This creamy vegan zucchini lemon pasta is absolutely delicious!
This recipe has a rich and bright sauce with notes of lemon and basil. It’s made completely vegan and dairy free but gets it’s creamy texture from blending sautéed zucchini and cashews into the sauce. This transforms summer squash into a luxurious yet healthy sauce!
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables and I really love taking advantage of them when in season. This dish is unique as it’s essentially making a creamy pesto sauce with the sautéed zucchini so also a way to sneak in extra veggies!
I love to top it with roasted zucchini “chips” as well because it adds even more flavor and a wonderful texture to this creamy vegan pasta!
What You Need For this Recipe:
zucchinis
cashews (you can raw or roasted but I prefer these roasted cashews)
lemon (zest + juice so organic is ideal here)
avocado oil (I like avocado oil because it’s natural in flavor and has a high smoke point, you can sub for olive oil)
fresh basil
garlic
sea salt and pepper (freshly cracked pepper is ideal for this recipe)
spaghetti ( I used this gluten free one) and reserved pasta water
brazil nuts (grated as vegan parmesan topping, its soo good!)
The only equipment needed for this recipe is a blender and microplane or grater. I use a high speed Vitamix blender, which means you don’t have to soak any nuts like the cashews before blending.
If you don’t have a high speed blender you can use a normal blender and just soak the cashews in just boiled hot water for about 20-30 minutes prior to blending.
This allows the cashews to blend easier. For the lemon zest and brazil nut parmesan I recommend a microplane. It’s transforms the Brazil nuts into what looks and tastes SO much like parmesan cheese.
When mixed into the hot pasta it also melts in as it’s so finely grated, it’s a little vegan magic! 🙂
If you enjoy this recipe, check out some of these other healthy Italian recipes like my pasta fagioli soup and my Italian pasta salad!
Creamy Zucchini Lemon Pasta
Equipment
- Blender
- microplane or grater
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis, chopped small-medium in size
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced roasting and topping
- 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 20 minutes if not using high speed blender
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil extra for roasting
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1 small lemon, juiced and zested start with zesting 1/2 the lemon if you don't want to a very lemony sauce
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 12 oz. package spaghetti of choice I used gluten free
Toppings:
- 4-6 Brazil nuts, grated
- fresh basil, torn
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- roasted zucchini slices
- red chili flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Thinly slice 1 zucchini into about 1/3 inch pieces and add to a bowl with 2 tsp avocado oil and a pinch of sea salt and black and mix until well coasted.
- Place evenly spread out onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Start to bring a pot of salted water to a boil for your pasta.
- Add 1 tbsp of avocado oil to a sauté pan and heat on medium heat. Add 2 chopped zucchinis, sea salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Sauté for about 15 minutes and set aside.
- Cook spaghetti or pasta of choice according to package instructions and set aside 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- To a blender add sautéed zucchini, cashews (pre soaked if needed), lemon juice and zest, basil, reserved pasta water and blend until smooth.
- Add the pasta and sauce back into the pan and mix on a low-medium heat for a several mintues.
- Remove the zucchini from the oven when done and top onto the pasta.
- Also top with extra torn basil, grated Brazil nuts, pepper and chili flakes. Enjoy!
Video
If you enjoy this recipe, feel free to leave a rating and comment below! You can also tag me in your creations on Instagram @justinecooksvegan for a repost! Enjoy!
Loved this!! The roasted zucchini on top is perfection
Thank you! so happy you enjoyed! I love roasted zucchini too 🙂