Creamy lemon pasta with roasted asparagus is here to satisfy all of your comfort food needs! The zesty sauce is 100% plant-based and pairs perfectly with your favorite choice of pasta. It’s the perfect weeknight meal to make in under 40 minutes.
Lemon Pasta
I’ve been seeing a lot of lemon pasta (or Pasta al Limone) recipes on Instagram lately, and thought I’d give the lemony pasta idea a little ‘something nutritious’ spin.
This easy to make, plant-based dish is packed with fresh lemony flavor in a creamy sauce made from almond milk, pasta water, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice.
Serve it with roasted asparagus for some added greens. It’s the perfect weeknight meal to satisfy your comfort food cravings.
This dish is so flavorful and easy to make. You’ll need just a few ingredients, and can customize it to your liking.
Ingredients for vegan lemon pasta
Pasta of choice– I used a brown rice penne for this, but you can substitute your favorite pasta
Unsweetened plant-based milk– almond is typically my go-to milk of choice. Any unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk would work well
Vegan butter
Lemon juice– I use fresh lemon juice for the sauce, and lemon zest to top my dish off for some added flavor
Nutritional yeast- this adds a delicious, vegan cheesy flavor!
Garlic– freshly minced garlic is ideal for the best flavor
Spices– salt, pepper and red pepper flakes are all you’ll need to season this dish
Tapioca flour– I mixed the tapioca flour with water to create a slurry. This helps thicken the sauce to get that rich, creamy texture
Asparagus– for some added veggies
I like to roast the asparagus first before preparing the rest of the dish to save some time. It’s seasoned lightly with salt and pepper, and adds delicious texture and flavor to this dish.
If you wanted to add more protein to this meal, you can use your favorite bean-based pasta like chickpea or lentil.
Which ever pasta you choose, I recommend cooking it al dente so that it doesn’t overcook in the sauce!
I love to serve this dish warm with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and lemon zest. It’s quick, simple, and will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serve it as is or with your favorite protein. It’s such a delicious meal that’s bursting with flavor!
More pasta recipes you may like:
Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Veggies
Vegan Creamy Pasta Sauce
Tahini Pasta Stir-Fry
Lemon Pasta with Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta, I used brown rice penne
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, or other plant-based milk
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup plant-based butter
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour
- Lemon zest to top
Roasted Asparagus
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Rinse the asparagus and cut them into 1″ sticks. Toss together with the olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes while you prepare your pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add in your pasta. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until al dente- the pasta will continue to cook in the lemon sauce.
- Once the pasta is done, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta in a colander.
- In a large saute pan (or the same pot you cooked your pasta in), melt the vegan butter over medium/low heat.
- Once melted, add in the garlic and cook together for about 2 minutes, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add in the lemon juice, spices, nutritional yeast almond milk and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir together until well combined.
- In a small bowl, mix the tapioca flour with about 2 tsp of water until the flour is fully dissolved. Pour that tapioca slurry into the pot, and whisk it in vigorously until the sauce is fully combined. Cook on medium/low for 2 minutes.
- Add your pasta back into the pot and let it cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes on medium/low heat.
- Once the asparagus is ready, mix it into the dish and enjoy! Top with zested lemon, extra nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes.
This was absolutely delicious. I absolutely loved how cheesy and creamy it tasted with being dairy free! I didn’t have any plain almond milk with me so I thought I’d try canned coconut milk and omg I think this is a game changer. Was soooo creamy. I will be making this in repeat