Easy Vegan Creamy Walnut Pasta [Oil-Free]
This easy vegan creamy walnut pasta sauce is incredibly delicious and simple to make, ready in 30 minutes, oil-free and topped with homemade vegan Italian breadcrumbs!
Equipment
- You will need: a toaster and a high speed blender
Ingredients
- 8 or 10 oz your favorite pasta
- big handful of fresh chopped kale
Vegan Creamy Walnut Pasta Sauce
- 1 cup raw walnut halves, toasted if your walnuts are whole, simply chop them a little then measure out 1 cup
- 2 tsp fresh chopped garlic about 4 cloves
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk something mild and not too sweet- I use oat milk
- 1/4 tsp salt, plus a couple extra pinches to taste
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley or more to taste
- 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- black pepper to taste
- optional: nutritional yeast to taste
Homemade Vegan Italian Breadcrumbs
- 2 slices of whole wheat or GF bread this should yield 3/4 - 1 cup breadcrumbs. See notes
- 2 & 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder I like mine garlicky so if you don't, add garlic powder slowly and to taste
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- a few pinches of salt, to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, get ready to boil your pasta by adding water to a large pot. Add a few pinches of salt, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add pasta once boiling and cook per instructions on the package.
- Now, start on your breadcrumbs. Note: if you don't plan on making homemade vegan breadcrumbs, I still highly recommend adding store bought Italian breadcrumbs as it's an integral part of the dish! Place 2 slices of bread in the toaster and toast well. You want this brown and crispy, but not burnt. Wait for the toast to cool.
- Once the toast is no longer warm, break it up in small pieces and add it to your high speed blender. Blend until you have breadcrumbs!
- Empty the breadcrumbs from your blender (you should have around 3/4 - 1 cup of breadcrumbs) and add the remaining breadcrumb ingredients. Stir, taste test, and set aside. Done! Next, make your walnut pasta sauce.
- First, toast the walnuts. Simply add your cup of raw walnuts to a pan and turn the heat to medium. Do not add any oil. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes, until the walnuts become fragrant and you see the them browning slightly.
- Next, add all of the walnut pasta sauce ingredients to the blender and blend on high until it's smooth and creamy. Taste test and add more seasonings/nutritional yeast if desired. I didn't go TOO heavy on the seasoning in this vegan walnut pasta sauce because the breadcrumbs add a TON of flavor, but add more flavor to your liking!
- Once the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot. Add the walnut pasta sauce to the pasta and stir well over low heat. Next, add in your fresh chopped kale and stir again. Serve when the pasta is heated throughout.
- Plate the pasta and add a generous portion of breadcrumbs (so good!) and top with additional parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Depending on the type of bread you use, after you make your breadcrumbs, you may get more or less than a cup. Adjust seasonings to your preference.
- If you aren't going to make the homemade breadcrumbs, I still highly recommend using store bought Italian breadcrumbs for this dish. It adds so much flavor and the breadcrumbs are an integral part of the dish!