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Home » Recipes » Main Dish

Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta

Modified: Oct 16, 2024 · Published: Mar 14, 2018 by Melissa

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This Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta comes together quickly requiring only a handful of ingredients. Simple, delicious, and picky eater approved!

Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta in a bowl with a lemon wedge on the side.

When you're short on time, but want something healthy and delicious for dinner, this Creamy Cashew Spinach is the perfect dish. This pasta is so simple, can be ready in less 30 minutes and most importantly kids love it. Perfect for those days when you need something quick and nutritious.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Equipment
  • Storage
  • Recipe

Ingredients

The spinach is undetectable aside from the color and the cashews add a lovely creaminess that my kids compared to their most favorite mac n' cheese. Everyone gobbled up every bite and requested a second helping.

You'll need a batch of my Vegan Herbed Cashew Parmesan for this sauce, but that's a cinch to whip up and really adds a lot of great flavor. Get all details here.

Top view of green sauce in a small bowl with spinach leaves around.
  • pasta of choice I used Campanelle.
  • raw cashews
  • fresh spinach
  • garlic cloves
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Herbed Vegan Cashew Parmesan 
  • reserved pasta water 
  • fresh squeezed lemon juice

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Like a lot sauces made from cashews, this one requires the nuts to be soaked prior to blending the sauce. This is to ensure the cashews are soft enough to blend, but if you forget to soak them I do have a quick soak method for you. Put the cashews in a saucepan, fill with enough water to completely cover and boil for about 15 minutes. Cook the pasta while the cashews soften and this meal comes together under 30 minutes.

Cashews soaking in a bowl of water.

Tip: Since cashews are a good source of healthy fats, I didn't want to add anymore fat to the sauce so I sautéed the spinach and garlic without oil. To do this, simple add a little water to the pan in place of the oil and cook as you would normally.

Top view of a bowl of Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta with a lemon wedge.

Substitutions & Variations

  • Nut free - you can use sunflower seeds instead of cashews to make this pasta nut free
  • Gluten free - use a gluten free pasta if desired
  • Spinach - instead of spinach you can use any green you like such as arugula, kale, etc.

As for the pasta, use what you like. We choose campanelle since it resembles a flower. Perfect for spring don't ya think?!

A bowl of green sauce.

Equipment

For the best result, you will need a high speed blender to make the sauce. An immersion blender may work as well.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I haven't tried freezing this pasta.

Close up of Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta.

If you try this Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!

Recipe

Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta

Melissa
This Creamy Cashew Spinach Pasta comes together quickly requiring only a handful of ingredients. Simple, delicious, and picky eater approved!
4 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz pasta of choice I used Campanelle.
  • ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours See below for quick soak method.
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon Herbed Vegan Cashew Parmesan link below
  • ½ - 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to package directions reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
  • Sauté spinach and garlic using 1 -2 tablespoon of water as needed until spinach has wilted and garlic is fragrant. Add salt and pepper. 
  • In a high speed blender combine drained cashews, spinach, ½ cup reserved pasta water, and herbed vegan parmesan. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional pasta water to thin to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. 
  • Pour sauce over pasta and toss to evenly coat.  
  • Sprinkle additional vegan parmesan and squeeze more lemon juice over pasta, if desired and serve. 

Notes

To quickly soften cashews: add cashews and enough water to cover to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 15 minutes and drain. Continue with recipe. 
Recipe for Vegan Herbed Cashew Parmesan here. 
Keyword dairy free, dinner, pasta, vegan
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Comments

  1. Siouxsie says

    May 21, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    Such a fantastic recipe! It was so easy to make & I really loved that the ingredients are things that I always have in my pantry.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      May 23, 2019 at 11:17 am

      Thanks Siouxsie! I'm so glad you liked the recipe. Simple recipes with easy ingredients are the best!

      Reply
  2. foreverfightingsleep says

    November 13, 2020 at 7:34 am

    Fantastic recipe!! So simple!! Definitely going to be one of my midweek go-to dinners 🙂

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      November 13, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoy the recipe!!

      Reply
  3. Sebastian says

    January 09, 2022 at 8:37 am

    2 stars
    I was looking for a good spinach pasta sauce. My teenage boys didn't like it at all, for the adults it was average at best. Blended spinach is just not our taste.

    Reply
  4. Iris says

    March 10, 2022 at 7:31 pm

    Super tasty! Both of my boys loved it and I did too. Made with simple ingredients fast and easy. I will definitely be making it often.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      March 11, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      Yay! So happy you like it!

      Reply
  5. judyth smith says

    March 17, 2024 at 12:35 pm

    5 stars
    Melissa, i loved this recipe! I forgot to take a picture to show but, will next time! super yummy! thank you so much, I've been trying to go totally vegan but, slip back many times since im married to a steak & potatoes man! I thank you for these great recipes! We do eat gluten free, too.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      March 31, 2024 at 10:00 pm

      I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe Judyth! Thank you for leaving a rating and feedback!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Melissa!

Longtime vegan and mom of four little vegans. I share simple recipes our family loves and my tips for raising healthy, happy vegan kids.

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