This pasta dish is the epitome of summer! Creamy, mellow lemon-basil sauce over pasta, topped with savory roasted chickpeas and veggies.
Sometimes the recipes I develop for Vegan Yack Attack are years in the making or have been on a list for some time. In this case it was the opposite! I went to Yardbird Table & Bar here in Las Vegas for a Father’s Day dinner and they have one vegan option on their menu which made it quite easy to order. It’s a lemon-basil cashew cream pasta and though I didn’t have high hopes for it I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was!
Now, me being me, I immediately though about how I could 1. Make the dish at home, and 2. Make it even better. I knew I for sure wanted to add some protein to the dish, so I used some chickpeas, and seasoned them with a super-savory blend of spices to complement the cool flavors of the basil sauce. I also thought corn would be a perfect addition to the dish because it’s such a summer staple, and the sweet corn after roasting offers another layer of flavor.
What came on the dish in the restaurant already was roasted broccolini (or broccolette) and what I thought were either roasted-down tomatoes or red peppers. I went with tomatoes, and the slight tartness and umami just pairs so well with everything else!
Substitutions + Tips:
- Sauce – while the sauce is delicious, as I mentioned before it’s very mellow. This dish is made a better experience because of everything else that tops it!
- Raw cashews – if you are allergic to nuts, I recommend using silken tofu and less water as a base for this. Soaked, raw sunflower seeds will also work, but will have a stronger flavor.
- Chickpeas – these roasted up really nicely without being too dry. But if you want another protein option, I suggest diced tempeh as a good substitute!
- Tomatoes – I tried roasting these a couple ways, and it is much better if you remove most of the seeds/liquid from the sliced tomatoes before roasting so they caramelize easily.
- Broccolini/Broccolette – I love the tender stems and looser florets in this application, but standard broccoli is an option if you can’t find it.
- Corn – I used fresh corn, but frozen-then-thawed will also work here.
- Garlic – I only used one clove in the sauce because I really didn’t want it to be too evocative of pesto. I like the focus on the sweet basil and tart lemon flavors, here. But you are welcome to go the route of more garlic if you like!
- Pasta – I used casarecce pasta, but any twisty-type noodle will work, including gluten-free varieties.
- Apologies – I want to take a second to say sorry for all of the dishes this creates, but holy moly is it worth it!
Creamy Lemon Basil Pasta
This pasta dish is the epitome of summer! Creamy, mellow lemon-basil sauce over pasta, topped with roasted chickpeas and veggies.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 3/4 cup (100 g) raw cashews
- 1 cup (245 ml) water
- 1/2 cup (13 g) basil leaves, packed
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice, plus 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups (300 g) dried pasta, I used casarecce
For the roasted toppings:
- 15.5-ounce (439 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons olive, avocado, or safflower oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1-pound (454 g) fresh tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups (200 g) corn kernels
- 1/2-pound (227 g) broccolini
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
- Spray cooking oil
Instructions
- To start the sauce, place cashews in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Set aside to soak while you prep the chickpeas. Preheat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For the toppings, in a bowl, place chickpeas then drizzle oil over them and stir to evenly coat. Add smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Stir again until spices coat all chickpeas, then transfer them to one half of a baking sheet.
- Cut your tomatoes into 8 wedges each, remove the seeds, then lay them out on the other half of the baking sheet. Spray with a light layer of cooking oil, then sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of them. Place baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes.
- On the other baking sheet, place broccolini on one half of the sheet in an even layer, then drizzle with lemon juice. Place the corn kernels on the other half and spray both it and broccolini with a thin coat of oil, followed by salt and pepper. Once the 10 minutes is up, place on the lower rack in your oven and set a timer for 25 minutes, or until the chickpeas and tomatoes have browned. (you do not have to stir or flip anything)
- While everything is roasting, start cooking your pasta according to package instructions, reserving about 1/2 cup (120 ml) pasta water when straining the pasta. Then, drain water from the soaking cashews and place them in a blender along with 1 cup (245 ml) water, basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend for 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the blender and let sit for 2 minutes. Blend again for 60 seconds, taste and adjust seasonings as you see fit.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, pour the sauce into the pasta pot and stir over low heat. This will thicken up quickly, and when it does you can add some of the pasta water into it, if need be. When the toppings are done roasting and pasta sauce has thickened slightly, plate your food. Start with a base of pasta, then broccolini, corn, tomato wedges, and chickpeas. Enjoy while hot!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 631Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCarbohydrates: 93gFiber: 17gSugar: 15gProtein: 27g
If you’re into this recipe, you’ll love these ones, too!
- Creamy Tomato Basil Tartlets
- Lemon Pepper Tofu Sheet Pan Meal
- Zucchini Risotto with Roasted Tomatoes
- Summer Corn Salad with Basil Pesto Aioli
