Spinach isn’t always my favorite green. I love my greens, but am one of those weirdos who generally prefers tougher greens like kale. But I do love my spinach when it’s paired up with creamy sauces, like in my vegan creamed spinach or vegan saag paneer. With my love for the combination of spinach and creamy sauces in mind, I went and created this vegan spinach pasta recipe. It’s so creamy! The sauce is pretty close what you might get with a vegan fettuccine Alfredo, with a touch of basil and LOTS of spinach. The dish is deliciously comforting and surprisingly easy to make.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dried pasta. The recipe calls for fettuccine pasta, which I think works particularly well with this sauce, but you can use any pasta shape you desire. Spaghetti, fusilli, penne, and linguine are all fine options! You can also make the entire dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. Raw cashews. These are the base for our creamy sauce. Make sure they’re raw (not roasted) so they blend up super creamy and have just the right flavor. Water. Lemon juice. Make sure you’re using freshly squeezed juice for the perfect tangy flavor. Garlic. Salt & pepper. Fresh basil. Frozen spinach. Using frozen spinach makes this dish super easy to whip up, since it’s precooked. You can use fresh spinach if that’s how you roll though. Use the same amount that the recipe specifies, finely chop it, and steam or boil it until it is fully wilted before using it. Vegan Parmesan cheese. This is optional, but great for topping vegan spinach pasta. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade vegan Parm. Red pepper flakes. Just use these if you’d like to add a little kick to the dish.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe! Start by boiling your pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to reserve about a cup of the water when you drain it. We’ll be using this later. Tip: Try to time it so that the pasta is done at about the same time as when the sauce is ready, so it’s still hot. This should be pretty easy since the sauce whips up quick! Tip: Blending the sauce fully can take a few minutes, especially if you don’t have a high-powered blending device. Be patient. Return your cooked pasta to the pot after draining it, the add the creamy spinach sauce. It’ll probably be a bit too thick. No problem! Just thin it with some of that pasta cooking water that you reserved. Stir everything up. Tip: Pasta cooking water is ideal for thinning sauce in recipes like this one, because the dissolved starch helps the sauce bond to the pasta. If you forget to save some pasta water, just use fresh water. No biggie! Season your vegan spinach pasta with more salt, if desired, as well as some black pepper. Serve it with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover spinach pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. The sauce tends to dry out and get absorbed by the noodles over time, so you may want to thin it with a bit of water during reheating.
More Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
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