This Broccoli Pasta is made with a rich and creamy broccoli, spinach, and cashew sauce, which is a clever way to introduce another healthy meal for the whole family. Our Green Pasta has become a favorite lunch recipe not only in our house but also in many other readers' houses!
The truth is that we've made this pasta recipe at home for some time already. This Creamy Broccoli Pasta or this Creamy Spinach Pasta is a dish that we try to make weekly or at least every second week. We love pesto sauce, and this is just as good but loaded with green veggies.
Just like our sweet potato pasta, these vegetable-based sauces are a great addition to your family's diet; including veggies in pasta sauce is the best way to get nutritious meals on your weekly menu. Also, I don't know about you, but our kids refuse to eat broccoli, maybe because of its bad reputation in movies and TV shows. This is one of those recipes where they actually enjoy eating this powerhouse veggie.
As you may already know, we have two kids who love food but can be really picky some days, too. When it comes to green pasta, they absolutely love it and will normally ask for seconds. So, if you have kids or toddlers, you will be happy to know they normally love pasta with our green sauce!
If you find it difficult to introduce broccoli and spinach into your weekly menu, this could be a perfect way. Once you know how to cook this broccoli sauce, you can choose your favorite pasta and cook it as often as you like.
What Our Readers Think of This Recipe:
- Colleen: This pasta was quick and easy and also delicious. And a great way to get your green veggies in.
- Monica: Thanks, great recipe, made a tasty dinner from store cupboard ingredients and the lonesome broccoli which was in the fridge. I added a small clove of garlic and some almonds to the pesto which worked well. Nutritious and delicious.
This is one of the simplest recipes you can find on our blog. All you need to make this easy broccoli pasta are a few ingredients, a big pot, a colander, and a blender or food processor.
Ingredients and substitutions
Broccoli. A whole regular broccoli head goes into this recipe. Broccoli is high in many nutrients, such as iron, potassium, fiber, and vitamins. You can use tender-stem broccoli or romanesco as well.
Spinach. You can use baby spinach or regular spinach. If you are using frozen spinach, make sure they are completely thawed before adding them to the blender.
Fresh lemon juice. We add the juice of one homegrown lemon and the lemon peel before serving. We normally have preserved lemons at home, so we add some before serving, too.
Cashew nuts. To make the cashew cream, we use pre-soaked cashews and water. Simply leave the cashews soaking while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. You can substitute the cashew cream with coconut milk, soy cream, oat cream, or regular heavy cream if you want to make this recipe vegetarian.
Extra virgin olive oil. This is always the best oil you can use if you are going to use it raw. Other vegetable oils that can be used are coconut oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil.
Pasta. To make this broccoli pasta, we chose rigatoni from our favorite pasta brand, Garofalo Pasta. You can use any type of pasta you like. We recommend tubular shapes such as penne pasta as they hold the sauce better.
Yeast flakes (optional). We normally add yeast flakes or nutritional yeast while making the spinach and cashew sauce. Check out some alternative ingredients to yeast flakes.
Garlic (optional). If you like garlic and want to add some extra flavor, you can add some fresh garlic when blending the sauce. Just make sure you add a little bit (half a clove) and taste the sauce before adding any more. Raw garlic can be quite overpowering.
Cooking Method
Before you start cooking, you'll need to leave the cashews soaking in hot water and the broccoli chopped into small pieces or florets.
Fill a large pot of water and add the broccoli. Bring to a boil, and then add the pasta. Following the package instructions, cook until the pasta is done (al dente). You don't need a steamer for this recipe, as the broccoli can be cooked while cooking the pasta. Handy right?
While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, once the cashews have been soaking for about 20 minutes, add them into a blender jug together with the spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, water, and yeast flakes (optional). Blend until you have a smooth and creamy green sauce.
Reserve some of the starchy pasta water and drain the pasta and broccoli using a colander with small holes so the broccoli doesn't go through. At this point, the broccoli should be fork-tender.
Add the broccoli and pasta into the same pot once the water has been drained, and add the creamy green sauce. To get a creamier sauce, you can add some reserved pasta water. Mix and serve.
You can add some preserved lemons (finely chopped) or lemon zest to this broccoli pasta recipe before serving. For a vegetarian option, you could add some mozzarella chunks while you mix the sauce with the pasta and the broccoli.
Broccoli Pasta (Green Pasta)
Ingredients
- 2 oz cashew nuts
- 1 broccoli head around 17oz
- 12 oz Rigatoni pasta
- 9 oz spinach
- Juice of one lemon
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon yeast flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Leave the cashews soaking in hot water for 20 minutes.2 oz cashew nuts
- Chop the broccoli into small florets.1 broccoli head
- Fill a big pot with salted water and add the broccoli. Bring to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook following the packet instructions.12 oz Rigatoni pasta
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking and once the cashews have been soaking for about 20 minutes, drain the water, rinse them and add them into a blender jug together with the spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, water, and yeast flakes (optional).9 oz spinach, Juice of one lemon, ½ cup water, 3 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon yeast flakes, ½ teaspoon salt
- Blend until you have a smooth and creamy green sauce.
- Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked, drain using a colander with small holes so the broccoli doesn't go through.
- Add the broccoli and pasta into the same pot once the water has been drained and add the green creamy sauce.
- Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Notes
- We love to serve this green pasta with a light drizzle of chilli oil or olive oil for Luca, lemon zest, and some finely chopped preserved lemons.
- Serve with some kalamata olives and a fresh salad on the side for the perfect meal.
Newsletter
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes, simply make sure they are completely thawed before using them. You can also briefly sautée them before adding them to the blender with the cashews and olive oil.
You can substitute cashews for coconut milk or silken tofu. We use silken tofu to make a similar sauce for our spinach pasta sauce, and it works wonderfully. Coconut milk is always a great choice for creamy sauces.
Our favorite variations
- Add basil instead of spinach to make it more pesto-like. Also, combining both makes for a great sauce! Our kids love pesto, so from time to time, when basil is in season, we change this green sauce and add basil instead of spinach.
- Make it spicy. You can give this Creamy Broccoli Pasta recipe a spicy touch by adding red pepper flakes or chili oil before serving.
- Change the pasta shape. You can make green spaghetti, macaroni, fusilli, or any type of pasta shape you like. Use 100% legume pasta for gluten-free options.
- Can't have cashews? Use coconut cream or silken tofu instead of cashew cream and make it nut-free. At the moment, I had to remove cashews from my diet for a few weeks, and I find coconut milk and silken tofu to be the best substitutes for cashew cream.
- Make this recipe using Romanesco instead of broccoli. We've tried it before, and it turned out amazing!
Serving Suggestions
Our Broccoli Pasta Sauce is a delicious and easy dinner recipe. This pasta meal makes your busy weekdays easier making sure you still have something healthy to feed to the whole family.
We love to serve this green pasta with some lemon zest and some finely chopped preserved lemons when we have them in our pantry.
Also, bringing out some kalamata olives and preparing a fresh salad to have as a side dish is our favorite way to make this meal complete. Don't forget to serve some vegan garlic bread to scoop out those last bits of sauce.
Lemon zest, black pepper, and vegan parmesan cheese are also great toppings.
Store and Reheat
This meal is quite filling, so we normally end up with some leftover pasta. We keep any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days using an airtight container.
To reheat this pasta, you can use a pan. Heat the pan to medium heat, add the pasta together with some water or unsweetened plant-based milk, and heat until you get that creamy sauce again.
veenaazmanov says
Love to try making this for my weekend Dinner. Good recipe and easy too. My family to have a Happy Meal for sure.
Laura says
Thank you 🙂
LaKita says
This recipe is so simple to make and delicious! It is the perfect weeknight quick pasta recipe that my whole family fell in love with.
Laura says
Thank you Lakita!
Colleen says
This pasta was quick and easy and also delicious. And a great way to get your green veggies in.
Laura says
Thanks Colleen!
Natalie says
I made a gluten-free version of your green pasta. Oh, what a meal! We all loved it, thanks!
Laura says
Thanks Natalie, glad you liked it
Megan says
Oh, wow! This pasta is sensational! So easy and the cases made it so creamy!
Laura says
Thank you Megan 🙂
Amanda Mason says
SO...SO good! I love the sauce flavor and it's so good for you too! This one was really simple to make and I'm so glad I came across it! I will be making this often because I dont have to feel guilty about eating pasta!
Laura says
Thank you Amanda!
Sharon says
The addition of broccoli to pasta makes this a filling meal and the cashews add a creamy flavor throughout.
Amanda says
This pasta was a hit at our house! Blending the soaked cashews really made for a creamy sauce, and I love how pretty and vibrant it is for summer.
Jamie says
Not only was this pasta gorgeous in color, but it was also delicious and easy to make! I love how veggie forward this was and my entire family loved it!
Laura says
Thank you Jamie!
Enri Lemoine says
I made this recipe and added some fresh basil. It was heaven! I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the inspiration.
Laura says
Thank you Enri 🙂
Sue says
Hello, wondering if frozen spinach would work. The fresh stuff is very expensive in my part of the world right now.
Laura says
Hi Sue, totally!
Monica says
Thanks, great recipe, made a tasty dinner from store cupboard ingredients and the lonesome broccoli which was in the fridge. I added a small clove of garlic and some almonds to the pesto which worked well. Nutritious and delicious 😋
Laura says
Thank you Monica, really glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Chris says
How does using cocoNUT cream make it nut free?
Laura says
Hi Chris, most people who are allergic to nuts can safely eat coconut.
Marlin Agrawal says
Hi, my brother is suffering from dengue thus he can't have fatty nuts like cashew. Also coconut is not an option. Do you have any other alternatives for cashew?
Thanks
Laura Arteaga says
Hi, you can use silken tofu, we use it for other creamy sauces and it works wonder!
Jessica Villalta says
I will try it but without the cashews, it looks delicious
Laura Arteaga says
Hi Jessica, for a creamier texture you could add some plant-based milk, or cream if you are not using cashews. I hope you like it!