Tossed in a creamy white bean alfredo sauce, this asparagus & pea pasta is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser! It's vegan, nut-free, high in plant-based protein, and only takes 20 minutes to make. It's truly the perfect spring dish!
A spin-off of spaghetti al limone, the white bean pasta sauce is seriously what takes this meal to the next level. It's creamy, lemony, and loaded with garlic. The sauce packs this dish with flavor and makes the spring vegetables taste incredibly fresh.
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I serve this as a main dish, but you can definitely enjoy this vegan pasta with a side salad or as a side to say, portobello steaks!
Key Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are actually pretty basic, but these in particular a must!
- Pasta: I used mafaldine but you can really use any type of pasta. I recommend: fettuccine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, spaghetti, or penne. All of these will hold the nut-free vegan alfredo sauce really well and make the perfect asparagus & pea pasta.
- Asparagus: enjoy it while it's in season (and more affordable)! I used thin asparagus for this recipe.
- Sweet Peas: save yourself the hassle and grab a bag of frozen peas. Seriously, how do you even get peas not in a pod unless they're frozen? Asking for a friend...
- White Beans: the key to making our vegan white pasta sauce creamy! Plus, it adds a ton of protein, fiber, and other nutrients to this dish. You can use any white beans, I used cannellini beans.
- Olive Oil: Just a little bit to keep the sauce smooth and rich.
- Non-Dairy Milk: I used soy milk, but any milk will do. Make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored. This will help get our blender goin'!
- Lemon Juice: it adds such a nice flavor and freshness to this dish.
How to Make this Creamy Asparagus & Pea Pasta
This dish is really simple to make and comes together in under 20 minutes!
First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, add garlic and onion with a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly golden.
Either to a food processor or to a high-speed blender, add drained and rinsed white beans, sautéed garlic & onion, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. If it looks too thick, add a bit more milk!
In the pan that you sautéed the garlic and onion in, add a bit more oil and add chopped asparagus and peas. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until as tender as you'd like. If you'd like to steam the veggies instead, throw them in with the pasta a few minutes before the pasta is ready!
Add the asparagus and peas to the pasta and pour the sauce on top. Mix until combined and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Make this recipe pea free by simply omitting the peas. You'll be left with creamy vegan asparagus pasta!
- Steam the veggies instead of sauteeing them by tossing them in with the pasta 3-5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking.
- Gluten-free? Make this creamy asparagus & pea pasta gluten-free by swapping out the mafaldine with any GF pasta you prefer.
- Change up the veggies! You can really use any veggies in this dish (broccoli is great). I chose asparagus and peas because it's spring and they're in season!
- Use cashews instead of white beans. You can get a very similar creamy white alfredo-type sauce using cashews. Make sure you either soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 20 minutes, or heat them in the microwave before adding them to your blender or food-processor. I wanted to keep this recipe nut-free, which is why I opted for white beans!
Quick Tips
- Reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have left overs, use the pasta water to revive the sauce when reheating.
- Blend more than you might think you need to to ensure that the beans are fully blended and no chunks remain.
FAQ
This pasta will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
I recommend reheating any leftovers on the stove. If you saved some of the pasta water, add the leftover pasta to a pot or pan with a splash of pasta water and cook until heated through. Depending on how much you're reheating, add more pasta water until the sauce is nice and creamy again.
Don't worry if you didn't save any pasta water, you can use milk instead!
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If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram. If you have any questions or feedback at all, send me an e-mail or leave a comment and review below. I hope you love this dish as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Asparagus & Pea Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (453 g) pasta of choice thicker, flat pasta recommended
- 4 tablespoons (54 g) olive oil divided
- 1 (30 g) small sweet onion chopped
- 7 cloves (24 g) garlic minced
- 1 bunch asparagus chopped into thirds
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen sweet peas
- 2 cups (520 g) cannellini beans ~1.5 (15oz cans), drained and rinsed
- ½ cup (120 mL) non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons (10-15 g) nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Before draining reserve 1 cup of pasta water to make reheating easier!16 ounces pasta of choice, 4 tablespoons olive oil
- While the pasta is cooking, add garlic and onion with a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly golden.1 small sweet onion, 7 cloves garlic
- Either to a food processor or high speed blender, add drained and rinsed white beans, sautéed garlic & onion, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and nutritional yeast.4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cups cannellini beans, ½ cup non-dairy milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Blend for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. If it looks too thick or you want a thinner sauce, add a bit more milk! It should be thick and creamy, yet very easy to pour.salt and pepper
- In the pan that you sautéed the garlic and onion in, add the last 1 tablespoon of oil and add chopped asparagus and peas. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until as tender as you'd like. If you'd like to steam the veggies instead, throw them in with the pasta a few minutes before the pasta is ready!4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 cup frozen sweet peas
- Add the asparagus, peas and sauce to the pasta. Mix until combined and warmed through. Serve warm and enjoy!
Lauren
I left out the peas and just used asparagus but it was so yummy!