The Best Dreamy & Creamy Vegan Pasta (Easy Recipe!)
A healthy and easy recipe for a creamy vegan pasta dish. The rich, dairy-free sauce is cleverly made from a base of pureed white beans, blended with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. This smooth sauce is then tossed with cooked small shell pasta and a mix of tender-crisp broccoli florets and stems that have been sautéed with onion. The dish is finished with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts for a crunchy texture.
Ingredients
- For the Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the Pasta:
- 2 ½ cups small shell pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cups broccoli (florets, chopped stems, and leaves)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a blender, combine the white beans, vegetable broth, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the Vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft.
- Stir in the chopped broccoli stems and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.
- Add the broccoli florets and leaves to the skillet, along with a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the broccoli steam for 2 to 3 minutes until tender but still bright green.
- Combine: Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in three-quarters of the prepared sauce, adding more broth if the sauce is too thick.
- Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as desired.
- Portion the pasta into bowls, top with the remaining sauce and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- This recipe creates a creamy, protein-rich pasta sauce without any dairy by using pureed white beans as the base.
- Nutritional yeast is a key ingredient that provides a savory, cheesy flavor to the vegan sauce.
- Cooking the tougher broccoli stems for a few minutes before adding the delicate florets ensures that all the broccoli is perfectly cooked.
Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/dreamy-creamy-vegan-pasta/