Lemon Basil Pasta w/ Cashew Parmesan by Jennah Jensen
I’m always up for a good pasta dish and it’s an easy go to that the whole family will likely love! I was inspired to re-create this lemon parmesan style pasta after seeing many variations on the internet that looked delicious, but were not plant-based and seemed to have a few more steps than I had time for. This easy peasy lemon squeezy variation has quickly become one of my all time favorite pasta recipes and my nutrient rich plant-based parmesan really ties it altogether! Plus you can easily store any extra parmesan in a glass container in the freezer for months, perfect for future pastas and salads galore! Enjoy!
For the Pasta:
1lb or large box bow tie pasta
1 cup frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 large lemons (to taste), juice of
1.5 cups arugula
1/2-1 cup fresh basil leaves (to taste), chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional garnish)
For the Cashew Parmesan:
1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste if using salted cashews)
Method:
Start by cooking pasta according to package instructions. Add the frozen peas right upon draining so that the residual heat cooks them to temperature! Do not rinse pasta.
Return pasta back to its original pot (off heat) and add and combine all remaining ingredients except for the lemon juice, pine nuts and cashew parmesan. Allow the pasta to cool before adding the lemon juice so that its flavor remains bright and fresh!
While you’re waiting for the pasta to cool down, this is the perfect time to whip up that cashew parmesan! For this particular application I like using raw unsalted cashews because I feel that the flavor is closer to traditional parmesan however, regular roasted and salted cashews work great too! Just be sure to adjust the salt to taste if using cashews that are already salted. Either way this recipe is totally easy! Simply add cashews, nutritional yeast and salt to a food processor and pulse until a parmesan like consistency is achieved. If needed, you can stop to scrape down the sides in between pulses, being careful not to over process so that it doesn’t turn into cashew butter! Once finished, set aside for garnishing the pasta.
Toasted pine nuts add a delicious flavor and crunchy texture to this dish but untoasted pine nuts or no pine nuts at all are perfectly fine too! It all comes down to your preference and what you have time for. However, if you are toasting your own, simply add pine nuts to the stovetop on low-medium heat and stir constantly, babysitting them so that they don’t burn. Toasting them will not take long, about 1-2 minutes!
Finally add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Upon serving garnish with cashew parmesan and pine nuts. Enjoy!
Jennah Jensen is a vegan, blogger and recipe extraordinaire! You can follow along her adventures, find her recipes and be inspired by her musings here and follow along on Instagram @jennahjensen