Creamy Spinach Walnut Pasta (Printer-friendly)

A vibrant, plant-based pasta with fresh spinach and toasted walnuts blended into a creamy sauce. Quick, nutritious, and completely dairy-free.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, penne, or preferred shape)

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup raw walnuts
03 - 4 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
04 - 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (oat, soy, or almond)
05 - 2 garlic cloves
06 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
07 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

→ Garnish

12 - Extra toasted walnuts, chopped
13 - Freshly ground black pepper
14 - Lemon zest (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine toasted walnuts (reserve some for garnish), spinach, plant-based milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping sides as needed.
04 - Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired. Add more milk for a thinner consistency or more nutritional yeast for enhanced richness.
05 - Return drained pasta to pot. Pour spinach walnut sauce over pasta and toss to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water gradually to achieve silky, creamy texture.
06 - Plate immediately and garnish with chopped walnuts, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon zest if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It sneaks an entire bag of spinach into dinner without anyone noticing they're eating something healthy.
  • The walnuts add a richness that makes you forget there's no cream or cheese involved.
  • You can make it faster than ordering takeout, and it tastes like you spent an hour in the kitchen.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to become friends.
02 -
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain, I've forgotten more times than I care to admit and regretted it every single time.
  • Don't blend the sauce while the walnuts are still hot or the heat can make the spinach taste bitter and dull the color.
  • If your blender isn't super powerful, you might need to blend a little longer or add the ingredients in batches to get it truly smooth.
03 -
  • Use a high-speed blender if you have one, it makes the sauce impossibly silky instead of grainy.
  • Add the garlic gradually if you're sensitive to raw garlic, you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • If the sauce looks too thin in the blender, it will thicken up once it hits the hot pasta, so don't worry.
  • Toast extra walnuts and keep them in a jar for sprinkling on salads, oatmeal, or just snacking.
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