This recipe right here is for green juice guzzlers and green smoothie sippers.
Who also love pasta!
Say howdy to a creamy sauce PACKED with greens and health.
Plus, once you gently fold it on in with your carbs and some extra additions, it’s quite tasty.
As well as pretty.
Yes she’s a looker…
All natural too!
So, all you have to do is blend dino kale, herbaceous basil and parsley, softened cashews, unsweetened (and unflavored—no vanilla here pleez) non dairy milk, savory nutritional yeast, zesty lemon juice, rice vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and pink sea salt until homogenous and vibrant.
Generously coat your fave pasta in this fresh-as-can-be sauce, and be sure to invite some sweet green peas plus tender artichoke hearts to the party too.
(Crisp-tender broccoli florets are also welcome to join this pasta soiree. The more veg the merrier!)
Fill up a bowl, then top her off with juicy tomato, nutty pistachios—for a nice little crunch—and more fresh basil!
Carb it up.
P.S. I got my inspiration for this super green sauce from Grow the Grin, thank you!! It looked too intriguing and irresistible to pass up.
P.P.S. As always, taste and adjust the ingredients to suit your fancy. Want less of a “green” flavor? Cut back on the parsley. Want more cheeze? Add an extra spoonful of nooch!
P.P.P.S. Don’t forget those toppings! The tomatoes bring an extra fresh, naturally sweet note to the dish, which helps balance the green flavors. And a little extra crunch for textural contrast helps heighten this dish as well! We’re looking at youu pistachios (or pepitas).
Pasta with Creamy Green Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 6 cups roughly chopped dino kale, stems removed
- 1 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 loosely packed cup Italian parsley, thick stems removed
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored oat milk, cashew milk, or almond milk
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Pink sea salt, to taste
Pasta
- 1 1/2 cups short cut pasta (I used Torchiette, and I like Banza rotini for gluten-free option)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped artichoke hearts
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet green peas
- 1/2 cup small broccoli florets, roasted or steamed until crisp tender (optional)
Toppings
- Roughly chopped heirloom or vine tomatoes (quartered cherry tomatoes work too), if in season
- Sprouted pepitas or roughly chopped pistachios
- Thinly sliced fresh basil
Instructions
- For the sauce, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, then soak the cashews for 10 minutes. Drain. In a high-power blender, blend the cashews, kale, basil, parsley, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rice vinegar, milk, crushed red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and salt until smooth. Taste, and adjust ingredients if you wish.
- Cook the pasta about 1 minute short of al dente, then add the frozen peas. Cook for 1 more minute. Drain, then return the pasta and peas to the hot pot over the same burner, turned off. Add the artichokes, and broccoli if using, plus enough sauce to generously coat. (I had some leftover sauce.) Gently fold until the residual heat warms the sauce.
- Spoon the pasta into a bowl, then top with fresh tomatoes, pepitas or pistachios, and fresh basil. Serve with lemon wedges.