Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce

Pasta with red sauce and fresh green basil on top.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This creamy coconut milk pasta sauce is perfectly sweet & savory and easy to make in just 30 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 701kcal

Author: Kelsey Riley

Cost: $10

Ingredients

½ pound pasta
½ cup reserved pasta water
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves garlic minced
1 cup yellow onion diced
28 oz San Marzano tomatoes
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Start by boiling a large pot of water and cooking the pasta according to package instructions. At the end of cooking the pasta set aside 1 cup of the pasta water before draining/straining the pasta.
Prep the ingredients according to the ingredients list. I like to pour the tomatoes into a bowl and break them apart/crush them with my hands.
Pour the olive oil into a large sauce pan and turn the stove on to medium-low heat. Once the oil is warm add the diced onion and allow it to cook & soften for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add the minced garlic and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant.
Once the garlic is fragrant pour in the crushed tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, and half of the basil. Stir everything well and continue to cook on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes then reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow it to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the coconut milk until well combined. Gently stir in the cooked pasta at this time. If you need to thin out the sauce you can add the reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time. Garnish with the remaining fresh basil and enjoy.

Notes

This pasta can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Ideally store the sauce separately from the pasta or make the pasta fresh. If you store the pasta and sauce together you might want to add a splash of water when reheating it and make a little extra sauce.

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