Description
Creamy white bean basil spinach artichoke pasta: A rich, creamy vegan white bean and basil pasta sauce served over pasta with spinach or kale, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. The perfect balance of decadent and healthy, this white bean sauce has a smaller amount of cashews than most vegan cream sauces, making it lighter, and higher in protein.
Ingredients
Scale
White Bean Basil Cream Sauce
- 1 1/2–2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 cups cooked navy beans (or 2 14-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling hot water for at least 1 hour and drained
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Vegetables
- 1 (285 gram) jar artichoke hearts in brine, drained
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 5 cups chopped spinach or kale
- 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (drained before measuring)
Pasta
- 1 pound (454 grams) uncooked pasta of choice- I used spaghetti
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water
For garnish
- Chopped fresh herbs
- Vegan Parmesan or crumbled feta or grated pecorino
- Olives
- Red pepper flakes or hot sauce
Instructions
- Make the white bean basil cream sauce: Place the non-dairy milk, white beans, cashews, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in an upright blender. Blend on high until totally smooth, adding more milk as needed until a creamy, pourable sauce consistency is reached. I used almost 2 cups of almond milk. If not using immediately, pour into an airtight jar until ready to use. Five minutes before serving, pour the sauce into a medium saucepan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Cook the vegetables: Drain the artichokes and slice them into halves or quarters. Set aside. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5-8 minutes. Add the oregano, pepper, and another pinch of salt, followed by the spinach or kale. Cook just until bright green and wilted; do not overcook. Finally, mix in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Drain and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. You’ll be adding some or all of this water back into the pasta soon.
- Finally, put it all together: Pour the white bean basil cream over the pasta. Add 1 cup of the reserved cooking water and stir. Either mix in the spinach and artichokes, or serve up individual portions first and top with the spinach and artichokes. Garnish with vegan parmesan, feta, or pecorino. Eat!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: vegan white bean basil cream pasta