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Vegan Green Goddess Pasta
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Vegan Green Goddess Pasta

Ribbons of pasta are tossed in a luxuriously creamy vegan green goddess sauce. The sauce is made by blending cooked cauliflower, lots of herbs (think tarragon, parsley, chives), garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, capers, salt, and pepper. The result is a spring green sauce that offers a garlicky bite and herbaceous aroma. Toss it with ribbons of warm tagliatelle and chopped arugula and finish with a sprinkle of hemp seeds and nutritional yeast for a kick of plant-powered protein.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Bigger Bites, Pasta
Cuisine: plant-based, Vegan
Author: Ashley

Ingredients

Pasta

  • 12 ounces regular or gluten-free tagliatelle, rigatoni, or fusilli pasta

Creamy Green Goddess Sauce

  • 2 ½ cups small cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • ⅓ cup stemmed and roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped chives
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons stemmed and roughly chopped tarragon, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons jarred capers drained, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings

  • 2 cups baby arugula, chopped
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons shelled hemp seeds, to taste

Instructions

For the Pasta

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
  • Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and transfer the cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the chopped arugula, toss, and set aside.

For the Creamy Green Goddess Sauce

  • Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and boil for 7 minutes or until very fork-tender. Strain off the water.
  • Add the boiled cauliflower florets, almond milk, garlic, parsley, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, capers, sea salt, and black pepper to a high-speed blender.
  • Blend on high for 2 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy.

To Assemble

  • Pour the sauce into a large sauté pan. Heat over medium heat and whisk constantly for 2 minutes, or until warm.
  • Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
  • If needed, stir in the pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, to thin the sauce.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Taste and season with more sea salt and black pepper, if desired.
  • Top with the hemp seeds and more nutritional yeast, if desired.
  • Serve immediately.