Description
A creamy and flavorful pasta dish featuring zucchini, lemon, and fresh basil, perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ onion – finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 medium or 4 small zucchinis – roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water (heavily salted)
- ¾ cup plant milk
- ¼ cup cashew butter (or tahini if allergic)
- ½–1 cup basil – finely chopped
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 servings cooked pasta
- 1 can white beans (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely diced onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until they start to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the chopped zucchini to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes until the zucchini is tender.
- Stir in the minced garlic and finely chopped basil, cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is softened and aromatic.
- Transfer the zucchini mixture to a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, reserved pasta water, plant milk, cashew butter, lemon juice, and more salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Gently mix the smooth sauce with the cooked pasta and white beans if using, ensuring every strand is coated.
Notes
This sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be reheated with a splash of plant milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Sautéing and Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1 cup of pasta)
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 0mg