Vegan basil alfredo pasta, a twist on a classic comfort food! Creamy, cheesy and packed with herbs. Ready in only 10 minutes!

Alternatively, if it’s a bit cooler, you can heat up the zoodles and sauce and it’s warm comfort food!

What pasta should I use? Zoodles, pasta or gluten-free pasta?
I’ve tried the vegan basil alfredo sauce with all the above types of ‘pasta’ and they all worked very well! Zucchini noodles (or zoodles) are much firmer and can have a natural ‘peppery’ taste. Otherwise the taste between all of the different types is minimal.

If you want the ‘light’ zoodles option but don’t like the taste of raw zucchini, you can cook the zoodles beforehand. Simply immerse the zoodles in boiling water for 5 minutes then drain! This removes the strong green/peppery taste.

Basil alfredo pasta sauce
I first made regular vegan alfredo sauce to go with pasta and was amazed at how simple plant-based ingredients can transform into a creamy pasta sauce!

For this basil alfredo sauce, all you’ll need is:

Soaked cashews: foundation of the sauce
Butter beans, cooked: foundation of the sauce
Plant-based milk
Fresh basil leaves
Lemon juice and zest: to balance out the ‘greenness’ of the basil
Fresh garlic
Onion powder
Nutritional yeast: for that cheesy hit
Salt and pepper, to taste
Blend it all together and you’ll have a relatively smooth sauce perfect for pasta!

How to customise the vegan basil pasta
I’m always up for cooking intuitively and adjusting something to suit your tastes. If you want extra flavour, you can also add the following ingredients to the sauce:

grated vegan cheese
tahini
other herbs
If you want extra textures, you can add the following ingredients to the final pasta dish:

Roasted nuts, such as pine nuts
Wilted or fresh spinach
Baked, sauteed or raw vegetables such as capsicum or broccoli

Basil alfredo zoodles
Vegan basil alfredo pasta, a twist on a classic comfort food! Creamy, cheesy and packed with herbs. Ready in only 10 minutes!

Ingredients

▢2 (600g) medium zucchini
▢1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes
▢½ cup (100g) butter beans
▢1/3 cup (65g) raw cashews, soaked overnight (note 1 for nut-free option)
▢½ cup (~30g) fresh basil leaves, packed
▢¼ cup (65mL) dairy-free milk
▢1 lemon, zest and juice
▢¼ cup (12g) nutritional yeast
▢1 clove garlic
▢1 tsp onion powder, optional
▢Pinch any good-quality salt
Instructions
Spiralise zucchini with a spiraliser or julienne with a mandolin slicer. Place zoodles in a large bowl with ¾ cup of tomatoes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the tomatoes, to a high-powered blender and blend until extremely smooth. If the ingredients are not blending, gradually add water until it blends into a thick sauce.
Pour sauce over zoodles and mix thoroughly.
Separate zoodles to serving plates and top with remaining tomatoes. Enjoy!
Notes
To make this recipe nut-free, replace the cashews with additional butter beans
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 1670mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1770IU | Vitamin C: 103mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 6mg