Pasta Three Ways
These three vegan pasta sauces are quick, easy, and full of flavour - everything you could want from a plant-based midweek meal.
From the book
Veganeasy: Delicious Food in 5 Ingredients
Delicious, fuss-free vegan recipes
Vegan twists on comforting classics
Mouth-watering dairy-free desserts
Introduction
No need to reach for those jars of pasta sauce with these easy recipes, which are full of flavour and perfect for a simple meal.
Ingredients
| 200g | dried pasta, whatever shape you wish |
| For the Spinach and Cashew Pesto: | |
| 50g | baby spinach leaves or shredded kale leaves |
| 50g | cashew nuts |
| 1 | garlic clove, roughly chopped |
| 25g | basil leaves |
| oilve oil | |
| salt and black pepper | |
| For the Fresh Tomato Sauce: | |
| 1 | small onion, finely chopped |
| 250g | small cherry or plum tomatoes |
| 2 tbsp | sundried tomato paste |
| rocket leaves | |
| olive oil | |
| salt and black pepper | |
| For the Lemon and Courgette: | |
| 2 | courgettes, coarsely grated |
| ½ | red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped or a pinch dried chilli flakes |
| finely grated zest and juice 1 large unwaxed lemon | |
| 1 tbsp | chopped mint |
| olive oil | |
| salt and black pepper |
Method
Spinach and Cashew Pesto
Store any remaining pesto in the fridge, just topping up with a little more olive oil. This recipe works well with spaghetti or linguine.
1. To make the pesto, place the spinach or kale, cashews, garlic and basil in a food processor and blitz until chopped. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season, then blitz again until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well, reserving a little of the cooking water, and return to the pan to keep warm. Stir in the pesto to coat, then add a little of the reserved water to bind together.
3. Serve immediately with an extra grind of black pepper.
Nutrition: kcal 605 | fat 19g | sat. fat 3g | carbs 85g | sugars 8g | fibre 7g | protein 20g | salt 0.12g
Fresh Tomato Sauce
This recipe works well with penne or rigatoni.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onion has softened. Stir in the cherry or plum tomatoes and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and start to collapse. Gently squash some of them with the back of a spoon. Stir in the tomato paste and season to taste.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to the pan to keep warm.
3. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and toss well. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed. Serve immediately with the rocket leaves and an extra grind of black pepper.
Nutrition: kcal 474 | fat 8g | sat. fat 1g | carbs 81g | sugars 10g | fibre 8g | protein 16g | salt 0.1g
Lemon and Courgette
This recipe works well with tagliatelle or pappardelle. If you prefer, swap the chilli for a crushed garlic clove.
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the courgette and chilli and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to the pan to keep warm.
3. Add the lemon zest and juice to the courgette, then stir in the pasta and about 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Season and toss to coat. Stir in the chopped mint.
4. Serve in bowls with extra black pepper.
Nutrition: kcal 494 | fat 13g | sat. fat 2g | carbs 75g | sugars 5g | fibre 7g | protein 15g | salt 0.01g
