Comforting and rich, with a hint of sweetness, this conchiglie rosa with vegan rose pink pasta sauce is the quick and easy dinner you need at the end of a rough day. The creamy tomato basil sauce is savory and cheesy, despite being vegan and dairy-free.

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Rosa sauce is a creamy tomato pasta sauce, traditionally made mixing a béchamel sauce with marinara sauce and a helping of parmesan cheese. It is like vodka sauce, but without the vodka.
This recipe is a vegan, dairy-free version, using marinara sauce along with vegan sour cream and nutritional yeast. We're using conchiglie pasta to scoop up all that delicious sauce, too. This recipe goes well with my vegan parm substitute.
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🧄 Ingredient notes
- Conchiglie pasta - Otherwise known as medium shells, conchiglie pasta scoops up sauce like a seashell collects seawater.
- Vegan sour cream - a cashew-based sour cream is recommended, for it's richness, creaminess and mild flavor. Make a batch of homemade cashew sour cream for the week and I guarantee you'll find a million uses for it in your meals. But, if that's not gonna happen, pick up a vegan sour cream at the store and use that.
- Nutritional yeast - adds a cheesy, umami flavor to the pasta, akin to parmesan, but dairy-free.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients:
- Conchiglie pasta - use medium shells pasta (another name for conchiglie) or another medium sized pasta, like casarecce, gemelli, penne, rotini, gigli, campanelle
- Tomato basil pasta sauce - use marinara instead or your favorite jarred pasta sauce. You can also use homemade marinara
- Vegan sour cream - cashew sour cream is best for this, but you can also use tofu sour cream or store-bought vegan sour cream. I've even used ¼ tub of Trader Joe's mild and rich vegan cream cheese in a pinch.
- Nutritional yeast - omit if you don't have it. It adds a cheesy, umami flavor.
- Unsweetened almond milk - substitute with another unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk like soy milk or cashew milk.
- WFPBNO (whole food plant based no oil) - Use whole wheat pasta, oil-free pasta sauce and oil-free vegan sour cream. My house recipes for marinara and cashew cream are both oil-free and delicious in this recipe!
- Gluten-free - Use gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten-free. The pasta water from gluten-free pasta may not provide the same yummy starchy thickness and flavor as wheat-based pasta. So, you may need to use more milk instead of the pasta water.
- Kid friendly - use small shells, macaroni or rotini
Want to switch things up? Try this variation idea:
- Spicy - add red chili flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish
- Mix in vegetables - add steamed green peas or steamed broccoli with the past
🔪 Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make this vegan conchiglie rosa pasta with vegan pink pasta sauce.
Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Then, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
When pasta is halfway done cooking, start on the sauce. In a wide skillet that is large enough to hold all the pasta later, add tomato basil pasta sauce and simmer over medium low heat.
Add nutritional yeast and vegan sour cream to skillet. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.
Stir together and simmer on low heat.
When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water. Then, drain the pasta and add to the skillet with the sauce.
Stir together the pasta and sauce. Add ¼ cup or more reserved pasta water, if needed. You want the pasta to be slightly more saucy than how you normally eat it. By the time you serve it, some of the sauce will have soaked in.
Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve hot with fresh basil leaves on top!
🧯 Food safety
- Wash hands with soap and water before cooking
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
⭐️ Expert tips
- Use homemade tomato basil pasta sauce, if you can. But, your favorite jarred pasta sauce will also work just fine.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Once it has boiled for the recommended time on the package, taste it. If it's done but still has a little bit of "bite" to it, then it's al dente and ready to be drained.
- Be sure to salt the pasta water well. This gives the pasta much better flavor and most of the added sodium goes down the drain when you drain the water away.
🍳 Equipment
- Large pot for making the pasta
- Colander or strainer, for draining the pasta
- Large skillet, for heating sauce and tossing pasta
🥡 Make ahead and storage tips
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The pasta will dry out being stored, so try adding a splash of unsweetened milk to it before re-heating.
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
This creamy tomato pasta would pair nicely with Easy Oven Roasted Zucchini (omit oil and use parchment paper for an oil-free option), steamed broccoli, or Lemon Pepper Asparagus.
Some other side ideas:
- grilled asparagus
- Kale Chopped Salad
- steamed green peas
- garden salad
❓ FAQ
No, not normally, since it has cream, dairy milk and parmesan in it. But, it can be made vegan, as in this recipe.
Pink pasta sauce, called rosa or rose sauce, is a creamy tomato sauce that, when mixed together, makes a beautiful pink color. Rosa is Italian for the color pink. Traditionally, it is made by mixing together marinara sauce and béchamel (or Alfredo) sauce, along with parmesan cheese.
It's very similar, but without the vodka.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this pink rose shell pasta recipe, check out these other delicious plant-based pasta recipes!
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Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!
📖 Recipe
Conchiglie Rosa with Vegan Rose Pink Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- Stock Pot for boiling pasta
- Colander for draining pasta
- Large, wide skillet for sauce and tossing pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces conchiglie pasta medium shells
- 2 cups tomato basil pasta sauce
- ⅓ cup vegan sour cream cashew cream is recommended
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 12 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish
Instructions
- For the pasta, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook conchiglie (shell) pasta according to package instructions.16 ounces conchiglie pasta
- When pasta is halfway done cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pasta sauce, vegan sour cream, nutritional yeast and almond milk to pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir everything together as it gently heats up.2 cups tomato basil pasta sauce, ⅓ cup vegan sour cream, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, sea salt and black pepper
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining pasta. Drain pasta and then add to skillet with sauce. (If your skillet is not big enough to accommodate all the ingredients, then use the pasta pot to combine everything together)
- Stir pasta and sauce together. Add ¼ cup or more reserved pasta water, if needed. You want the pasta to be slightly more saucy than how you normally eat it. By the time you serve it, some of the sauce will have soaked in.
- Stir pasta and then taste it. Adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Turn off heat. Serve hot with torn fresh basil leaves on top.12 fresh basil leaves
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