Green Pasta Sauce: Creamy Plant-Based Heaven
Easy-to-make, striking in colour and packed with flavour, this green pasta sauce is a quick and nutritious choice for a midweek meal. The recipe is completely plant-based, but so delicious you won't miss the cheese. It’s made with olive oil, poached garlic, nutritional yeast and lemon for depth of flavour. Kale adds a boost of vitamins, minerals and fibre whilst cashew nuts provide protein and a luxurious creamy texture.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 325kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 clove garlic
- 160 g kale not including any large fibrous stalks
- 50 g cashew nuts soaked in water for 2-24 hours, then drained
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sea or rock salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 180 g pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan over a moderate heat, add the garlic then turn down to low. Cook the garlic in the oil gently for ten minutes until soft. You should just see a few bubbles around the garlic cloves, but be careful not to sizzle them or they'll burn. Give an occasional swirl of the pan so that the garlic imparts its flavour to the oil. (You can omit this step and just blend the raw garlic and oil with the kale. However, it does mellow the garlic's pungency and deepens the overall flavour of the sauce.)2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 clove garlic
- Whilst the garlic is infusing, blanch the kale in a large pan of slightly boiling water for approximately five minutes. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the kale to a blender, but keep the water in situ.160 g kale
- Pour the pasta into the water and cook as per pack instructions.180 g pasta of your choice
- Add the nuts, garlic (along with all of the oil) and remaining sauce ingredients to the kale in the blender. Blend on a medium setting until you have a smooth sauce.50 g cashew nuts, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp sea or rock salt, good grinding of black pepper
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it but reserve a cup of the water. Thin the sauce out with some of the pasta water, if needed. I used 100ml.
- Taste test, add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if required, then mix the sauce into the pasta and serve.
Notes
Swap the kale for greens of your choice. You may need to adjust the cooking time though. Spinach, for example, will only need to blanch for one minute.
Top with, chopped fresh herbs, vegan parmesan, fried spicy tofu or tempeh bits, if liked.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Pasta is not included in the calculation. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Nutrition
Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 617mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 7994IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 4mg