece of banana to it and some cashews to help it blend properly. Truly incredible, the miso adds a perfect touch to the carrots! Thank you!

  9. Hi Silvia, I made this recipe today and really enjoyed it. To the gremolata I used parsley and basil and it tasted very yummy. I was wondering if the carrot miso sauce freezes well as I was left with a large amount. Thank you

    1. Glad you enjoyed and I’m not sure Maria- I haven’t tried freezing- will you let me know if you do try it?

  10. This recipe was incredibly delicious. Who knew that a vegan dish could taste this good?! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I prefer this dish over traditional macaroni and cheese. I could almost eat the entire dish in one day! You really know how to create foods with amazing flavor profiles and textures! Thank you!






  11. First, I never waste cooking other ingredients such as a pasta until I make the sauce. I’ve tried too many recipes and the sauce is not to my liking and then I have cooked pasta to deal with. Today I made the sauce, and boy did it taste flavorful, kind of sweet, but yet not. It passed the taste test to go ahead and make that pasta! I would not say it replaces Mac & cheese tho. Let’s just say it’s dang flavorful as it’s own creation. I did make the toppings too. Maybe a little too oily, but it certainly all works together. Don’t just comment how pretty her dish looks, just make it and you will not regret it.

    1. Glad you took a leap of faith here and happy you liked the sauce. 🙂

  12. This was OUTSTANDING!!!! The sweetness of the carrots, the saltiness of the miso and the tartness of the gremolata was a marriage made in heaven! I did sub 1/2 c oatmilk for the cashews because they are getting so doggone expensive. Worked just fine. This is the second recipe of yours I have made and they both have been amazing. Do you have a cookbook out?






  13. Fantastic recipe! The combination of the carrot miso sauce and gremalata is wonderful. My new favourite pasta dish.






  14. I can’t wait to try this recipe! With two young toddlers at home, we’re at the place where sneaking veggies in wherever we can is a must and I think they will really enjoy this without even knowing🤗 I will come back and rate after I make this for dinner this week!

  15. I’ve been making great use of FaH recipes for the past several years, all of which have been delicious. But this recipe may just be my favorite — I’m come back to it so many times! It satisfies my craving for a creamy mac-and-cheese, but with so much more complexity of flavor, and far healthier ingredients 🙂

    The gremolata is a must for the little tart acidity it adds. I usually make it with all parsley, no carrot tops.

    And don’t skip the bread crumbs! It only takes a minute, and really elevates the texture.

    Also, I always cook 1 full pound of pasta — I think this recipe yields too much sauce for a mere 6oz of pasta.

    Anyway. Thanks so much for introducing me to one of my favorite meals! <3






  16. Thank you for this awesome, yummy recipe. Can this be made with all cilantro instead of parsley? Using this on the carrot orchiette recipe.

  17. This is my new favourite, totally surprised by the flavour and texture. The sauce and breadcrumbs really lift it to the next level.






  18. I had extra carrots from my farm share so I thought I’d give this a try. Wasn’t sure what to expect but this was so good – slightly sweet and savory; so creamy and comforting. Definitely make the gremolata. It puts it over the top!






  19. Delicious! I needed to use gluten-free pasta (I used Barilla’s) and it worked just fine. A wonderful combination of flavors.






  20. I’ve never had a meal quite like this. I’ve made this multiple times and it has become, hands down, my favorite vegan meal. I follow the recipe exactly with the gremolata and toasted bread crumbs. My burger-loving husband enjoys it, as well. I’ve tried it with local organic rainbow carrots… the color wasn’t pretty but the flavor was delicious!

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