Today’s recipe is a creamy vegan mushroom and spinach pasta dish topped with grilled garlic balsamic tomatoes that is sure to impress even the most skeptical non vegans. Best of all? It’s ready in under 20 minutes and easy to make. For this recipe, we teamed up with our favorite cookware store Sur La Table and used pans from GreenPan’s versatile Simmerlite collection. Here’s how to make this dish in three easy steps (you’ll find a recap of the full recipe and exact measurements at the end of this article).
Step one: Cook the Pasta
We used egg-free fettuccine, but you can use any type of pasta you like. For the best result, cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water, then drain but do not rinse! We cooked our fettuccine in one of GreenPan’s Simmerlite Dutch Ovens and then transferred the pasta right back to the pot after draining it. To avoid the fettuccine sticking together, mix in a tablespoon of olive oil and a little freshly ground pepper and basil leaves for extra flavor. Then cover with the double-walled lid to make sure the pasta says warm until you’re ready to eat.
Step two: Make the creamy mushroom sauce
For the creamy mushroom and spinach sauce, we sautéed a chopped onion, minced garlic and sliced mushrooms in a little oil in a 12” frypan for about 10 minutes. You’d normally need about 2-3 tablespoons of oil for the perfect result, but this ceramic non-stick pan requires a lot less and 1 tablespoon or even less will go a long way.
While the vegetables are sautéing, blend the soaked cashews with vegetable broth, cornstarch, a little sea salt and nutritional yeast. If you have a tree-nut allergy, you can use oat, soy or coconut cream instead. The nutritional yeast is what gives this dish a cheese-like flavor, a secret weapon that belongs in every vegan kitchen. The cornstarch will help make the consistency a little thicker, but you can definitely omit it if you don’t have it at hand. The amount of salt you’ll need will depend on how naturally salty your vegetable broth is, so we recommend starting with a small amount and then adding more after taste testing if need be.
Tip: soaking the cashews beforehand will make it much easier to get a smooth and creamy consistency. If you don’t have the time to soak them for at least a few hours, quick soak them in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
Once the sauce is blended, add it to the frypan with some liquid smoke, soy sauce and baby spinach and mix well, adding a little more broth as you go and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Step three: Make the grilled balsamic tomatoes
The grilled balsamic tomatoes are without a doubt the secret star of this recipe. Cooking tomatoes even just a little bit really brings out their flavor. Paired with balsamic reduction or vinegar and garlic, this flavor combo is incredible. For this part of the recipe, we used the GreenPan Simmerlite 10” grill pan, which is also excellent for portobello steaks and veggie burger patties. It’s also super easy to clean when you’re done.
Start by adding a little oil and cherry tomatoes to the grill pan and cook them over medium heat for about 3 minutes before adding minced garlic and balsamic reduction or vinegar. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Serve immediately with the pasta and sauce and enjoy.
Why we love GreenPan
We’ve been using GreenPan’s products for about a year now and we couldn’t be happier with the results. GreenPan uses a healthy ceramic non-stick coating that’s made without the toxic chemicals used to create traditional, plastic-based non-stick coatings. This means you don’t ever have to worry about blistering or toxic fumes. GreenPan’s ceramic coating also conducts heat evenly and so you can get the same results at lower temperatures.
Designed to perform like cast iron, the Simmerlite collection is made from cast aluminum, meaning it’s 50% lighter and much more practical and versatile to cook with. It also features GreenPan’s healthy non-stick coating, so it’s much easier to clean.
Why we love Sur La Table
Sur La Table is every chef and home cook’s dream come true and will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. Fun fact: the previous Best of Vegan office in New York City was located right around the corner from a Sur La Table store and most of the props you see in my cookbook Vegan Reset are actually from Sur La Table. For those who don’t live near one of their physical stores, you’ll be able to find everything you need in their online store as well!
Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Spinach Pasta with Grilled Balsamic Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 10 oz egg-free fettuccine - dry weight
- 1 1/4 cup cashews - soaked
- 2 cups vegetable broth - a little more if need be
- 2 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp cornstarch or all-purpose flour
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 yellow onion - medium to large, chopped
- 12-14 oz mushrooms of choice - sliced
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp balsamic reduction or balsamic vinegar
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- sea salt to taste
- 1 pinch freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tsp soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tsp liquid smoke - optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook al dente, which should take about 12-13 minutes depending on the brand you’re using. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return it to the pot, mixing in 1 tbsp olive oil, fresh basil and ground pepper. Add the lid to keep the pasta warm until you’re ready to serve.
- While the pasta is cooking, start sautéeing the chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves in 1 tbsp of olive oil in your frypan. Add the mushrooms about a minute later and then sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add the soy sauce and liquid smoke and mix well.
- Reduce heat to low and start making the cashew sauce. For the sauce, blend the soaked and drained cashews with the cornstarch, 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth, sea salt and nutritional yeast on high until you get a smooth consistency.
- Add the sauce and spinach to the pan, mix well and let simmer for 5 more minutes mixing in the rest of the vegetable broth little by little. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more broth or water.
- For the balsamic tomatoes, add 2 tsp olive oil and the cherry tomatoes to a grill pan and grill over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the balsamic reduction or vinegar and 1 minced garlic clove and grill for 3 additional minutes over low-medium heat.
- Serve the pasta with the sauce and tomatoes and enjoy.
Notes
- If you have leftovers, be sure to add a little more liquid to the sauce when you reheat it as it will thicken in the fridge.
- t’s best to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight, but if you forgot to prep this step, you can quick-soak them in boiling water for a few minutes (don’t cook them, just let them sit in the hot water).
SHOP THE GREENPAN PRODUCTS WE USED FOR THIS RECIPE
GreenPan SimmerLite Nonstick Dutch Oven
GreenPan SimmerLite Nonstick Skillet, 12″
GreenPan SimmerLite Nonstick Grill, 10″
About Sur La Table: Sur La Table is where you’ll find everything you’ll ever need to cook the perfect dishes, from cookware to kitchen tools and home decor.
About GreenPan: As the inventors of healthy ceramic non-stick cookware, GreenPan is the trusted go-to for non-stick, easy-to-clean and easy-to-use pots and pans.
Disclaimer: this post is sponsored by Sur La Table and GreenPan. All opinions expressed are our own.
Photography & Text: Kim-Julie Hansen.
I tried this yesterday and it was so good! Everyone loved it, even the kids!