As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
If you love the flavor of roasted carrots, this roasted carrot pasta sauce is sure to be your new favorite! It’s incredibly flavorful, thanks to the roasted carrots, parmesan cheese, and tomato paste. With its creamy texture, it’s also the perfect alternative to tomato-based sauces and a great way to incorporate an extra serving of vegetables into your kid’s diet!
Creamy Roasted Carrot Pasta Sauce
If you’ve ever eaten roasted carrots before, you know how intensely flavorful they are. They’re slightly sweet with a rich, savory flavor and soft, tender texture.
This flavor is the perfect vehicle for this creamy roasted carrot pasta sauce, which your kids will love twirling around their noodles. It’s the perfect way to get in some extra veggies!
Why We Love This Carrot Pasta Recipe
- Easy: This roasted veggie pasta couldn’t be much easier! Once the carrots are roasted, chuck them into the food processor or blender with a few ingredients and blend!
- Make ahead: If you’re roasting carrots for dinner, make a double batch and save the extras to make this carrot sauce pasta! You can also keep extra sauce in the fridge or freezer to throw together a quick healthy meal any time (perfect for meal prep!).
- Veggie-packed: As a parent, it can be tricky to get your little ones to eat enough veggies, and this creamy carrot sauce is the perfect way to get the whole family to eat their veggies. Plus, the natural sweetness of carrots can be really appealing to picky eaters!
Carrot pasta
Like it? Save this recipe for later!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh carrots: Peel and slice medium carrots. Try to make them all the same size so they cook evenly.
- Onion & garlic: A little onion and garlic add a savoriness and depth of flavor to this creamy carrot pasta.
- Olive oil: It’s important to add olive oil when roasting vegetables as that helps give them that delicious crust and the best flavor.
- Vegetable broth: To thin out the sauce, add reduced-sodium broth. Feel free to substitute chicken broth, too.
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan will add a little saltiness and an incredible umami flavor to this creamy sauce.
- Tomato paste: Since tomato paste has such a concentrated flavor, it’s a fantastic way to give this carrot sauce a rich, meaty flavor.
- Pasta: Choose your family’s favorite pasta to enjoy with this carrot pasta sauce. I like it on rotini or penne, as that small pasta shape really grabs onto the sauce, but any pasta works well.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Add these seasonings to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare the Roasted Carrot Pasta Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the carrots, onion, and whole garlic cloves in a single layer on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender and caramelized.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender, along with the vegetable broth, parmesan cheese and tomato paste.
- Blend the sauce until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Step 2 – Boil Pasta and Combine with Sauce
- Meanwhile, cook pasta until slightly less than al dente.
- Drain pasta. Add carrot sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 3 – Serve!
- Serve carrot pasta garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- If you plan to make this recipe ahead of time, I recommend cooking the noodles and preparing a batch of the carrot pasta sauce and keeping them separate. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to combine just before serving.
- For an even creamier sauce, you may wish to add a splash of milk. This is especially the case if the pasta has been sitting for a while as some of the noodles tend to absorb the sauce.
- You can use any type of pasta for this recipe. We like to serve it on fibre-enriched rotini or penne.
- If serving this carrot pasta to babies, I recommend skipping the salt and parmesan cheese or adding a bit less to limit sodium intake.
- If you don’t want to make the whole batch of pasta all at once, I like to just make the sauce and then freeze it into smaller portions. I like to use a silicone ice cube tray or these Souper Cubes! Thaw the sauce, cook up pasta and toss together for an easy meal for little ones.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Roasted carrots are the perfect base for making a creamy, flavorful sauce with a smooth texture your kids will love! When you roast the carrots, you concentrate the flavors, so every bite is packed with flavor.
This carrot pasta recipe uses parmesan cheese and tomato paste to balance the flavor of the carrot sauce so it’s not too sweet. It’s really delicious and comes together quickly!
Since one of the main flavors in this roasted carrot sauce is parmesan cheese, it’s important to find a vegan parmesan alternative. You could try nutritional yeast for that savory, cheesy flavor and soaked cashews for the creamy texture. I haven’t tried it, so please let me know how it goes if you do!
Since the only source of gluten in this recipe is in the pasta, choose gluten free pasta for a meal everyone in your whole family can enjoy.
Storage Guidelines
- To store this carrot pasta sauce recipe for later, place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
- The pasta will absorb some of the sauce, so it can be helpful to reheat the leftovers with a little additional water or milk to give the pasta a creamy texture.
- For a make-ahead meal, store the cooked pasta and the sauce separate from each other and then stir them together right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This roasted carrot pasta recipe is so full of flavor and is a great way to get some carbohydrates and vegetables into your family’s diet.
To make it a balanced meal, serve it with some protein, like this meatloaf recipe without eggs air fryer chicken nuggets, mini salmon cakes, roasted chicken, or Italian sausage.
I also love to serve it with some greens, like broccoli, air fryer zucchini fries, or a large salad topped with cucumbers, spiralized carrot, tomato, red onion, some chickpeas, and crumbled feta. If you cut the veggies into fun little shapes, your kids will snatch them up!
Recipe Variations
- Roast some peppers: Bell peppers are a fantastic substitute for carrots. Either add some red peppers to your tray of carrots or try using them exclusively!
- Add extra protein: Try pureeing some cooked red lentils into the carrot pasta sauce for added protein and fibre!
- Make it spicy: If your family loves heat, add some red pepper flakes to this sauce for some heat.
- Serve it over carrot noodles: For a fun dinner with a bright orange color, make carrot noodles by peeling long strips with a vegetable peeler! Sautee them in a large skillet until tender before serving them with the sauce in this creamy pasta dish.
More Similar Recipes
- Green Sauce for Pasta
- Kale Mac and Cheese
- 4 Ingredient Pasta Salad
- Hamburger Helper without Milk
- Chicken Pastina Soup
- Pumpkin Soup for Babies
- Low Sodium Pizza Sauce Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Creamy Roasted Carrot Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots peeled and slice (about 4 large carrots)
- 1/2 medium onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound uncooked pasta of choice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the carrots, onion, and whole garlic cloves in a single layer on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender and caramelized.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender, along with the vegetable broth, parmesan cheese and tomato paste.
- Blend the sauce until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta until slightly less than al dente.
- Drain pasta. Add carrot sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve carrot pasta garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- If you plan to make this recipe ahead of time, I recommend cooking the noodles and preparing a batch of the carrot pasta sauce and keeping them separate. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to combine just before serving.
- For an even creamier sauce, you may wish to add a splash of milk. This is especially the case if the pasta has been sitting for a while as some of the noodles tend to absorb the sauce.
- You can use any type of pasta for this recipe. We like to serve it on fibre-enriched rotini or penne.
- If serving this carrot pasta to babies, I recommend skipping the salt and parmesan cheese or adding a bit less to limit sodium intake.
- If you don’t want to make the whole batch of pasta all at once, I like to just make the sauce and then freeze it into smaller portions. I like to use a silicone ice cube tray or these Souper Cubes! Thaw the sauce, cook up pasta and toss together for an easy meal for little ones.
