Creamy Pasta Primavera (vegan | plant-based)

Happy Spring… or rather, Primavera. The perfect time to make this amazing plant-powered pasta dish. It’s creamy, it’s rich, it’s fresh, it’s flavorful – what’s not to love?

This decadent sauce is my secret weapon when it comes to super delicious and satisfying plant-based meals and it works perfectly in this pasta dish. It’s got protein, fiber and loads of flavor, and makes veggies taste totally addictive.

This pasta is a great way to use up any veggies you have, however I recommend starting with the onion for lots of sweet, deep flavor. You can also add any fresh, soft herbs you have on hand too – tarragon or dill would be delicious.

Creamy Pasta Primavera
serves 4-5

Ingredients

1 lb pasta, like penne or farfalle
olive oil
sea salt, fine grain
1 large sweet onion, sliced
10 oz green beans, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces
2 sweet bell peppers, diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
5 oz baby spinach
fresh basil for garnish, optional

for cheezy cream sauce

1/2 cup raw cashews, unsalted
1 14-oz can white beans (drained/rinsed)
5 cloves garlic, crushed/peeled/roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 to 1 2 tsp sea salt, fine grain*

To Make

For the cheezy cream sauce, in a small sauce pan or skillet, simmer garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until most of chopped garlic is light golden. Stir frequently. Remove from heat. In a high speed blender, add all ingredients to a blender with 1 cup water. Start with less salt and add more salt to taste.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente. Before draining, add spinach to the bottom of the a colander and reserve 2 cups starchy pasta water. Drain pasta onto the spinach which allows it to wilt slightly.

Mean while, cook the veggies. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute until onions are soft and start to brown, 8 minutes. Add green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until veggies are slightly softened to al dente and the tomatoes are soft enough that you can burst them with the back of the cooking spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Burst the tomatoes with the spoon, turn off the heat. Add the pasta, spinach and cream sauce. Stir to combine. Add reserved water to loosen sauce as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

I like the sauce on the saltier sauce to help season the whole dish when it comes together. Salt to preference.