Vibrant green, creamy and super delicious this Easy Green Pasta ticks all the boxes as a staple 30-minute midweek meal. Made with simple ingredients, it's super nutritious and budget friendly too.
Let's just begin by appreciating the vibrancy of the green in this pasta sauce. Yes indeed, it is the colour of the sauce itself, not the pasta. It coats and clings to the pasta beautifully so there is no missing out on all the goodness that's in it.
And full of goodness it is.
What makes it this green I hear you ask? No, it's not spinach (although we've got some spinach in the pasta as well). It is in fact my favourite kale of them all - cavolo nero.
If you'd like to find out more about it, how to prepare and cook it, check out my How to Cook Cavolo Nero guide.
But without further ado let's get straight into it and find out all about the ingredients and how to make it.
Jump to:
āļø Why you will love this recipe
- Simple 30-minute midweek meal.
- Green pasta sauce packed full of protein, fibre and iron too.
- Easy to adapt for either vegan or vegetarian diet.
- Really flexible recipe allowing you to work with what you've got in your fridge.
- Budget friendly.
- Super filling and delicious.
- Green sauce itself is gluten-free.
š Ingredients to make Easy Green Pasta
Here's what you will need to make my Easy Green Pasta:
Cavolo Nero - Main green veg in our pasta. Feel free to swap it for regular curly kale, spring greens or even spinach (although we are adding spinach to the pasta here, just not the sauce itself).
Silken Tofu - Another very important ingredient as it contributes to creaminess of our sauce plus is the source of plenty of plant protein which makes this pasta really filling. It has neutral flavour so you won't be able to taste it but it does do a lot.
If for some reason you don't want to use tofu here, you can substitute it with sunflower seeds and cashew nuts (100g each) + extra splash of milk. If nut free use 200g sunflower seeds.
You could also swap tofu for a tin of white beans of your choice (cannellini or butter beans would be best). We are adding beans later as well but you can always add less beans if you want.
***Quick Tip*** Silken tofu is a shelf-stable type of tofu so you can find it close to your soya sauce, noodles and other Asian foods or in the International Foods aisle. It won't be refrigerated with other types of tofu.
Nutritional Yeast (Nooch) - You know by now I use it all the time. It gives a bit of that nutty/cheesy vibe here. Feel free to substitute it with vegetarian parmesan.
Dijon Mustard - Adds lovely flavour. I wouldn't swap it for any other type of mustard here.
Milk/Plant Milk - Just to add a bit more creaminess. Use your favourite milk here but remember it should be unsweetened.
Lemon Juice - Cuts through the creaminess and provides zesty flavour. Use it to taste, start with a tablespoon or two and increase as needed.
š¤ Quick Fact
š There is more to lemon juice...
As both cavolo nero and spinach are sources of non-heme iron, they need vitamin C to help with its absorption. So as you can see lemon juice has another helpful use here.
Butter Beans - I use my favourite jarred butter beans here but tinned ones will work just as well. Buy the ones without added salt so that you don't need to drain and rinse them, just add beans and liquid to your sauce (once it's been blitzed).
You can swap butter beans for any other white beans you like haricot, cannellini, chickpeas etc.
Frozen Peas - Cause we love them and why not?
Spinach - I went all in with greens here adding spinach to the pasta at the last minute for even more goodness as we all love it in our house. Don't feel like you have to though. Frozen peas ā¬ļø might be enough for you.
Pasta - Last but definitely not last. I went with Rigatoni cause it works lovely with this sauce but you can pick any pasta shape you like.
***Quick Tip*** You can take it even one step further and go with whole wheat pasta for extra fibre or gluten-free pasta if you're gluten-free.
šŖ How to make Easy Green Pasta
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Get all the ingredients ready.
Prepare cavolo nero by taking the leaves off the stems and giving them a wash.
Step 2: Bring a large pan of salted water to boil and pop in prepared kale to blanch for 2 minutes. Once time is up, take it out of the pan using slotted spoon or kitchen tongs (my preferred way here).
Step 3: Bring water back to boil and once boiling again add pasta and cook as per package instructions.
***Quick Tip*** I would recommend undercooking your pasta ever so slightly by a minute or two (proper al dente) so that once you pop it into the sauce it won't turn into a complete mush.
As your pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
Step 4: Pop blanched cavolo nero, silken tofu, mustard, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (or parmesan), milk, salt and pepper into a blender and blitz until smooth.
Step 5: Pour the sauce into a large pan (larger than mine for sure as there will be a lot of sauce). Add butter beans (with liquid), frozen peas and put on a low heat.
In the meantime drain the pasta and save a cup of pasta water.
