Spinach Artichoke Pasta

5 from 3 votes

This Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta is super creamy and flavorful! It's kid approved and ready in just 30 minutes! Perfect for an easy weeknight meal!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Entrées, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Jenn Sebestyen

Equipment

Ingredients

12 ounces medium shaped pasta like penne, rigatoni, farfalle, or shells

For the Sauce

For the Spinach Artichoke Mixture

1 cup raw cashews *see note!
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons coconut aminos or tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ cups non-dairy milk oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk are all good choices
¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil use ¼ broth or water for an oil-free version
1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons flour use a gluten free flour blend, if desired
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts
1 bag (5 oz) fresh baby spinach
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. *Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining the noodles!
Place all sauce ingredients (cashews, nutritional yeast, coconut aminos, lemon juice, milk, salt and pepper) in a high speed blender. Blend on hight until smooth and creamy.
Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir well until no white bits of flour remain.
Pour about ¼ cup (it doesn't have to be exact, but a few splashes is enough) into the onion mixture and whisk until smooth and creamy. There will still be chunks of onion, but there should be no lumps of flour. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan and ensure all the flour is incorporated before pouring the rest of the sauce in. Do not skip this step! If you don't whisk out all the lumps now, you won't be able to later.
Pour in the remaining sauce and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened. This should only take a few minutes.
Add the chopped artichokes, spinach and cooked noodles and mix well to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Serve hot garnished with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Video

Notes

~ Salt the pasta water well for extra flavor.

~ Cook the noodles until they are al dente. They will continue to cook a bit as they soak up the sauce.

~ Use raw unsalted cashews for the best flavor and texture.

~ If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in hot water for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to ensure they blend up super creamy.

~ Be sure to whisk the flour until smooth with about ¼ cup of the sauce before adding the remaining sauce. If you add too much liquid before getting all the lumps out, you won't be able to fix it later.

~ Chop the spinach into small pieces if you have picky kids (or spouses) that don't like long pieces of leafy greens in their food.

~ Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a little kick of heat.

~ For a nut-free option, substitute Tofutti vegan cream cheese for the cashews. You could also try white beans instead of the cashews, but know the sauce won't be quite as creamy.

~ For an oil-free option, sauté in vegetable broth or water and be sure to use canned artichokes in water, not jarred marinated artichokes.

~ This creamy sauce would also make a great dip for pita crackers!

~ Nutritional facts will vary based on variety of pasta and milk.

Nutrition