This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Posted in Recipes on 19.10.2019

Creamy Lemon and Basil Pasta Sauce

prep: 10 mins / cook: 15 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 25 mins / quantity: 2 servings Print recipe?

This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com
This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal with its zingy fresh flavours and secret ingredients!

Secret ingredients?  What could possibly be in a pasta sauce that’s so mysterious?  Well if you heard me rave on (and on) about this Chocolate Pie you’ll have an inkling.

The first is Silken tofu.  And tofu being tofu in all its blandness means it’s perfect for sweet AND savoury.  Like chocolate pie and pasta sauce.  I think we can agree – the best of both worlds 😉

This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

The second is this magical little bottle from Foodie FlavoursCream Cheese is the newest in their range of natural flavourings – all vegan too.  And it has the most amazing smell – like a cream soda.

Add in some lemon zing, fiery onion and garlic, woody mushrooms and bright fresh basil and you have the perfect vegan pasta sauce combo.  Then when you whizz it all up with tofu and a dash of plant milk we’re definitely headed to pasta heaven.  The tofu gives it that thick creamy quality that helps it really cling to the pasta.  And the cream cheese flavouring gives the whole thing a burst of creamy taste.

I could not wait to finish photographing it so I could just tuck in and slurp the whole hecking lot!

This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

How to make a this vegan pasta sauce:

I wanted to keep this as simple as possible – just one pan and one blender needed.

  • Fry the onion and garlic in just a drizzle of oil.  I fry first rather than just adding it raw to the blender because I think it helps mellow but develop the flavour.  Raw garlic is incredibly pungent and has its place – like in this vegan pesto.  But not in this sauce.
  • Tip them into your blender with the remaining ingredients other than the mushrooms and basil and whizz to creamy perfection.
  • Cook the mushrooms in the same pan you cooked the onions (because I’m all about saving on washing up) until they’re lightly brown and caramelised.
  • Tip the sauce over the mushrooms to heat through then stir in the shredded basil.
This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

I used dried spaghetti for this carbonara(ish) style sauce.  But I think it would be lovely with any fresh or dried pasta.  Spaghetti was just what I had at the time.  Plus I enjoy feeling like a kid while eating spaghetti, twirling it round my fork before sucking and slurping it into my mouth!

The other great thing about this pasta sauce is that it reheats incredibly well too, making it super easy to double up the ingredients and simply re-heat later in the week!  I love having food I know I’m going to enjoy just hanging out in the fridge.  It cuts down the temptation to order take-out or eat badly because it’s been a long day and my feet are tired 😉

This deliciously light but creamy vegan pasta sauce is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for date night! #veganpasta #pastasauce #spaghetti #veganpastasauce | Recipe on thecookandhim.com

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Creamy Lemon and Basil Pasta Sauce

prep: 10 mins / cook: 15 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 25 mins / quantity: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 onion (red or white) – peeled and finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
  • Drizzle of preferred oil – I used extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups (250g) chestnut mushrooms – thickly sliced
  • 2 cups (400g) silken tofu
  • 1 lemon – grated zest and juice
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp English mustard
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) plant milk – I used oat milk
  • 2 tblsp nutritional yeast
  • 30 drops Foodie Flavours Cream Cheese
  • 1 tsp salt + a few good grinds black pepper
  • 1/3 cup (approx 25 leaves) fresh basil – shredded into thin strips
  • Cooked pasta to serve – I used vegan spaghetti
  • Blender or good food processor – I used this Nutribullet

Instructions

  1. Put the diced onion and crushed garlic into a small frying pan with just a drizzle of oil and saute for 2-3 minutes over a gentle heat until softened
  2. Tip the onion and garlic into a blender cup or food processor bowl. Don't wash the pan up yet!
  3. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and gently saute until golden and caramelised
  4. If you're serving this with pasta, you can cook this in a large pan of boiling salted water while the mushrooms are cooking
  5. While that's all cooking add the tofu, lemon zest and juice, mustard, milk, nutritional yeast, Cream Cheese flavouring and salt and pepper to the onion and garlic
  6. Whizz until smooth and creamy
  7. When the mushrooms are cooked tip in the sauce to heat through then stir in the shredded basil
  8. Add to cooked, drained pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately
Creamy Lemon and Basil Pasta Sauce

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Hello there!  I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure!  From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.

Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how.  I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)

I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.

All things autumn - warming soups, savoury bakes and delicious sweet treats!

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