Easy and Nutritious Green Pasta Sauce (Dairy-Free)

This velvety smooth and flavorful green pasta sauce packs in fresh baby spinach for an easy and delicious way to get your greens. The creaminess comes from blending cashews, resulting in a nutritious dairy-free pasta dish in under 30 minutes!

Weeknight pasta dishes are popular for good reason. They're quick, simple and comforting, you can easily adjust the recipe to make as much or as little as you need, and one pot can satisfy everyone in the family, including the kids.

I love varying up the sauces on pasta night so it never gets boring, whether it's a savory and sweet roasted veggie tomato sauce, a rich cashew-based cream sauce, a fresh and herby pesto sauce, or even a nutty tahini sauce. All have different flavors and textures that drastically change the flavor profile of a dish even if all other ingredients remain constant.

A new dish I am adding to my list of healthy vegan pasta recipes is this easy green sauce pasta! The combination of the creamy pasta sauce with the aromatics of sautéed shallots and garlic creates a savory yet light springtime recipe that works with any type of pasta.

Pasta in green sauce in a cast iron skillet with a white background.

Why You'll Love this Pasta with Green Sauce

Simple ingredients
Nutritious and flavorful sauce
Vibrant green color (from the spinach)
Easy way to hide veggies
Kid-friendly (you can leave out the garlic if needed)
Flexible base recipe that can be adjusted to taste
Ready in under 30 minutes!

Green sauce pasta on a white plate with a white background.

It took me a few attempts to perfect this recipe. At first I tried puréeing the sautéed shallots and garlic directly into the sauce and serving it over the pasta. While it tasted good, I knew it could be so much better.

I then tested keeping the sautéed shallots and garlic separate from the sauce and it made a huge difference! Shallots get sweet when sautéed, which got a little lost when I puréed it into the sauce. Adding them to the pasta and then mixing with the creamy green sauce poured overtop created so much more flavor!

Ingredients

The entire recipe uses just a handful of ingredients. See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.

The Green Sauce:

Ingredients of green pasta sauc with a light gray background.

Cashews - I recommend soaking the cashews in advance for added creaminess, especially if your blender is not super powerful.
Water
Garlic
Salt
Black pepper
Baby spinach
Optional: fresh basil (for a flavor boost), hemp seeds (for a protein boost)

The Pasta:

Pasta ingredients with a light gray background.

Pasta of choice - I use gluten-free pasta but any regular pasta works.
Extra virgin olive oil
Shallots
Salt
Red pepper chili flakes (omit if your kids are sensitive to spice)
Garlic
Optional: maple syrup (my kids love the added sweetness)

How to Make this Green Sauce Pasta

1. Prepare the green pasta sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender until it transforms into a creamy sauce. Set aside.

Green pasta sauce ingredients in a blender prior to blending.

Green pasta sauce in a blender after blending.

2. Begin cooking the pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of water.

3. Sauté the shallots. While the pasta cooks, heat a 12-inch skillet (or large pan) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, diced shallot, salt and red pepper flakes and sauté for about 5 minutes until the shallots are soft, fragrant and translucent.

Shallots in a cast iron skillet with a white background.

4. Sauté the garlic. Turn the burner to low and add the minced garlic to the skillet. If using maple syrup, add at this time as well. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Shallots and garlic in a cast iron skillet.

Shallots and garlic in a cast iron skillet after sautéeing.

5. Put it all together. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and mix in the creamy green pasta sauce. Garnish with basil leaves (or other fresh herbs), hemp seeds, broccoli, peas, vegan parmesan cheese and/or additional red pepper flakes.

Pouring green pasta sauce over cooked pasta in a cast iron skillet.

Recipe Tips

Save a cup of pasta water. Use the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce if too thick. You can also use a little water to rehydrate the dish if reheating leftovers on the stovetop. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Feel free to customize! For both the sauce and the pasta, using more or less of any particular ingredient is perfectly fine. Add more red pepper flakes for additional heat or remove it altogether to make it more kid-friendly... this recipe is flexible!
Boost the protein content. Use quinoa or chickpea pasta or sprinkle additional hemp seeds on top to add some extra protein.

Nutritional Benefits of the Green Pasta Sauce

The two primary ingredients in this healthy pasta sauce are cashews and fresh spinach, both of which offer many benefits as part of a balanced diet.

Cashews

As a staple for creamy plant-based dishes, cashews are loaded with nutrients. They are a good source of plant-based protein (5g protein per ounce) as well as copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, phosphorus and vitamins B1 and K.

According to the National Library of Medicine, nut consumption has been found to decrease total and LDL-cholesterol in addition to contribute to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (source).

Spinach

Spinach is a vitamin K powerhouse, which helps with blood clotting and bone health. It is also rich in vitamins A and C as well as iron (source). Getting enough iron is especially difficult for vegans and spinach is one of the best plant-based sources!

Spinach also has various antioxidants, helping to protect against diseases, as well as potassium which helps to lower blood pressure (source).

Kid-Friendly, Dye-Free Green Pasta

This beautiful green pasta is actually perfect for St. Patrick's Day while also sneaking leafy greens into your kids' diets. While I believe it is important to introduce kids to whole vegetables, this dish is super convenient if they are hesitant to eat spinach on their own.

Serve this entrée after sharing a St. Patrick's Day snack board to really get in the spirit of the holiday!

Green Sauce on Pasta for St. Patrick's Day

More Vegan and Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes

This vegan green pasta sauce recipe is packed with so much flavor and is a great way to easily incorporate lots of spinach into your day. I hope you enjoy it!