Once in a while I make something that’s extra special. Something seemingly simple, but with flavors that sing. Now, as we discussed in my look back at 2015, I love all of the recipes I post. But some of them really set my heart aflutter. The last recipes I remember feeling that way about were my jackfruit carnitas 2.0, and before that, my coconut curry pasta (<- underappreciated recipe alert!). And today, this vegan spinach pesto pasta is joining the ranks.
When I first created this spinach pesto pasta recipe I thought I was going to need a pound of pasta to be sauced by the nearly half pound of spinach I was blending. But alas… I always underestimate spinach’s ability to reduce down to an infinitesimal volume. This is actually a good thing because this approximately 4-serving recipe is packed with a whopping 6 cups of spinach and perfect for anyone who wants to increase the volume of greens in his/her diet.
There’s no denying the deliciousness of classic pesto. But I take my pesto in a different direction these days, for a couple of reasons… the obvious one being cheese. And the second one being the high quantity of oil in most pesto recipes. That doesn’t sit well with my stomach, so I came up with my own vegan spins on pesto with more balanced amounts of fat and added nutrition from vegetables.
Nonetheless, to coat the pasta to my liking I still make sure to keep some richness in there and in this vegan spinach pesto recipe that richness comes from raw cashews, which make for a very buttery texture, and a splash of nondairy milk (which also helps for blending all of that spinach down). Season with plenty of salt and pepper, brighten with lemon juice, and fold in some nicely browned onions and garlic, and you’ll never miss the cheese or the large quantity of olive oil!
You might already have everything except the spinach and cashews on hand to make this vegan pesto pasta. Okay, if you’re a hardcore vegan you might have the cashews too. Enjoy!
P.S. If you follow me over on Instagram, you may be wondering when this recipe will be live. I put it next up on the list, so hopefully I’ll have it ready in a couple of days 🙂
Easy Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
For the vegan spinach pesto:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (you could also try toasted pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)
- 6 cups loosely packed spinach leaves (6 oz.)
- 1 small bunch basil (0.75 oz.) thick stems removed
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp salt scant
- pepper to taste
For the vegan spinach pesto pasta:
- 8 oz pasta of choice (I used shells)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion (or 1 shallot), diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
Make the pasta:
- Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil, and cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse.
Make the vegan spinach pesto:
- Add the cashews to your food processor and pulse a few times until crumbled.
- Add the spinach, basil, nondairy milk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and continue to pulse, stopping to stir and scrape the sides if needed, until the spinach and basil are finely chopped.
- Add more lemon juice to taste if desired, and set aside.
Put the finishing touches on the vegan spinach pesto pasta:
- In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion or shallot and a sprinkle of salt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and browning slightly. (Note: to save time, you can begin this step while the pasta is still cooking).
- Add the garlic and cook for just about 60 seconds more, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, and pesto and fold everything together gently. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened slightly and clings to the pasta, and is warm throughout. Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve warm. The pasta is best eaten immediately; fold in a light drizzle of olive oil before storing leftovers and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Enjoy this spinach pesto pasta? Try some of my other pasta recipes!
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Emily says
I’m going to make this tonight with premade pesto just because I have a Costco sized container and lots of spinach I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Leah says
I’m looking forward to trying this, but I just want to mention that there’s no such thing as “raw” cashews because in the raw form they are poisonous. You can find unseasoned, which I’m assuming is what you meant here, but they will always be roasted.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Raw cashews is a very commonly accepted term to refer to cashews labeled as ‘raw’ that have been steamed to removed the inedible outer layers. In most of my recipes that call for raw cashews, roasted cashews are really not a good substitute because they have a strong cashew flavor. Roasted cashews or other nuts would work ok in this particular recipe though. Hope this helps.
Nikkie says
How can I make this recipe nut free? We have a nut allergy
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I would recommend checking out my Edamame Pesto Pasta recipe, which is nut-free and uses edamame instead.
Kate says
I’ve made this recipe so many times – my family just loves it. Depending on what I’ve got in the fridge, I often replace the spinach with lightly steamed broccoli or do half half. So tasty!
georgie @ georgieeats says
This is such a good idea!! I need this in my tummy RIGHT NOW!! Haha!! I will be making this next week – just watch this space… thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
Makita says
Can this be made without the lemon for someone who is unable to have any citric acid?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
The lemon is really nice in this but maybe you could substitute it for a smaller amount of a mild vinegar, to give it some acidity.
Maaike says
Would this work with frozen spinach? If so, How much should I use? It sounds delicious!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Maaike, as a matter of personal preference, I don’t cook with frozen spinach so I can’t advise. I’m afraid that the texture and appearance might not be pleasant. But perhaps others have tried it and can weigh in. If you do do it, just substitute frozen spinach by weight.
Anelyse says
We received a hefty volume of spinach this week from our Baltimore Hungry Harvest box, and my partner made this tonight with some added vegan sausage and mushrooms. This recipe’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing it.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Awesome! Love Hungry Harvest!!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Can the sauce be canned or does it keep very long?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I’ve never tried canning this but I would imagine if you want to preserve the recipe, it would be wise to blanch the spinach and basil first. However I haven’t tested this so I don’t know how that would affect it. Let me know if you give it a try!
