Creamy and bright lemon sauce gets a peppery punch with freshly cracked black pepper and arugula in this comforting vegan pasta recipe. Double the sauce and add peas, asparagus, or zucchini to this pasta for a vegetable forward version of this comforting dish. While the cooked pasta and vegetables will last for 2-3 days, it is best served hot right off the stove.
Ingredients
Prep
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling heavily salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente (according to package instructions). Drain pasta and reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, zest one lemon and set aside. Cut the zested lemon in half and juice it into a bowl. One lemon should yield about 2 tablespoons of juice.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir until it forms a fully incorporated paste. Let cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in Cashewmilk, stirring until there are no lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, until slightly thickened and reduced. Stir in the lemon zest, reserving a bit for garnish, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
- Add al dente pasta along with ¼ cup of reserved pasta water, stirring to coat pasta. If your sauce feels too thick, slowly add remaining reserved pasta water, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat and toss in a handful of arugula. Stir to combine. Divide pasta into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, top with more freshly cracked pepper, and remaining lemon zest. Dig in while it is hot and creamy!
