This bright green, creamy broccoli pasta sauce is made with a humble head of broccoli for a dinner that is packed full of the benefits of green veg. Get the recipe below.
The star of this recipe is undoubtedly broccoli. The humble green vegetable that doesn't get enough focus on it and which is often forgotten. But, we'd all benefit from getting broccoli into our diet more often. Including nutrient rich vegetables like this into your diet is mega important.
This creamy pasta sauce is centred around broccoli. Broccoli may be one of your five a day but it's not exactly creamy. To get the creamy texture we take cooked broccoli and blitz it with soaked cashews, water and a range of seasonings. This creates a luscious, bright green, creamy pasta sauce that just so happens to be vegan!
Serve it with your favourite pasta shape (and maybe even some garlic tear and share bread) and you've got a simple but nutritious meal you can whip up in no time.
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Ingredients
To make this pasta sauce you'll need the following ingredients so make sure you've added them to your shopping list:
- Broccoli
- Cashew nuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Onion powder (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step Instructions
- Step 1: either soak your cashews overnight or boil them for 15 minutes until soft and plump.
- Step 2: boil the broccoli until just tender.
- Step 3: drain the cashews and broccoli and add to your blender along with the remaining ingredients and blitz until smooth, adding as much or as little water as you want to get your desired consistency.
- Step 4: serve hot over your favourite pasta.
Hint: cook the pasta in the same pan as the broccoli to save water!
Substitutions
With a recipe this simple there aren't many swaps possible but if you are in a pinch you can try one of these:
- Garlic: swap fresh garlic for lazy garlic or garlic powder
- Nutritional yeast: for a cheesy flavour replace nutritional yeast with vegan cheese
- Parsley: swap fresh parsley for dried parsley
Variations
This method works well for turning lots of different vegetables into pasta sauce so get experimenting! I've also used this technique to make a creamy carrot pasta sauce.
For some added protein why not add cooked tofu, tempeh or vegan chicken pieces to the sauce?
Equipment
Get the following kitchen equipment ready before you begin cooking:
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Citrus juicer
- 2 saucepans
- High speed blender
Storage
This sauce is best enjoyed fresh so you won't be able to keep any leftovers or make it in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, this gives them the right consistency so that when they are blended they help the sauce become creamy. If you skip this step you will have chunks of hard nut in your sauce.
Yes, though you may find it takes longer to get the desired consistency.
Yes, absolutely! I like to think of this as a "hidden" vegetable sauce but if you want the added texture then do keep some broccoli to one side and add to the sauce after its been blended.
Top tip
The smaller you cut your broccoli florets, the sooner you can have this dish on the table! Don't try boiling the head whole!
The recipe
Vegan Creamy Broccoli Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
- 35 g cashews
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon juice only
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
- 1 bunch parsley roughly chopped, some leaves saved for garnish
Instructions
- Begin by either soaking your cashews overnight or by boiling them for 15 minutes until plump and soft.
- While the cashews are boiling (if using this method) boil the broccoli florets in lightly salted water.
- Once the cashews and broccoli are done, transfer to a high speed blender along with the remaining ingredients and blitz on high until smooth.
- Serve hot over your favourite pasta with a few leaves or parsley for garnish.
Nutrition
More pasta dishes
What's your favourite type of pasta sauce?
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