This easy 20-min green pea pasta sauce is the perfect healthy dinner idea for weekdays. It combines sweet green peas with lemon, garlic and fresh basil and makes for a super creamy pasta sauce packed with good-for-you ingredients. 100% vegan and dairy-free.
I have an amazing vegan green pasta recipe on the blog made with spinach, peas and cashews, and this vegan cashew zucchini Alfredo pasta, but since a few of you asked me how to make more pasta without cashews, I decided to create this cashew-free healthy green pea pasta sauce recipe!
When looking for a quick Italian-style pasta dish that's lighter and lower in fat (no cashews, no cream and no coconut milk), then I'll usually go for a creamy protein-rich silken tofu Alfredo sauce or a veggie-packed creamy sauce such as this roasted tomato and pepper pasta sauce or this creamy vegan spinach pasta recipe. Or this vegan chickpea pasta sauce for a light and fiber-packed meal.
But this time what makes this recipe so ultra creamy and smooth are the sweet green peas that are blended with rich oat milk and cooked onion, garlic and fresh basil. Like this vegan cauliflower Alfredo pasta sauce, this recipe involves puréed vegetables to a silky texture for a light yet yummy sauce. Plus, using frozen peas makes it accessible all year round. It tastes similar to a pesto pasta meal, but made with peas instead of nuts!
It can be all done within 20 minutes, such a perfect quick weeknight dinner your whole family will love.
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and easy recipe, perfect for busy weeknight dinners!
- Fresh and vibrant flavor
- Versatile recipe made using only a few simple ingredients
- Family-friendly and a great way to help your kids eat more veggies
- Great recipe for the spring, but using frozen green peas makes it accessible all year round
- Green peas are so healthy and a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants
- Perfect sauce recipe to meal-prep ahead of time
- The sauce is 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Green peas: what makes this recipe so easy and convenient is that you can simply use frozen peas! Look for small peas or petite peas, they are sweeter and less starchy, which will give the sauce a smoother texture.
- Plant milk: I like using oat milk from Oatly to make pasta sauces since it is naturally creamy and does not have any flavoring, which works well for savory meals. You can also use almond milk or soy milk, although make sure there is no added sugar or vanilla flavor.
- Basil: gives the sauce an amazing fresh flavor and contributes to the bright green color. You can also swap for fresh mint or use both basil and mint.
- Onion: you can use yellow onion or sweet onion, both work. And in the spring, swap for leeks to add even more flavor.
⭐️ Full list of ingredients down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- Cheesy flavor: add nutritional yeast (about 1 tablespoon) to the blender for a cheesy taste.
- Creamier result: Feel free to include about ¼ cup of raw cashews in the blender (soak them in boiling water first) and add a little more milk. This would make for a richer sauce that's higher in calories and healthy fats (which is great to serve to growing kids!).
- More texture: You can boil/thaw extra peas and add them to the pot with the blended sauce and cooked noodles to add more texture.
- More greens: add a handful of baby spinach to the pot with the boiling peas while doing the flash boil, then blend with the rest of the ingredients. This would add more nutrients and make the sauce even greener!
- Flavoring ingredients: miso paste, red pepper flakes and dried herbs are all great additions for the sauce.
🍽 How to make a vegan green pea pasta sauce
Step 1: Warm up a small amount of oil in a pan, then cook the onions on medium-high heat until browned (5-7 min) with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and keep cooking for 1-2 more min stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 2: Meanwhile, boil water in a medium pot, then add the frozen peas. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then drain. You can also simply thaw the frozen peas in a bowl (cover the peas with water) using the microwave (about 3-4 minutes).
Step 3: Transfer the onion-garlic mixture, drained peas, plant milk, lemon juice, fresh basil and a pinch of salt to a blender.
Step 4: Blend on high until smooth. Add more milk if needed and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
⭐️ Detailed recipe down below in the recipe card!
💡 Cooking tips
- Adjust the consistency to your preference. Add more plant milk to the blender if needed and you can reserve some pasta cooking water to add to the pot of creamy noodles to help thin the sauce as needed.
- Keep the noodles al dente: you will combine and warm up the cooked noodles with the blended sauce in a pot, which will cook the pasta a little more.
🍴 Serving suggestions
This dish is great on its own with a generous sprinkle of black pepper and a side of lemon wedges for extra zesty flavor. Here are more toppings to try:
- Parmesan: we love this almond parmesan dust over Italian-style pasta dishes for a cheesy and salty flavor. You can also grate store bought parmesan cheese over the dish.
- Ricotta: you can add some cashew ricotta cheese to the pot with the noodles for a super creamy result or add a few dollops over the warm pasta when serving.
- Fresh herbs: add more chopped fresh basil (or mint) when serving.
- More veggies: top your dish with roasted broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms or zucchini for extra good-for-you veggies.
I recommend to serve with a side salad, such as this creamy kale white bean salad or this arugula spinach salad and pair with homemade whole wheat rolls or vegan Italian-style focaccia bread if time allows it.
If serving to kids, then pair with vegan baked tofu nuggets or crispy coconut tofu!
❗️Storage tips
This pasta recipe is best and the most creamy when freshly made, but leftovers are great too! Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and add extra milk + stir well before reheating using the microwave or the stove.
As a side note, the pea pasta sauce may change in color slightly after storage due to the oxidation process (can become brownish). This is totally fine and does not change flavor or nutrient content, although you can prevent that by drizzling extra lemon juice over the noodles before sealing the container.
❓ FAQs
Yes! In that case, boil the peas in water until tender instead of doing a quick flash boil as described. You can taste the peas after about 5 minutes, then drain when done.
No, I do not recommend it since the noodles would become too soft once thaw and the sauce would lose most of its creamy consistency.
The pasta sauce ingredients are naturally GF, so all you have to do is choose GF noodles!
🌱 More green pea recipes you might like
I hope you like this green pea pasta sauce recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Green Pea Pasta Sauce (20-min Vegan Recipe)
Equipment
- Large pot
- Medium pot
- Blender
- Medium pan
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta of your choice
- 2 cups frozen green peas - petite or small peas if possible
- 1 yellow onion or sweet onion - diced
- 3 cloves of garlic - crushed or thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice - or to taste
- ½ cup unsweetened plant milk (or water) - I used oat milk from Oatly
- ¾ cup fresh basil - plus more to garnish
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta of your choice until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Warm up a small amount of oil in a medium pan and then, add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-high heat until slightly browned (5-7 min). Add the garlic and keep cooking for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the frozen peas. Boil 1-2 minutes, then drain. You can also use the microwave: add the frozen peas to a large bowl and cover them with water. Warm up in the microwave for 4 minutes or until warm, then drain.
- To a blender, add the onion-garlic mixture, drained peas, lemon juice, oat milk (or water), fresh basil and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, then taste to adjust seasoning (salt and lemon) and add more milk if needed.
- To the pot used to cook the pasta, return the cooked noodles and blended sauce then stir to combine. Warm up on medium heat until warmed through, then serve garnished with more fresh basil.
Video
Notes
- Adjust the consistency to your preference. Add more plant milk to the blender if needed and you can reserve some pasta cooking water to add to the pot of creamy pasta to help thin the sauce as needed.
- Keep the noodles al dente: you will combine and warm up the cooked noodles with the blended sauce in a pot at the end, which will cook the pasta a little more.
- Storage tips: This pasta recipe is best and the most creamy when freshly made, but leftovers are great too! Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and add extra milk + stir well before reheating using the microwave or the stove.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving (without the dipping sauce) provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Yum, this was easy and fast!
Great, glad you liked it!