Creamy Vegan Lemon Pasta with Fresh Peas and Spinach
Creamy vegan lemon pasta with fresh peas and spinach. No heavy cream or butter, a simple dish loaded with flavor.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 277kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb. angel hair pasta
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 1 cup fresh peas or frozen
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
- salted pasta water
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Soak cashews in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain and blend with 1/2 cup fresh cold water until creamy. Set aside.
- Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. In the meantime pour cashew cream and almond milk into a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir well to combine. Continue cooking on low heat until the pasta is ready.
- Just as the water is coming to a boil add a generous amount of salt, (I've found that about 1 tablespoon of salt to 4-6 quarts of water for one pound of pasta works quite well) and add the pasta. Follow the cooking instructions on the pasta (4 minutes for angel hair) but add the peas to the pot 3 minutes before the pasta will be finished. When the pasta is al dente (about 1 minutes before it's done) reserve about 2 cups of cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and the peas.
- Add pasta and peas to the pan with the cashew cream, and add the spinach. Stir until the spinach is wilted (a few minutes) and pour in little bits of salted pasta water to thin out. I ended up using about 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Serve with fresh basil.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version use quinoa or brown rice pasta or your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2130IU | Vitamin C: 17.3mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2.1mg
