Pasta with Carrot Sauce

This pasta sauce is built entirely from vegetables simmered in stock, no cream, no butter, no cheese. Finely chopped carrots cook down in vegetable stock with celery, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes until the liquid reduces by half and the carrots turn soft and sweet.

Reducing the stock concentrates everything: the natural sugars in the carrots, the aromatic punch of the garlic and thyme, and the gentle heat from the pepper flakes. Red wine vinegar goes in to cut through that sweetness with a bright, acidic edge. The result is a light, brothy sauce that clings to the shell pasta and pools in the curves.

This is vegan without trying to be, and it comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

Kitchen Tips

• Chop the carrots fine, almost a small dice. Larger pieces won’t soften enough during the short simmer.
• Cook the pasta to true al dente. It finishes cooking slightly when tossed with the hot sauce.
• Don’t skip the red wine vinegar. Without it, the sauce leans too sweet and flat.
• Save a cup of pasta cooking water. If the sauce looks too thick after tossing, a splash loosens it up and helps it coat the shells.

Variations

• Blend half the sauce smooth and leave the rest chunky for a creamier texture without dairy.
• Add a handful of fresh spinach or arugula when tossing with the pasta for color and a peppery bite.
• Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and shaved Parmesan if you’re not keeping it vegan.