Pasta makes the world go round and this Pasta with Saffron Cream is filled with nourishing plant goodness like rich tomatoes, hearty broccoli and cauliflower, sweet carrots, protein-packed chickpeas, and tender pasta all bathed in a beautiful aromatic saffron cream sauce. It’s creamy, dreamy, easy to make, and so delicious! A perfect dish for pasta lovers and quick weeknight meals!

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

Who doesn’t love a pasta dish where the pasta is bathed in a delicious cream sauce?  This pasta dish has all those feel good ingredients and is perfectly seasoned with wonderful antioxidant herbs and spices, but the star of the show is earthy, bold saffron.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Saffron

Saffron is an expensive spice, no doubt about it. It is derived from the flower of Crocus sativus. It is one of those spices that is definitely a “less is more” approach. Using more saffron can create a bitter flavor.

If you have never used saffron before, start with a very small amount and increase a small amount at a time. It can go from fragrant and aromatic to bitter and acidic quickly.

Saffron has long been suggested that is has a protective agent to prevent and heal heart disease.

What does it taste like?

Well, nailing down the taste of saffron is the tricky as folks have had differing opinions on its flavor.  Some say it has an almost floral note to it and other say it is more pungent and acidic.

I lean more toward the latter. I just love its unique flavor that it lends to dishes, and we all love it!  We have several other recipes using saffron, and we have also had Readers ask us to develop recipes using it.

We hope you give this recipe a try, it is so good. We love topping it with our Vegan Parmesan Cheese. 

I’ll let Mom tell you more!

Hi!  Robin here.

Love pasta!  Love saffron! Love the combination of these two as it makes for a lovely, creamy pasta dish with only a minimal amount of cashews (1/8 cup) to try to keep the fat content on the lower side when compared to recipes that use 1 cup of cashews or more.

We hope you give this deliciousness a try! If you try this aromatic pasta, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

More Saffron Deliciousness:

• French Coutnry Veggie Stew
• Spicy “Chorizo” and Rice
• Zarzuela Stew
• Paella

Products Used:

• Ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven, deep skillet, or similar large stock pot.

Pasta with Saffron Cream

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 Minutes
• Yield: 4 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

This quick and easy Pasta with Saffron Cream is filled with plant goodness, hearty chickpeas, and tender pasta all bathed in an aromatic sauce. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
• 2 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1– [ 8 oz. can ] tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon reduced sodium tamari *
• 1 Tablespoon white miso *
• 1 cup vegetable broth *
• 1 cup water (divided) (or broth)
• ½ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (+/-) * (optional)

Other Ingredients:

• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 10 oz. package frozen California Blend Vegetables
• 10 oz. GF penne pasta (or pasta of choice) *

Optional Toppings:

• Vegan Parmesan Cheese
• Aleppo pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Fill a large stock pot full of water. Add some sea salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Boil the pasta until el dente, drain, rinse with cold water to remove any excess starch, shake well, set aside, then transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce in Step 9.
2. In the meantime, place the saffron threads into a small bowl, add ¼ cup of boiling water and allow the saffron threads to bloom for 10 minutes.
3. Place the raw cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Place all the remaining Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
5. In a large ceramic/enamel lined skillet, Dutch oven, or non-stick skillet, add the diced onions, sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes to soften, then add the finely minced garlic and tomato paste and sauté over medium heat for several minutes.
6. Add the remaining ¾ cup water, tamari, miso, nutritional yeast, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, then increase the heat to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer, add the Spice/Herb ingredients and bloomed saffron (including the water that the saffron steeped in), simmer on low.
7. Drain the cashews and place in a high-speed blender with the ½ cup plant milk, blend on high until smooth and emulsified, then add to the skillet.
8. Add the chickpeas and frozen vegetables and increase the heat to cook the vegetables, then lower to a simmer.
9. Add in the cooked and cooled pasta, heat the pasta through, then remove from the stove and allow the flavors to marry for a few minutes. Top with Vegan Parmesan Cheese and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.

---

Notes

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium.  You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.

*Miso:  We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free.  Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil.  You can also use chickpea miso for a soy free version.

*Pasta: We love brown rice pastas as we feel they have a similar texture and taste to traditional pasta while being Whole Food Plant Based. We used Delallo Brown Rice Gluten Free Penne Pasta in this dish. You can use whichever pasta/band you prefer.

*Sauce thickness:  This sauce is not a thick sauce, but it is very creamy and delicious.  After you remove the skillet from the stove and allow it to sit to absorb flavors, it will slightly thicken.

*Aleppo Pepper:  We used Penzeys Aleppo Pepper. Aleppo pepper is used primarily in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.  It has a mild to moderate heat level (dependent upon brand selected) and has an almost fruity and mildly earthy cumin-like undertones.  It is fairly mild, but its heat builds slowly over time on the palate that catches you on the backend.  It has been described as having an almost sweet raisin-like quality with a little kick. Most people use it similarly to how crushed red pepper flakes are used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  4

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.