This creamy vegan green pasta sauce is proof that eating your greens can be downright delicious. Fresh baby spinach and blended cashews create a velvety, flavor-packed sauce that coats every bite of pasta. Best of all, it's ready in under 30 minutes.
Weeknight pasta dishes are popular for good reason. They're quick, simple and comforting, you can easily adjust the recipe to make as much or as little as you need, and one pot can satisfy everyone in the family, including the kids.
I love varying up the sauces on pasta night so it never gets boring, whether it's a savory and sweet roasted veggie tomato sauce or the vegan alfredo sauce I make on repeat. All have different flavors and textures that drastically change the flavor profile of a dish even if all other ingredients remain constant.
A new dish I am adding to my library of vegan pasta sauces and dinners is this easy spinach cashew pasta sauce! The combination of the creamy pasta sauce with the aromatics of sautéed shallots and garlic creates a savory yet light springtime recipe that works with any type of pasta.
It took me a few attempts to perfect this recipe. At first I tried puréeing the sautéed shallots and garlic directly into the sauce and serving it over the pasta. While it tasted good, I knew it could be so much better.
I then tried keeping the sautéed shallots and garlic separate from the sauce and it made a huge difference! Shallots get sweet when sautéed, which got a little lost when I puréed it into the sauce. Adding them to the pasta and then mixing with the creamy green sauce poured overtop created so much more flavor!
Ingredients
The entire recipe uses just a handful of ingredients. See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
The Green Sauce
The Pasta
How to Make this Vegan Green Sauce for Pasta
1. Prepare the green pasta sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender until it transforms into a creamy sauce. Set aside.
2. Begin cooking the pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of water.
3. Sauté the shallots. While the pasta cooks, heat a 12-inch skillet (or large pan) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced shallot, salt and red pepper flakes and sauté for about 5 minutes until the shallots are soft, fragrant and translucent.
4. Sauté the garlic. Turn the burner to low and add the minced garlic to the skillet. If using maple syrup, add at this time as well. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
5. Put it all together. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and mix in the creamy green pasta sauce. Garnish with basil leaves (or other fresh herbs), hemp seeds, broccoli, peas, vegan parmesan cheese and/or additional red pepper flakes.
Recipe Tips
- Save a cup of pasta water. Use the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if too thick. You can also use a little water to rehydrate the dish if reheating leftovers on the stovetop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Feel free to customize! For both the sauce and the pasta, using more or less of any particular ingredient is perfectly fine. Add more red pepper flakes for additional heat or remove it altogether to make it more kid-friendly... this recipe is flexible!
- Boost the protein content. Use quinoa or chickpea pasta or sprinkle additional hemp seeds on top to add some extra protein.
Kid-Friendly, Dye-Free Green Pasta
This beautiful green pasta is actually perfect for St. Patrick's Day while also sneaking leafy greens into your kids' diets. While I believe it is important to introduce kids to whole vegetables, this dish is super convenient if they are hesitant to eat spinach on their own.
Serve this entrée after sharing a St. Patrick's Day snack board to really get in the spirit of the holiday!
This vegan green pasta sauce recipe is packed with so much flavor and is a great way to easily incorporate lots of spinach into your day. I hope you enjoy it!
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Creamy Green Vegan Pasta Sauce with Spinach
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This creamy vegan green pasta sauce is proof that eating your greens can be downright delicious. Fresh baby spinach and blended cashews create a velvety, flavor-packed sauce that coats every bite of pasta. Best of all, it's ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- The Green Pasta Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews (I recommend soaking in advance although not required)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- Optional: a handful of fresh basil (for more flavor) and/or 2-3 tablespoons hemp seeds (for more protein)
- The Pasta:
- 10 ounces any pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large shallots, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes (or more to taste)
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- Optional: 1 tablespoon maple syrup (my kids love when I add this)
- Garnish Options/Add-Ins
- fresh basil
- vegan parmesan cheese
- red pepper chili flakes
- broccoli or peas
Instructions
- Prepare the green pasta sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender until it transforms into a creamy sauce. Set aside.
- Begin cooking the pasta according to package instructions.
- Sauté the shallots. While the pasta cooks, heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced shallot, salt and red pepper chili flakes and sauté for about 5 minutes until the shallots are soft, fragrant and translucent.
- Sauté the garlic. Turn the burner to low and add the minced garlic to the skillet. If using maple syrup, add at this time as well. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Put it all together. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and mix in the green pasta sauce. Garnish with basil, hemp seeds, broccoli, peas, vegan parmesan cheese and/or additional red pepper chili flakes.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Save the pasta water. Use reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if too thick. You can also use the water to rehydrate the dish if reheating leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Feel free to customize! For both the sauce and the pasta, using more or less of any particular ingredient is perfectly fine. Add more chili pepper flakes for more heat or remove it altogether to make it more kid-friendly... this recipe is flexible!
- Boost the protein content. Use quinoa or chickpea pasta or sprinkle additional hemp seeds on top.
- Prep Time: 8
- Cook Time: 12
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