Having recently stopped by Miami for a quick alma mater visit, I was reminded of a salad that used to be on the menu at a little café in the quaint college town. It was aptly named Everything But The Kitchen Sink, and it had a slew of ingredients and flavors all tossed into one salad. I only ordered that salad once, because there was another dish on the menu that always nabbed my attention, but I've always appreciated the idea of a little bit of everything in one dish.
With that idea in mind, this pasta was born. It's comforting, hearty, and comes together fairly effortlessly with a little bit of chopping, sautéing, blending, and boiling. I feel like that actually makes it sound a bit fussy, but I promise it's not.
You'll start by throwing fresh broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, and lacinato kale (a milder member of the kale family) into a pan with a bit of olive oil. However, this recipe is about flexibility rather than precision, so you can actually toss any veggies you prefer into the pan. Cook that mixture for about 20 minutes or until tender, and then stir in the quartered artichoke hearts to warm them throughout. While the veggies are sautéing, get your pasta cooking. I like to use brown rice rotini for this dish but you could also use fusilli, rigatoni, penne, etc.
My absolute favorite part of this dish is the creamy sunflower seed alfredo sauce. It comes together in a pinch and has a great balance of creamy and tangy flavors. To make it, you'll soak raw sunflower seeds in water for just 20 minutes and  blend them with water, nutritional yeast, fresh lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. The result is similar to this hemp seed alfredo sauce except it's nut-free and relies solely on inexpensive, easy-to-find sunflower seeds for the base.
Once the pasta has been drained, add it back to the pot along with the vegetables and alfredo sauce. Toss to coat, adjust seasoning, dish it out, and cozy up with this randomly-beautiful pasta.
📖 Recipe
"Kitchen Sink" Pasta with Sunflower Seed Alfredo
Ingredients
Sunflower Seed Alfredo Sauce
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- â…” cup water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pasta
- 10 ounces brown rice rotini, cooked according to instructions, ½ cup pasta water reserved
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 broccoli stalks, cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
- 1 head lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (14- ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
Sunflower Seed Alfredo Sauce
- Add the sunflower seeds to a small bowl, and pour hot water over them. Allow them to soak for 20 minutes. Drain.
- Add the sunflower seeds and all other alfredo ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
Pasta
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the kale, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the artichoke hearts at the end, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the sunflower seed alfredo over the pasta and toss to coat. Add in a small amount of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add the cooked vegetables, and gently stir to incorporate.
- Divide between bowls, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Emma says
I'm crazy about artichokes - combine them with some more of my favourite veggies, pasta and a creamy sauce and I'm sold! Can't wait to try this one Ashley :)
Ashley says
We are on the same page, Emma, as I'm a total artichoke nut! Even when I was little, I would eat them straight from the can, so it's a longstanding addiction :) I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Ariana says
I love artichokes and this pasta recipe is really good and tasty my family love't. Thanks!
Ashley says
So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it, Ariana. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
Celeste Jackson says
I am intrigued by the sunflower alfredo sauce...will definitely be adding this to my grocery list.
Celeste Jackson says
We made this last night for a dinner party...rave reviews from everyone! Great flavor, texture and pretty in the bowl. Great recommendation to add the reserved pasta water to the sauce! Thanks for a wonderful addition to our menu!
Ashley says
Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm glad everyone enjoyed it and that the addition of the pasta water was helpful. It's amazing what a difference it can make when added to sauces, and it's a lifesaver in sticky-pasta situations.
Samuel says
When you called the place "quaint", did you mean like weird or nice?
Ashley says
No, more like old-fashioned and charming."having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque."
Celeste Jackson says
I made this for dinner last night... The sauce is so creamy and the combination of ingredients so flavorful. Highly recommend this for even non-vegan appetites! Very satifying yet you don't feel overly full like traditional sauces.
Donna V says
Hello Ashley!
I am looking for a GF DF NF and grain free creamy sauce for a casserole. Does the alfresdo sauce bake?
I am more vegetarian so looking to use as a dairy substitute in a fish pie that is potato based.
I am gonna try on some pasta. :)
Ashley says
Hi, Donna! I'm not sure how this sauce bakes up. For a super flavorful, garlicky sauce, I'd recommend trying the one from my more recent post for Vegan Creamy Garlic Lemon-Pepper Pasta. Haven't baked with that one before but have a feeling it would work nicely. Enjoy!
Donna V says
OMG! AH-MAZING! On quinoa/rice spaghetti pasta tonight. I restrained myself and I actually have some leftover alfredo sauce to experiment with baking.......
Thank you for a great way to enjoy pasta again!
Andy Moore says
any advice for:
-adding cashews?
-doubling yield!
Excited to try!
Ashley says
Hi, Andy! You can swap out the sunflower seeds for raw cashews in the sauce. Haven't tried doubling the recipe myself, but it should work just fine. Enjoy!
Julie says
I roasted the veg in the oven, added a little white wine to the sauce, and omg, heaven!! Thank you so much for the recipe!! :)
Ashley says
So glad you enjoyed it, Julie! Love the idea of adding a little white wine to the sauce—will be trying that myself next time.
LAURA E CONANT says
This was so good!I used asparagus and mushrooms for the veg and sautéed the garlic with them because I forgot to add it to the blender. Thank you so much!!!!
Ashley says
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts, adjustments, and rating. Means so much. :)
Liina says
I tweaked this into a potato salad sauce, and it worked well.
TY for the recipe, I'm happy to have a cheaper alterative to cashew based cream sauces, as cashews are yummy but quite pricy.