Who needs dairy-laden pasta when you can make your own creamy yet healthy vegan pasta dish made with cashews? Melisser Elliot, award-winning author of The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life (Skyhorse Publishing, November 2010), shares this simple vegan dinner recipe that is vegan comfort food at its delicious best. Elliot, who is founder of Sugar Beat Sweets bakery in San Francisco, California and founder of The Urban Housewife blog, suggests substituting broccoli for the asparagus when asparagus isn’t in season. This healthy vegan recipe is also a winning dish when inviting non-vegans to dinner.
Pasta with Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pasta noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 pound asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 cup raw cashews
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-1/4 cups water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic and red pepper. Add asparagus and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Saute asparagus until crisp but tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, depending on thickness of stalks.
- Meanwhile, puree cashews in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Add lemon zest, black pepper, and remaining salt, and blend together.
- Add water and lemon juice in a steady stream to cashew mixture with food processor running; the sauce will be thin.
- Add pasta to skillet, toss to combine, and remove from heat. Stir in cream sauce to coat. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.
Vienna on 
I had something similar in Munich a few years ago, but it was loaded with veggies – I’d say half of the dish was pasta and the other half was asparagus, red peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and baby peas in a lemony-”cream” sauce that was made with tofu. I tried to get the recipe but had no luck. Thanks for this – will try it this weekend and see if I can get close to that perfect Easter dish. Many thanks!
Wow. The men had no idea there was no cream! My husband and father in law both said, ‘usually i don’t care for creamy pasta dishes, but this is delicious!’ and they ate every bite! It was very simple and the cashew cream was quite impressive! My imagination is running wild with possibilities now that I know I can incorporate cashew cream into so many dishes!!!
My only complaint would be that I made much too much cream for serving 6 people, and I would use about 1/4 cup additional water, as it thickens up a LOT upon mixing with pasta. Of course, we used brown rice pasta, as my father in law is gluten free. We also added thick cut crimini mushrooms after the asparagus, and it was really great!!!!
This will become one of my regulars! Very yummy, and i love the idea of cashews to create the creaminess!
This looks perfect for my Valentine’s plans, except that I’m allergic to cashews! Are there any acceptable substitutes for them in this recipe, such as sunflower seeds? Or would the seeds change the flavor too much?
I say go for it! I love nuts and seeds, and love experimenting with them. If you try the recipe with sunflower seeds or other nut or seed, let us know how it turns out.
Worked like a charm! Boyfriend thought I had made fettuccini alfredo! Did not realize that the whole dish was vegan. It was really delicious and no guilt after eating. Thanks for the great recipe!