If you want to impress your guest with a unique recipe and still get nutritional brownie points, opt for this quick, easy, plant-based pasta recipe, Creamy Vegan Turmeric Pasta. 

Boasting plant-based, dairy-free ingredients like colorful roasted Mediterranean vegetables, indulgent pasta, and a creamy vegan sauce, this comforting pasta dish will suit your next dinner party as much as it would a healthy midweek meal you can whip up at a moment's notice with ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard! 

The star of the show is the warming spice that gives this Indian-fusion dish its sunshine hue and flavor. Turmeric is known as an anti-inflammatory and powerful antioxidant that works exceptionally well in this unexpected recipe combination! 

Turmeric can reduce inflammation and fight against free radicals in the body that can cause premature aging. When you consider that most long-term health conditions (including depression and heart disease) start with inflammation, it's a handy spice to have in your ingredients’ pantry. 

Regular consumption of turmeric is the perfect anti-aging remedy; it’s merely a bonus that it’s super tasty too – an indulgent yet easy pasta recipe for the win! 

Ingredient

For The Pasta: 

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved 

1 small zucchini sliced 

1 medium shallot sliced thinly 

1 tsp olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

16 oz. orecchiette pasta or your favorite pasta shape!  

For The Creamy Sauce: 

1/4 cup coconut oil room temperature 

1 tsp fresh ginger minced 

1 tsp turmeric 

3/4 tsp each of ground coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

2 cups plant-based milk or milk of choice 

salt and black pepper to taste 

How to make it

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Cook Time: 15minutes 

Total Time: 30 minutes 

1. Set your oven to 425℉. 
2. Slice cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and shallot. Spread the vegetables out evenly on a tray and drizzle with olive oil. 
3. Toss them on the baking sheet until they are covered in oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Roast the vegetables for 10-12 minutes or until the tomatoes have burst and the zucchini and shallot are slightly charred. 
5. While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a liberal amount of salt to the boiling water. 
6. Add your pasta to the water and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until it is toothsome but still cooked (just below al dente). Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, and then drain the pasta. 
7. Set a large skillet to medium heat. Melt the coconut oil and add the ginger to the skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add in the turmeric, coriander, cumin and red pepper flakes. Bloom the spices for another 30-60 seconds. 
8. Add the flour to the skillet and cook in the oil for 2-3 minutes, forming a thick paste. What you are doing here is cooking out the flavor of the flour, as well as letting the spices saturate the flour with flavor! 
9. Gradually add the plant milk to the skillet, about 1/2 cup at a time. Constantly stir until a thick and creamy sauce begins to form. You might need to lower the heat on the skillet to medium-low because heat will increase the speed that the sauce thickens. 
10. Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper as you see fit.