I’ve found the leftovers keep well in the fridge for several days!
Juliette says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with the whole family! We’ll definitely make it again. I forgot to reserve water from the pasta so I used some aquafaba i had on hand and it did the trick. Thanks for the recipe!
Veronika says
Can you use plain low fat Greek yogurt, instead of the dairy alternative to make it even creamier?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Veronica, I don’t cook with Greek yogurt so I can’t advise but if you give it a try please share! If I wanted to make this creamier without adding dairy, I would probably blend a tablespoon or two of olive oil into the pesto mixture, or increase the quantity of cashews 🙂
Eloise says
This was so good and so easy to make! Thank you so much for sharing! A new fav for me!
Jessica Stephens says
If you wanted to save time by using premade pesto, then how much would you use?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Jessica, not totally sure, maybe about 1.5 cups? I’ll measure the volume of the spinach pesto next time I make this and update with that info. I highly encourage you to try the fresh pesto though, it’s delicious and actually comes together pretty quick!
Zoe says
Hi Shannon,
I cooked this beautiful & vibrant dish tonight, however I felt that it was a little bland, is there something that I may have missed?
I love your recipes and use them daily, this one has caught me off 🙁
Thanks x
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Zoe! This recipe is definitely pretty simple. I’m sorry that you found it bland. More salt and pepper usually does the trick – this is one of those ones where sometimes you need to just keep on salting. Adding another drizzle of olive oil will probably improve the flavor too. I think it’s likely that the shallot and garlic weren’t caramelized well into the sauce, but I don’t know for sure.
Sarah says
I made this recipe for the first time and I have to say, this was the best pasta I’ve ever tasted! And I’m not a fan of spinach so I was really surprised of the outcome. I’ll be definitely be making more this upcoming week! Thank you for the recipe.
Honda says
Just made this for dinner! So delicious. Thanks for sharing. And now I have a giant list of recipes to try from your site….:)
Rin1324 says
Hi Shannon !
Is it possbile to use dry basil instead of fresh? We couldn’t find fresh basil. If so, how much?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi there! I haven’t tried using dried basil in this pesto and I’m not terribly confident about it, but it might work! If you want to try it I’d recommend using maybe about 1 tablespoon, and also adding extra olive oil to the recipe to make up some of the fruitiness missing from the fresh basil. Another option might be to substitute fresh parsley instead of basil. Interested to hear how it goes!
Chelsea Y says
I used dried basil instead of fresh and it was so delicious! My kids ate it right up!
Alex says
Mmmm, this was really good! Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables so this really hits the spot. I made it with walnuts instead of cashews and added a few shakes of nutritional yeast for more cheesiness. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Mika says
I just made this and it didn’t disappoint! Delicious, full of flavor, creamy, and healthy! I’ll be using this recipe often from now on.~
Lalleh says
This was delicious! I threw the pesto on some leftover pasta and sautéed with garlic to heat. Thank you for the recipe!
Miranda says
This was so good! It was pretty simple as well. I topped it with nutritional yeast. 🙂
Susie says
Hi, Just wondering where you got your vegan pasta from? I’m not sure I’ve seen vegan pasta shells before but they look delicious!
Thanks
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Are you in the UK? I’m not really sure how it works over there but where I live it’s actually quite difficult to find non-vegan pasta unless you buy fresh pasta. Pretty much all dried pasta sold in supermarkets here is egg free.
Casey says
Hello, I want to make this for Xmas eve and was wondering if I could make this ahead of time, like the night before maybe? What do you suggest I do?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Casey, I think this particular pasta is better when cooked fresh. I haven’t tried it myself but if I wanted to make part of the recipe ahead of time I’d probably premake the pesto and add a little extra olive oil to help prevent the spinach from oxidizing. And I wouldn’t make it more than 24 hours in advance. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe steps. Hope this works for you!
Yen says
How long do you think this would last in the fridge? Would this be okay for a meal prep item?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Yen, this is best eaten right after you make it, but you can store it for a couple of days in the fridge (I’d say no more than three – the fresh greens could start to get a little icky) and reheat. I’d add an extra drizzle of olive oil before refrigerating, to keep the pasta from sticking together.
Nicki Escudero says
Hi, Shannon,
I made this last night, and it was delicious! I have never had pesto like that, and I was really pleased with the lower-fat version. Thanks for the great recipe bursting with nutrients! Nicki
Janae says
Do you need to soak the cashews overnight?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Janae, there’s no need to soak the cashews for this recipe.
Elle says
Thank you so much for this recipe it was great
Terrier says
Délicieux bravo 5 stars
Meagan says
How many servings does this make?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Meagan, approximately 4 servings.
Rachel says
This looks so nice, cannot wait to get home and try it out!
Jess says
Yum, this looks so delicious! I feel like you can’t go wrong with pesto!! X