I’ve had a fairly easy time giving up a lot of my favorite dairy-containing foods over the last year (yogurt, ice cream, cheese), but pasta and pizza have been tough ones for me. Pizza, I’ve recently discovered, works great cheese-less with a healthy shake of vegan parmesan. But pasta has mainly stumped me…until now.

One of the meals I’ve made for John and myself every week for the last several years is a lightened up Pesto Alfredo with some form of steamed veggie. I love the richness and creamy texture it offers. While I recognize there is a place for cashew-based sauces, I wanted something so undetectably creamy that it had to be nut free.

So I started with simple ingredients that I use in my original recipe, but swapped the regular milk for almond milk. As for the cheese? I supplemented other flavor in the form of shallot, garlic and roasted tomatoes. And when serving, I shake on a healthy amount vegan parm. The result? Pasta that sends me straight to creamy pasta heaven.

This is a 30-minute meal that’s virtually fool-proof. While you get your sauce going by sauteeing garlic and shallot in a little olive oil, roast your grape tomatoes. When you roast tomatoes in a little olive oil and sea salt, it enhances their natural flavor and gives them an almost smoky, fire-roasted taste, which pairs perfectly with the creamy garlic sauce.

Once your sauce is thickened you can either blend it for undetectable creaminess or leave it with a bit of texture. Then, all that’s left to do is toss in the tomatoes and garnish with fresh herbs, black pepper, or a little parm. This dish is so simple yet so flavorful! It’s:

Creamy

Rich

Savory

Garlicky

Warm

Comforting

& Surprisingly satisfying

I served ours with a little steamed broccoli and, of course, some white wine. What’s white pasta without white wine? This really is the perfect quick meal for weeknights that will please even picky eaters. Don’t even mention there’s no butter or cream and I’ll bet no one will notice. Cheers!