Step 6: Add pasta to the pan with the sauce and give it a gentle mix, keeping it on a low heat just for a couple of minutes more. The sauce will cling to the pasta giving it that gorgeous green hue. Take the pan off the heat. Give pasta a little taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
***Quick Tip*** If you only have one large pot/pan simply drain your pasta first and pour the sauce over the pasta, keeping it on a low heat and stirring it in gently for a couple of minutes.
Step 7: Last but not least, add spinach and mix it in allowing residual heat from the pasta to wilt it.
***Quick Tip*** Despite there being A LOT of sauce, you will notice how quickly your paste absorbs it. Use saved pasta water to adjust consistency to your liking. Yo might not have to use it if you serve the pasta straight away but it will come handy when heating up leftovers so just pop a cup in your fridge until needed.
Plate up and enjoy!
š„” Storing Green Pasta
Store: Leftover pasta can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: If you'd like to keep leftovers for longer, I would recommend freezing them once cool. Freeze them in freezer friendly bag or container for up to 3 months.
Defrost fully in the fridge overnight before reheating as reheating directly from frozen (although possible) will most definitely overcook the pasta and make it mushy.
Reheat: Reheat gently in a pan or in a microwave adding some extra liquid (that saved pasta water, just water or even some veggie stock) to loosen it.
š Pro Tips
Pasta water is your friend when it comes to adjusting consistency of your sauce especially when reheating the pasta.
Even though the sauce will seem on a runny side, don't worry. Once you add the pasta it will absorb a lot of the sauce and also the natural starch from the pasta will make it thicken.
Don't forget to taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. Don't go overboard from the start. It's much easier to add more than to take away.
š“ Serving Suggestions
This lovely super green pasta is a complete meal however if you're anything like me you will not say non to a side of lovely bread to go with it.
Our recent favourite if my easy no-knead focaccia which makes perfect accompaniment to any Italian fare, including this pasta. Alternatively, either this super soft easy garlic flatbread or this vegan garlic bread would make great additions.
Don't forget a good sprinkle of vegan parmesan (or grating of parmesan cheese if you prefer).
ā FAQ
No you don't. You can replace it with different seasonal greens if you prefer. Regular kale (curly kale), spinach, spring greens. You could even use broccoli as a base for your sauce here, just make sure it's been cooked a bit more rather than just blanched. The colour of the sauce will be different but it will taste delicious.
You can, as long as you are not swapping tofu for seeds. You can use stick (immersion) blender here instead. Your sauce might not be as smooth but it will work.
If you decided to swap tofu for seeds, however, (see š Ingredients above) immersion blender won't cope.
š More delicious Cavolo Nero recipes
Cavolo Nero with Chilli, Garlic and Crispy Capers
Vegan Sausage Casserole with Lentils and Cavolo Nero
š Recipe
Easy Green Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 g cavolo nero kale washed; or use curly kale, spring greens or spinach
- 300 g pack of silken tofu see notes
- 2 tablespoon (heaped) nutritional yeast or parmesan if using
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 200 ml milk of choice (dairy or plant) make sure it's unsweetened
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice or to taste, start with small amount and increase as per your taste
- 570 g jar of butter beans or use 2 x 400g(14-15oz) cans instead
- 100 g spinach washed
- 200 g frozen peas
- 500 g pasta of choice I used Rigatoni
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Get all the ingredients ready.Prepare cavolo nero by taking the leaves off the stems and giving them a wash.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to boil and pop in prepared kale to blanch for 2 minutes. Once time is up, take it out of the pan using slotted spoon or kitchen tongs (my preferred way here).200 g cavolo nero kale
- Bring water back to boil and once boiling again add pasta and cook as per package instructions. As your pasta is cooking, make the sauce.500 g pasta of choice
- Pop blanched cavolo nero, silken tofu, mustard, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (or parmesan), milk, salt and pepper into a blender and blitz until smooth.200 g cavolo nero kale , 300 g pack of silken tofu, 2 tbsp (heaped) nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 200 ml milk of choice (dairy or plant), 2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Pour the sauce into a large pan (larger than mine for sure as there will be a lot of sauce). Add butter beans (with liquid), frozen peas and put on a low heat.In the meantime drain the pasta and save a cup of pasta water.570 g jar of butter beans, 200 g frozen peas
- Add pasta to the pan with the sauce and give it a gentle mix, keeping it on a low heat just for a couple of minutes more. The sauce will cling to the pasta giving it that gorgeous green hue. Take the pan off the heat. Give pasta a little taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.500 g pasta of choice, salt and pepper
- Last but not least, add spinach and mix it in allowing residual heat from the pasta to wilt it.Plate up and enjoy!100 g spinach
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 6 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only. It will differ depending on ingredients used.Ā
- Silken tofu can be substituted with a mixture of sunflower seeds and cashew nuts (100g of each + extra splash of milk) or a tin of white beans (cannellini or butter beans). For more details see š Ingredients above.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freezer friendly. For more details see š„” Storing Green Pasta.
Comments
No Comments