Personally, I love vegetables and have never had a problem eating them. However, the way vegetables are prepared can drastically change the way they taste. A great way to sneak in veggies to a veggie hater is to make a pasta sauce out of them. This Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil is a delicious way to sneak in veggies.
All you need for this recipe is a few ingredients you have on hand. The zucchini, onions and garlic are cooked up in a pan and then thrown into a blender with the rest of the ingredients. That makes this a 15 minute meal, perfect for those hectic weeknights. For some extra protein I added white beans, but feel free to sub out whatever protein you choose!
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables. For more yummy zucchini recipes try my honey garlic zucchini or my smashed zucchini.
This creamy zucchini pasta is
- vegan, vegetarian, plant based and gluten free
- packed with veggies
- easy to make
- delicious and flavorful
- healthy
Ingredients
- onion
- garlic
- zucchini
- nutritional yeast
- reserved pasta water
- plant milk
- cashew butter
- basil
Substitutions
- Basil - can be subbed with parsley.
- Cashew butter - can be subbed with raw cashews or tahini. If you are not vegan I believe ricotta would also would!
- Plant milk - dairy milk works just fine!
- Nutritional yeast - parmesan is a good sub here.
Instructions
Cook your veggies in a pan.
Blend together sauce.
Serve and enjoy!
Storage instructions
Store the leftover pasta in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 3 days.
FAQ
This pasta sauce has the best flavor. Its cheesy and flavorful with a bright veggie flavor. Seriously, the best!
Recipe Pro-Tips
If you want to add some protein to this recipe I suggest adding white beans or subbing out the plant milk with dairy milk. If you are vegan or vegetarian feel free to add in meat for protein as well.
Other vegan pasta recipes to try
If you make this Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil, let me know what you think in the comments!
Tag me on Instagram so I can repost you!
Creamy Vegan Zucchini Pasta with Lemon and Basil
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ onion - finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 medium or 4 small zucchinis - roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water make sure it is heavily salted
- ¾ cup plant milk
- ¼ cup cashew butter can sub tahini if allergic
- ½-1 cup basil - finely chopped
- juice from ½ lemon
- salt/pepper to taste
Other ingredients
- 4 servings cooked pasta
- 1 can white beans optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Lastly add in garlic and basil and cook for 3-5 more minutes until everything is cooked and softened.
- Add zucchini, garlic and onion to a blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- Mix sauce with pasta and white beans if using.
Lindsay says
Love this recipe! Surprisingly tasty and so easy to make!
Lindsay says
So yummy and easy!
Kristi says
Thank you Lindsay!
Lex Cloran says
This pasta was absolutely delicious! Very creamy, flavorful and simple! The only changes I made were to sautee the veggies with some seasonings for more flavor, and crushed red pepper flakes for heat. I also doubles the amount of lemon juice, but I LOVE lemon personally. It makes the flavor pop so much! Will definitely make this one again, and can see it being a quick easy weeknight meal.
Kristi says
Thanks Lex!
Liesbet says
Super delicious & easy recipe! Love it
Marine Le Roux says
Loved it! First the color is so unique and so nice that I enjoyed eating my pastas! Then I love the fact that this version is healthy and vegan! With zucchini it’s a guilt free pleasure ? I recommend! And also.. so easy to make! You definitely can impress your guest with this recipe! Xx
Anna says
this was delicious seriously, i will probably have this recipe on regular rotation because it’s not too hard & the flavor ticks all the boxes for me 🙂
Juliana says
Absolutely love this recipe! Super quick and easy to make, and so creamy despite not having any dairy. I added some sautéed zucchini zoodles because I’m trying to cut my carb intake and used spinach spaghetti and it was amazing!
nicole says
Substituted quite a few of the ingredients but nonetheless I enjoyed the recipe!! Loved it
Zoe Kennedy says
I loved this recipe, super flavorful and made me feel healthy while still eating pasta ? I used tahini and spinach because I didn't have basil and it was still amazing. I can't wait to try this again. Super quick and easy meal!!
Mouna beb says
this recipe is booooomb !!! Just tried it and it’s so creamy and delicious ! 10/10
Jessica says
WOW! I loved making this dish. I’ve recently been on a “no meat” journey as I like to call it, and have been struggling to find vegetarian dishes I truly enjoy packed with nutrients and flavor.
This dish was very simple to make, and tasted amazing. I added in some sun dried tomatoes and shrimp for extra flavor and protein and it hit the spot!! I even made extra sauce and added it to other dishes I made for the next few days.
Definitely a must try!!!
Kathleen says
I didn’t have every ingredient so I did some substitutions (kale for the spinach, no nutritional yeast, no basil) but it was delish! I am so excited to repeat this recipe fully! ?
Signe Lansø says
This was so good! I used tahini and added some kale, that I had to use up. Easy, quick and delicious!
Chris says
Thank you for this recipe. My son hates tomato sauce and I've been looking for a good alternative that is healthy. He hates zucchini and he still loved this over his spaghetti! 🏆 winner!
Kristi says
I'm so glad you and your son liked it Chris!
Max says
This was so yum and so easy! This is definitely gonna be my new go to pasta recipe
Marlana Quaill says
This was delicious!! I subbed tahini, shallots, and a little bit of pesto in replace of fresh basil! Was so tasty - nutritional yeast and lemon brought all these flavors together. Yum 🙂
Maral G says
Loved this recipe! It was so easy to make and tasted so delicious! Will be making again ?