Creamy Spinach Walnut Pasta (Printable View)

Luscious plant-based pasta with blended spinach, toasted walnuts, and creamy plant milk sauce. Quick, nutritious, and vegan.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, penne, or choice of shape)

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup raw walnuts
03 - 4 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
04 - 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (oat, soy, or almond)
05 - 2 garlic cloves
06 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
07 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - Pinch of ground nutmeg, optional

→ Garnish

12 - Extra toasted walnuts, chopped
13 - Freshly ground black pepper
14 - Lemon zest, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
02 - While the pasta cooks, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Reserve a few walnuts for garnish.
03 - In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine the toasted walnuts, spinach, plant-based milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
04 - Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add more milk for a thinner consistency or more nutritional yeast for enhanced umami and creaminess.
05 - Return the drained pasta to the pot. Pour the spinach walnut sauce over the pasta and toss thoroughly to coat. Add reserved pasta water gradually as needed to achieve a silky, creamy consistency.
06 - Transfer pasta to serving bowls immediately. Garnish with extra chopped walnuts, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon zest if desired.

# Best Practices:

01 -
  • It transforms pantry staples into something that feels indulgent and restaurant worthy in under half an hour.
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta without a drop of cream, butter, or cheese.
  • You can make it on autopilot after a long day and still feel like you cooked something special.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to settle together.
02 -
  • If you skip toasting the walnuts, the sauce will taste flat and slightly bitter instead of rich and nutty.
  • Always reserve pasta water before draining because it's the secret to making the sauce silky and helping it stick to the noodles.
  • Blend the sauce longer than you think you need to, a full minute or more, because any graininess will ruin the creamy texture.
03 -
  • Use a high speed blender instead of a food processor if you have one, because it makes the sauce completely silky without any graininess.
  • Add the pasta water a little at a time while tossing, because it's easier to thin the sauce than to thicken it back up.
  • If you want the sauce to taste even cheesier, increase the nutritional yeast to three tablespoons and add a tiny pinch of garlic powder.
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