Just a few simple ingredients and 20 minutes to make this ultra-satisfying no-bake Vegan Spinach Artichoke Creamy Pasta. Use gluten-free pasta if you need to for a gluten-free dinner!
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
Add the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, plant milk, and garlic and onion powder to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down as necessary.
Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the frozen spinach and drained artichoke for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is thawed and lightly cooked.
Slowly stir in the cashew sauce, stirring to combine all the ingredients. Remove from heat once the sauce is hot.
Toss the cooked pasta with the cashew-cream spinach artichoke sauce and serve warm, with fresh basil leaves and vegan Parmesan cheese. Optional: transfer to an oven-safe baking dish, top with shredded vegan mozzarella, and bake for 5-10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes
→ Cashew sauce tips:
Start with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, and blend in more if you need to. Not everyone loves as much nutritional yeast as I do!
To make sure that your sauce doesn't taste like cashews, use raw cashews and soak them in hot water to remove a lot of the cashew flavor.
A high-powered blender, such as a Blendtec or a Vitamix, is amazing for making the smoothest sauce, but most blenders will get the job done.
If you need a nut-free creamy sauce, you can just buy a cashew-free vegan Alfredo sauce, such as Daiya (which is cashew-free, but it has coconut oil), and then stir the garlic powder and onion.
→ This recipe makes 4 small servings, but realistically the three of us can eat this in one meal if we're hungry!→ Serve this pasta with vegan steaks or some Gardein Chick'n Strips!