Pasta Sauce with Coconut Milk is super creamy and delicious! You are going to love how easy this recipe is to throw together, and you only need a few simple ingredients. It's the perfect dairy-free sauce to pair with your favorite pasta and meatballs!
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Why you'll love this recipe!
This delicious sauce has a light, creamy consistency thanks to my favorite dairy-free alternative - coconut milk. And if you're not a huge coconut fan, I promise it has a very subtle flavor!
The milk helps to cut the acidity of the tomatoes without the need for a ton of sugar or heavy cream. This creamy sauce the perfect addition to my Baked Meatball Recipe or Paleo Meatball Recipe!
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Whole Peeled Tomatoes - You'll need 2, 28 ounce cans. I use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes, but you can also use a regular blender!
- Full Fat Coconut Milk - This gives the sauce a rich, creamy flavor! If you're not a big fan of coconut, I promise it doesn't have a a strong coconut flavor.
- Garlic Powder - You can also swap for fresh garlic!
- Coconut Sugar - You can use any granulated sugar. It helps to cut the acidity of
- Red Pepper Flakes - Great for an extra kick of spice!
- Fresh Parsley & Basil - You can use fresh basil, or frozen basil! I like to store my fresh basil in the freezer so it lasts longer.
Tomato Paste
If you like a thicker sauce, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste!
Gluten-Free Pasta
For this recipe I used Jovial Cassava Flour Spaghetti. Jovial is one of my favorite gluten-free pasta brands! They have a huge selection of shapes, but my favorites are their Penne, Bow Ties, and Fettuccine.
The Whole Foods brand makes a delicious chickpea pasta that is organic, and only has ONE ingredient – chickpeas. They also have a Mung Bean pasta that tastes great and has a nice texture. I use it for most of my sauce recipes because it doesn’t get soggy. (Wouldn’t recommend eating it without a sauce.)
A lot of the gluten-free pasta products are filled with additives and “gums” that are unnecessary. Make sure to always check the ingredients! Don’t be tricked by fancy labels!
If you’re interested in making your own vegetable noodles, I highly recommend purchasing an inspiralizer. I’ve had mine for about six years, and it’s amazing!! I use it for zucchini, broccoli, yellow squash, beets, sweet potato.. I also have two of her cookbooks! It’s a fun way to sneak in extra veggies!
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Puree Tomatoes
Start by pureeing the tomatoes. You can add them to the large sauce pan and use an immersion blender, or puree in a blender first.
Step 2: Add in sauce ingredients
Next add into the large saucepan, coconut milk, salt, garlic powder, coconut sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, parsley, and basil. Stir well, cover the pot, and turn the heat to medium/high until the sauce begins boiling.
Step 3: Simmering Sauce
Once the sauce is boiling, turn it to medium/low. Leave it covered and let simmer for about 45 minutes. If you're making meatballs, you can add them to the sauce when they're done cooking.
Step 4: Serving Sauce
Serve over your favorite gluten-free pasta or vegetable noodles! Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- I highly recommend serving this dish with my gluten-free Focaccia Bread, Cassava Flour Bread, or a toasted slice of my Paleo Garlic Herb Bread! (Great for dipping in sauce!)
- For a delicious Paleo & Whole30 option, you can use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash! If you're new to making spaghetti squash, check out my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Post!
- It's also great with freshly chopped basil and an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, but you could also add some parmesan cheese, or your favorite vegan cheese!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is a thinner sauce, but if you want to thicken it up, just add about 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste!
You can swap the full fat coconut milk for regular unsweetened coconut milk or any dairy-free milk. It might not be as creamy, and it will probably thin out the sauce a bit so I would suggest adding some tomato paste.
If you skip the coconut sugar it can easily be made Whole30 friendly! I like to add it for flavor, but it's not necessary.
How to store leftovers
You can store the leftover sauce on its own, or with meatballs! Make sure it's in an airtight container. (I prefer glass containers.) The sauce will stay fresh for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze leftovers for later! They will stay fresh for about 2-3 months.
If you're using gluten-free spaghetti, I recommend not storing it with the sauce because it tends to get soggy. Store the pasta with a generous amount of olive oil in a separate container.
More pasta recipes!
After you make this Pasta Sauce with Coconut Milk, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe!
Recipe
Pasta Sauce with Coconut Milk
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Regular Blender
- Large Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 56 Ounces Whole Peeled Tomatoes You'll need 2 28 ounce cans.
- 13.5 Ounces Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅓ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
- ⅓ Cup Fresh Basil
Instructions
- Start by pureeing the tomatoes. You can add them to the large sauce pan and use an immersion blender, or puree in a blender first.
- Next add into the sauce pan, coconut milk, salt, garlic powder, coconut sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, parsley, and basil. Stir well, cover the pot, and turn the heat to medium/high until the sauce begins boiling.
- Once the sauce is boiling, turn it to medium/low. Leave it covered, and let simmer for about 45 minutes. If you're making meatballs, you can add them to the sauce when they're done cooking.
- Serve over your favorite gluten-free pasta or vegetable noodles! Enjoy!
Notes
How to store leftovers
You can store the leftover sauce on its own, or with meatballs! Make sure it's in an airtight container. (I prefer glass containers.) The sauce will stay fresh for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze leftovers for later! They will stay fresh for about 2-3 months. If you're using gluten-free spaghetti, I recommend not storing it with the sauce because it tends to get soggy. Store the pasta with a generous amount of olive oil in a separate container. ** See full post for more information and step by step photos!Nutrition
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