Quick, tasty, protein-rich and super fresh Vegan Asparagus Pasta. Simple to prepare, ready in under 20 minutes and great served either hot or cold.
The easiest Vegan Asparagus Pasta. We're talking squishy pasta and tender asparagus tossed in a creamy, silky lemony, mustardy sauce.
Is it good hot? Is it good cold? Is it good as an entree or a side? The answer is Y-E-S! And it gets bonus points for being ready in just a little over the time it takes the pasta to boil.
In this post:
Ingredients
Here's what you will be needing to make Vegan Asparagus Pasta:
Yes, there is silken tofu in the sauce. It might seem strange but like in my Vegan Cheese Sauce it works really well to create a smooth, creamy, super velvety, low fat, dairy-free sauce. It also means that we don't have to use cashews to make the cream sauce. This saves us quite a few dollars! Read about all sorts of other ways you can use tofu here.
Tip - If you don't have any asparagus feel free to replace it with green beans, chopped kale, or broccoli.
How to make Vegan Asparagus Pasta
This is such a quick and simple recipe. Here's how it's done:
- Boil your pasta of choice in a large pot of salted boiling water as per the package directions.
- While it's bubbling away add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Be sure to use the lemon juice and the lemon zest.
- Cook the asparagus in with the pasta for the last couple minutes of cooking time.
- Drain the cooked pasta and asparagus, pour in the creamy sauce and give it a good toss to combine over a low heat.
Serve this pasta dish either hot or cool like a pasta salad. I love to top mine with some red pepper flakes and some vegan parmesan cheese.
Storing leftovers
Leftover vegan lemon asparagus pasta can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy it cold like a pasta salad, or reheat. I recommend adding a drop of plant milk or water when reheating to make things more saucy.
Recipe FAQs
It really doesn't matter too much with this recipe. Any variety such as penne, rigatoni, rotini and even fettuccine or spaghetti work really well.
You could use 1 clove of fresh garlic instead of the powder. However, I prefer to use powder in this recipe because the sauce isn't really cooked. It's just warmed gently when tossed through the hot pasta. Using garlic powder means the garlic flavour won't be too harsh.
When preparing asparagus you only need to remove the slightly tough, woody end. The easiest way to do this is to hold the asparagus at the cut end and gently bend the other end. It will naturally break at the right place. This short video from Jamie Oliver demonstrates this really well.
Hungry for more?
Recipe
Vegan Asparagus Pasta
Author:Ingredients
- 16 oz (453 grams) pasta , (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 bunch (about 16oz (453 grams) fresh asparagus , trimmed & cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 lemon , juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup , or 2 teaspoons white/cane sugar
- 12 oz (340 grams) silken tofu
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes , use less if you're not a spicy fan
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard , add to taste or you can omit if you don't like mustard
- ½ cup (120 mls) plant milk , unsweetened and unflavoured
- 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.
- While the pasta is cooking add all of the other ingredients (except the asparagus) to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the asparagus pieces to the boiling pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking time.
- Reserve about half a mug of the starchy pasta water. Just dip the mug into the boiling pasta water and scoop it out. Set aside for now.
- Use a colander to drain the pasta and asparagus. Return to the pan. (If serving the pasta cold, rinse it in cold water and shake off any excess to stop it from continuing to cook before you return it to the pan).
- If serving hot, place over a low heat. If serving cold there's no need. Then pour the sauce over the pasta and asparagus and toss together well until warmed through. If you need to loosen the sauce a little, add a few drops of the reserved pasta water.
NOTES
This recipe was originally published on May 30th, 2017. I've updated the post with new information and now I am republishing it for you. The recipe itself remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Krista Bowers says
I can't have soy. What could I use instead of the tofu?
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't tested this recipe with anything other than tofu.