This creamy vegan ricotta pasta features luscious homemade dairy-free ricotta, fresh spinach, and a squeeze of lemon. It’s simple to make, decadent, and full of bright, fresh flavor.
My vegan ricotta cheese is one of those things that's intended to be served as a snack or used as a recipe component, but I really feel like I could make an entire meal out of it. Every time I make it, I find myself sneaking spoonfuls out of the food processor bowl. So I decided it was time to create a recipe around it. Sure, I could put it in vegan lasagna or some vegan stuffed shells, but I really wanted something I could throw together quickly on a busy weeknight. This creamy vegan ricotta pasta turned out to be exactly what I needed!
This recipe actually turned out to be one of the easiest dinners ever. You do need to soak your cashews, which takes a few (hands-off) hours, but once that's done the meal comes together in about 30 minutes.
You'll be whipping up a batch of dairy-free ricotta sauce — it's a little thinner than my classic vegan ricotta, which makes it perfect for tossing with pasta. Cook the pasta and spinach in the same pot, then combine everything with some garlic, olive oil, and lemon zest, and BOOM — a delicious vegan meal is ready to devour.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Dried pasta. The recipe calls for dried spaghetti, but you're welcome to use any pasta shape you like.
- Raw cashews. We'll be blending these to make the base for the creamy ricotta sauce. Make sure they're raw — roasted cashews will make your sauce taste like nut butter.
- Non-dairy milk. Any unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk you like to drink can be used, such as soy, almond, or oat milk. Read my guide to non-dairy milk if you're feeling lost.
- Lemon juice. Make sure you're using fresh juice, since lemon is a star flavor in this recipe.
- Salt and pepper.
- Tofu. Firm or extra-firm tofu works best for vegan ricotta. Soft tofu is also fine, but I don't recommend going with super-firm or silken. Read my guide to tofu if you'd like to learn more about all these tofu varieties.
- Olive oil.
- Garlic.
- Lemon zest.
- Accompaniments. This pasta is great on its own, but I love topping mine with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the pasta. You'll be cooking the pasta according to the package directions, until al dente (just a smidge undercooked). Add spinach to the water during the last minute. Finish cooking the pasta with the spinach, then drain both into a colander. Make sure to reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water.
Step 2: Make the ricotta sauce. First, blend your soaked raw cashews with non-dairy milk, lemon juice, and salt. Get the mixture relatively smooth (it will be on the thin side). Next, break your tofu into chunks, add them to the bowl, and pulse until the mixture is just a bit chunky, like ricotta.
Step 3: Cook the garlic. Heat your olive oil in a large pot, then add minced garlic. Sauté it briefly, until it becomes very fragrant.
Step 4: Add pasta and sauce. Add your cooked pasta, spinach, and ricotta sauce. Thin the sauce with a bit of that pasta water you saved, and cook everything until piping hot.
Step 5: Finish the dish. Take the pot off of heat, stir in your lemon zest, and season it with some salt and pepper to taste.
Step 6: Serve. Your vegan lemon ricotta pasta is ready to enjoy! Optionally, top each serving with some vegan Parm and red pepper flakes.
Variations
- Veggie swaps. You can replace the spinach with many different varieties of vegetables, just adjust the cooking time. Most will need to be added to the pasta water a bit earlier than spinach. Broccoli or cauliflower, for example, will take 1 to 2 minutes. Kale will take about 4 minutes.
- Roasted garlic ricotta. Garlic lovers can add a bulb or two of roasted garlic during the first stage of blending the ricotta sauce.
- Add fresh herbs. The sauce is delicious on its own, but if you'd like to switch things up, add fresh herbs. Try ½ cup of fresh basil, ¼ cup of fresh dill, or a tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti
- 6 ounces fresh spinach (about 6 cups, loosely packed)
For the Ricotta Sauce
- ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
For the Pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving (Optional)
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, but set the timer for one minute short of the recommended cook time for al dente pasta. Stir in the spinach when the timer goes off, then let the pasta and spinach cook together until the pasta is al dente and the spinach has wilted, about 1 minute. Reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and spinach into a colander.
- Make the ricotta while the pasta cooks. First, place the cashews, milk, lemon juice, and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Blend until smooth and milky. Break the tofu into chunks and add them to the food processor bowl. Pulse the machine until the tofu is blended in but the mixture still has a chunky texture, like ricotta cheese.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Add the pasta, spinach, and ricotta mixture to the pot. Stir everything well and thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water, using just enough to loosen up the sauce so it easily coats the pasta. Cook everything for a minute or two, just to heat the sauce through.
- Remove the pot from heat, then stir in the lemon zest and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide onto plates and serve with vegan Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Comments
No Comments