Pasta in green sauce, aka green spaghetti, can be made in the time it makes to boil the pasta. With fresh, bold flavors, it's one of my favorite easy midweek dinners.
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If you're looking to add some greens into your diet, then this pasta in green sauce is going to be your new favorite recipe. Made with seven simple ingredients, it's an easy dish to have on the table in less than 30 minutes. And, I guarantee that everyone will love it! This dish is just as happy as a midweek meal as it is served cold for a summer cookout.
Related Recipe: Casarecce Pasta With Summer Vegetables
💚Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
💚It's vegan and can easily be made gluten free.
💚It only takes about 10 minutes to make.
💚It's bright and fresh and tastes divine.
💚It's an easy way to sneak greens into your kids diet.
💚Most pesto sauces are made with nuts, but this one is made with sunflower seeds, so it's suitable for allergy sufferers.
💚It's packed full of fiber.
🛒Ingredients
- Pasta: I used spaghetti, but any pasta you have on hand will do. I've made pasta in green sauce using linguine as well as fusilli. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply swap your favorite gluten-free pasta for the spaghetti noted in the recipe card.
- Spinach: Spinach gives this dish a big nutrient boost. I recommend using fresh baby spinach. Loaded with antioxidants, low in calories and high in Vitamin A, you can't go wrong with a good dose of spinach.
- Frozen Peas: You can use fresh or frozen peas here. I almost always have a bag of peas in the freezer, so that's what I used.
- Garlic: Three cloves of garlic gives this pasta sauce a nice garlicky kick. Reduce the amount, if you find the taste of garlic too strong.
- Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are what make the green pasta sauce nice and creamy.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast adds a nice cheesy flavor while keeping pasta sauce dairy free.
- Single Soya: Single soya is the perfect substitute for cream. If you can't find any, feel free to substitute coconut milk or barista style oat milk.
👨🍳How To Make Pasta In Green Sauce
- Step 1 - Soak The Sunflower Seeds: Add the sunflower seeds to a bowl, and pour hot water over them. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes. Drain and dispose of the water.
- Step 2 - Cook The Pasta: Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
- Step 3 - Soak The Green Veggies: Put the spinach, frozen peas and basil in a heatproof bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave for 3-4 minutes, or until the peas have fully defrosted.
- Step 4 - Add Veggie To Food Processor: Drain the veg and basil and transfer it to a food processor.
- Step 5 - Add The Rest of the Green Sauce Ingredients: Add the sunflower seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast and single soya and blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Step 6 - Heat Through: Drain the pasta, reserving a bit of the cooking liquid. Transfer the pasta back to the pan, pour the sauce over the top and heat through. If you need to thin the sauce, add the reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Top Tip
Depending on your preference, you can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more soy cream or pasta cooking water.
💡Pasta In Green Sauce Variations
- Lemon-Garlic Spinach Pasta: Substitute the nutritional yeast with grated vegan Parmesan cheese. Increase garlic to 5 cloves for extra garlic flavor. Now, add zest of 1 lemon to the sauce for a zing of citrus flavor.
- Spicy Spinach and Pea Pasta: Add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for heat. Replace the single soya with coconut cream for added richness. Throw in a handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes for tanginess.
- Green Goddess Pasta Salad: Use half the amount of pasta and cook until slightly underdone. Add ¼ cup of chopped fresh mint leaves to the sauce. Mix in diced cucumber, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes for crunch and color. Toss the pasta salad in a simple vinaigrette made of olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup.Serve chilled or at room temperature.
🍽️Serving Suggestions
- These vegan garlic knots are the perfect sidekick to pasta in green sauce.
- Mushroom Bruschetta would complement this dish well.
- Toss fresh asparagus spears with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until tender and lightly charred. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the grilled asparagus before serving to brighten the flavors.
- A simple, fresh salad like this kale salad would balance out this meal.
❄️Storage Instructions
Refrigerator
Allow the pasta to cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge. Next, transfer the pasta and sauce to an airtight container. Make sure the container is large enough to accommodate the pasta without excessive squishing. The pasta in green sauce will typically last for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer
Allow the pasta to cool down completely to room temperature. If you want to freeze individual portions, divide the pasta into single-serving portions in airtight freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. The pasta in green sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
When you're ready to eat the it, transfer the frozen pasta to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Alternatively, you can reheat the frozen pasta directly from frozen on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little extra liquid if needed to prevent drying out.
More Pasta Recipes
You might also like these easy vegan pasta recipes.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
One of the main reasons people add oil to pasta water is to prevent the pasta from sticking together. However, if you use an adequate amount of water and stir the pasta occasionally while cooking, sticking shouldn't be a major issue. Oil can coat the pasta and make it more difficult for sauces to adhere to it. This can result in a less flavorful dish, as the sauce may slide off the pasta instead of clinging to it.
Yes, you can substitute sunflower seeds with other nuts or seeds like pine nuts, cashews, almonds, or pumpkin seeds for a different flavor. Each alternative will bring its own unique taste and texture to the dish. Be sure to adjust quantities as needed to achieve the desired consistency and flavor balance in the sauce.
Yes, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta instead of traditional wheat-based pasta. You should also make sure that the other ingredients such as nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan cheese are certified gluten-free.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
Noodles With A Spicy Garlic Chili Sauce
📖 Recipe
Pasta In Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice
- 1 cup spinach fresh
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup basil fresh
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup single soya
Instructions
- Add the sunflower seeds to a bowl, and pour hot water over them. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes. Drain and dispose of the water
- Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
- Put the spinach, frozen peas and basil in a heatproof bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave for 3-4 minutes, or until the peas have fully defrosted.
- Drain the veg and basil and transfer it to a food processor. *see note 2
- Add the sunflower seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast and single soya and blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Drain the pasta, reserving a bit of the cooking liquid. Transfer the pasta back to the pan, pour the sauce over the top and heat through. If you need to thin the sauce, add the reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Serve with vegan parmesan cheese.
nancy
thanks for this easy green sauce and the variations. I really enjoy adding more veggies to my meals any chance i get
Natalie
My kids love pasta, and even though they don't like spinach they loved it with your pasta recipe, thanks!
Melanie
Thank you for a lovely dish that is complete with fresh ingredients and is so simple to make. We have a new go-to weeknight meal!