Vegan Pasta Al Limone

Pasta al Limone is the pasta you’ve been waiting for! This vegan version is full of bright, lemony flavors and cheesiness. The sauce is velvety and creamy and coats the pasta perfectly. We promise you will be back for more (or even thirds). What’s the best part? Only ten ingredients are required. Simple methods. We’ll show you exactly how to do it!

Pasta Al Limone: Origin and History

Limone means “lemon” in Italian. Pasta Al Limone is a creamy, lemony pasta dish that’s especially popular throughout southern Italy. According to our research, it appears that this dish originated in Campania, a region famous for lemons.

The traditional version of this dish uses cream and parmesan. Our plant-based version does not sacrifice flavor.

How to Make Vegan Pasta al Limone

We make the cashew sauce first, adding lemon juice and zest to it for acidity and tartness. Fresh garlic and garlic paste combine to create a rounded flavor. Nutritional yeast and sea salt provide a saltiness, while miso and olive oil add umami and saltiness. The final ingredient is olive oil, which adds richness.

We like to use long noodles like fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti. It’s so satisfying to swirl creamy noodles on a fork.

The perfect texture is achieved by cooking the noodles to just al dente. It is important to do this for gluten-free pasta because they are more likely to become mushy.

After the noodles and sauce are cooked, combine them until they are just warm. Top with vegan Parmesan cheese. You can also add red pepper flakes to the dish for some heat and parsley to give it a fresh flavor.

Ingredients

SAUCE

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• Lemon juice three tablespoons
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• Peeled one clove of garlic
• Use regular miso or Miso master brand (we recommend white or yellow).
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• Half a teaspoon of sea salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• One cup of water
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (or store-bought)

PASTA

• Water (for boiling).
• Salt (for seasoning the water)
• 12 oz. Dry pasta (we prefer brand spaghetti // gluten-free if needed // vegan-friendly if possible // we enjoy linguine ).

GARNISH optional

• Red pepper flakes
• Fresh parsley
• Vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Cashews can be soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and covered.
• Add 3 quarts of water (3 liters) and 1 Tbsp of salt to a large pan (adjust quantities if you are changing the serving size). Bring to a rolling boil. Add pasta to the boiling water, stir, and set your timer to the lowest al dente, putting on your package.
• Blend soaked cashews with lemon zest, lemon liquid, garlic powder, and garlic cloves. Add 1 cup of water, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and chickpea-miso. The sauce should be thin and watery, like non-dairy dairy milk. The lemon juice should give it a tart taste, while the garlic powder will make it savory. Don’t worry if it seems to be too sour! Once it is on the pasta, it will balance. You can adjust the flavor to your taste. Add more nutritional yeast or lemon juice if you want a cheesy, savory flavor.
• Transfer sauce into a large shallow dish, such as Dutch Oven (at least 10″ in diameter and at least 3″ deep). Test pasta for doneness. You want the pasta to be a bit firmer because it will continue cooking in the sauce.
• To thin the sauce, carefully scoop out 1 cup (240ml) from the pasta water. Drain pasta.
• Add 1/2 cup (120ml) of pasta water to the sauce (amount according to recipe // adjust for changes in batch size). Whisk to combine. Add pasta to the sauce.
• Stir and toss the pasta into the sauce. Don’t be alarmed if it seems watery or loose. After 3-5 mins, the sauce will begin to thicken and cling to the pasta. Stir until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce.
• Then, add vegan parmesan to the sauce and give it a final toss. Add some pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Garnish with parsley, red pepper flakes, and vegan parmesan if desired.
• Fresh is best. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat the pieces in the microwave or a skillet. Add a splash of non-dairy creamer to the mixture for a new layer of sauce! This product cannot be frozen.