This lemon pasta is super creamy, rich, and lemony. And it’s very easy to make, 15 minutes is all it takes! It’s the perfect comfort food and it makes such a great weeknight dinner for the whole family!
I absolutely LOVE lemon pasta. I’ve already got three lemon pasta recipes on the blog. But this one is especially creamy and rich while being pretty healthy at the same time!
I used cashews as a base for this lemony pasta dish. The lemon pasta sauce is actually kind of a spin-off of the sauce I used for my vegan gnocchi with spinach and tomatoes, which are super popular.
I changed some of the ingredients and added fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, but the base is pretty much the same. It’s so yummy and incredibly easy to make!
This Lemon Pasta Is:
- super easy to make (it’s ready in only 15 minutes)
- packed with nutrients thanks to the cashews and the nutritional yeast
- vegan
- easy to make gluten-free (just use brown rice pasta)
- rich
- creamy
- comforting
- lemony
- light and refreshing
- budget-friendly
- a great dinner for the whole family
- a real crowd-pleaser
What You Need For This Lemon Pasta:
The ingredient list for this pasta dish is pretty short. In most cases, you will be able to find all of the ingredients in a well-stored grocery store.
The only exception might be the nutritional yeast. But these days it’s pretty easy to find. Just check the organic section of your supermarket.
You need:
- rigatoni or penne
- cashews
- garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- tapioca starch or corn starch
- unsweetened almond or soy milk
- nutritional yeast
- the juice of one lemon
- lemon zest
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate, printable recipe box at the end of this post.
How To Make Lemon Pasta
The recipe couldn’t be much easier! You can make the sauce while the pasta is cooking. 15 minute is all it takes!
STEP 1: Cook the rigatoni or penne according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
STEP 2: Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. This should take about a minute.
STEP 3: Pour the sauce into a large pot and cook on low heat until it thickens up.
STEP 4: Add the cooked pasta and sprinkle it with lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- It’s important to use a high speed blender for this recipe. Otherwise you won’t be able to achieve the right texture. If you want to make it a bit easier for your blender, you could soak the cashews overnight in cold water or for 30 minutes in boiling water. However, this is not necessary if you use a Vitamix or a similar blender.
- Make sure that the cashews you use are unsalted and not roasted.
- You can easily make this dish gluten-free. Just use brown rice penne instead of regular pasta. I usually prefer brown rice pasta over lentil or chickpea pasta because they have a very neutral taste and an awesome texture.
- If you have problems finding the tapioca starch, you could also make the recipe without it or use corn starch instead. The tapioca starch makes the sauce a bit stretchy, kind of like a cheese sauce.
Other Lemon Pasta Recipes You Might Like:
I’m a huge fan of lemon pasta! If you like it as much as I do, you should also check out my other pasta recipes with lemon!
- Lemon Spaghetti with Spinach (One Pot)
- Lemon Orzo
- Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- One Pot Pasta with Lemon and Zucchini
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this lemon pasta as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 9 oz rigatoni or penne
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon tapioca or corn starch
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- more lemon zest, to sprinkle
- freshly chopped parsley, to sprinkle
Instructions
- Cook the rigatoni or penne according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. This should take about a minute.
- Pour the sauce into a large pot and cook on low heat until it thickens up.
- Add the cooked pasta and sprinkle it with lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- It's important to use a high speed blender for this recipe. Otherwise you won't be able to achieve the right texture. If you want to make it a bit easier for your blender, you could soak the cashews overnight in cold water or for 30 minutes in boiling water. However, this is not necessary if you use a Vitamix or a similar blender.
- Make sure that the cashews you use are unsalted and not roasted.
- You can easily make this dish gluten-free. Just use brown rice penne instead of regular pasta. I usually prefer brown rice pasta over lentil or chickpea pasta because they have a very neutral taste and an awesome texture.
- If you have problems finding the tapioca starch, you could also make the recipe without it or use corn starch instead. The tapioca starch makes the sauce a bit stretchy, kind of like a cheese sauce.
Connie
So yummy! Added frozen spinach and artichokes and a bit of miso to the sauce. Was amazing! I will definitely use this recipe again!!
Thank you!!
Kristin
Quick, easy and delish!