Green Sauce Pasta (10 min)

This green sauce pasta requires less than 10 simple ingredients. It's super creamy, packed with fresh greens and ready within a couple of minutes! You'll only need a blender so it's the perfect sauce when you don't feel like cooking.

Pasta with green sauce makes the perfect quick and easy, yet nutritious weeknight dinner. The sauce is made in a blender and ready within 5 minutes which means fewer dishes to wash up!

For more pasta dishes check out Coconut Milk Pasta Sauce, Vegan Walnut Pesto, 15-Minute Vegan Mac and Cheese or Penne al Pomodoro.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's bursting with flavors from leafy greens and fresh herbs.
• It includes lots of nutrients and plant-based protein.
• Great option for picky eaters who want to get in some vegetables.

Ingredients & Substitution Notes

• Pasta: You could use any pasta of choice here. We used tagliatelle for this recipe but is works with any type of pasta such as spaghetti, fussilini or penne. Use gluten-free pasta for if you want to avoid gluten.
• Frozen Peas: They form the base of this green pasta sauce and help with a creamy texture.
• Avocado: Adds some additional creaminess to this sauce. Make sure to choose a ripe avocado. I like this article on how to choose a ripe avocado.
• Fresh Spinach: I used baby spinach in this recipe but regular spinach or chard will also work. We haven't tried using frozen spinach yet but feel free to experiment.
• Fresh Basil: Gives this recipe its distinct Italian flavors. If you're not a fan of basil you could use other fresh herbs such as fresh parsley or even cilantro for more Mexican inspired flavors instead. We do not recommend usind dried herbs.
• Lemon Juice: We recommend using fresh lemon juice over store-bought one for maximum flavors! Could be replaced by fresh lime juice.
• Olive Oil: Any oil of choice would work but olive oil pairs very well with the fresh basil.
• Parmesan: Adds some additional cheesy flavors- for a vegan green sauce pasta choose vegan cheese (vegan parmesan) or use nutritional yeast flakes instead.
• Garlic Powder: This enhances all the natural flavors of this sauce. Because this is a no-cook pasta sauce, we used garlic powder instead of raw garlic. Feel free to use fresh garlic gloves instead or sub onion powder if you're not a fan of garlic.
• Veggie Broth: We're adding a bit of vegetable broth to help with the blending. Alternatively, you could use more olive oil or coconut milk. Note that the taste will be a bit different then (subtle coconut flavors).

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Green Pasta Sauce

This creamy pasta sauce comes together within minutes. Simply throw everything into your blender and that's it! The stronger your blender, the smoother the sauce will be!

Step 1: Cook pasta

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook your pasta of choice according to package directions.

Step 2: Blend Sauce

While the pasta cooks, prepare the green sauce. Simply place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. For best results, we recommend using a high-speed blender.

Alternatively, you could use a food processor but the sauce might turn out a bit chunkier and not as smooth.

Step 3: Mix together

Toss your cooked pasta sauce with the sauce.

Garnish with some extra olive oil, parmesan or fresh green herbs and serve immediately.

Equipment

To prepare this delicious salsa verde, you'll either need a (high speed) blender or a food processor.

• Blender: For the leafy greens to be turned into a smooth sauce, you'll need a fairly strong (high powered) blender such as a Vitamix. A regular blender or immersion blender does do the job as well but the sauce will be chunkier.
• Food processor: Alternatively, you could prepare the green sauce in a food processor. Note that the consisteny won't be as smooth though. For a creamy texture I'd recommend a blender over a food processor.

Variations

Feel free to modify this green sauce to personal preference. Below you'll find some add-in and variation ideas.

• Saute Greens: If you prefer to saute your greens, feel free to saute the spinach in a small skillet or frying pan before adding it to the blender.
• Coconut Milk: Instead of veggie broth you could use coconut milk for an extra creamy sauce and some subtle coconut flavors.
• (Vegan) Cream Cheese: Feel free to add a tablespoon of (vegan) cream cheese to add extra cheesy flavors and a creamy texture.
• (Vegan) Feta: Crumbled feta tastes amazing in combination with this sauce verde. Choose vegan feta if vegan.
• Spicy: Turn this pesto sauce into a spicy sauce by adding some red pepper flakes, chili flakes or more black pepper.
• Vegetables: Oven roasted veggies also taste absolutely amazing in combination with this pasta verde and boosts its nutritional value. Feel free to play around with whatever veggies you like best.
• Legumes: Add in half a cup of chickpeas or lentils for more protein and fiber.
• More Olive Oil: If you wanted an oilier consistency, you could easily replace parts of the vegetable broth with olive oil instead. Make sure to add one tablespoon of olive oil at the time until you end up with your desired consistency.
• Lemon Zest: For some extra tangy flavors, add in 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
• Oil-Free: For an oil-free green pasta sauce replace the oil with more vegetable broth.
• Pasta: We used tagliatelle for this recipe but is works with any type of pasta such as spaghetti, fussilini, penne or rigatoni. So feel free to use a pasta of your choice.

Storage

To store: This pasta sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep any leftover sauce in an airtight container.

To freeze: Put the sauce into a freezer-friendly container and put it in the freezer.

To reheat: If frozen, let sauce thaw on the countertop overnight. Then add a little water or broth and gently reheat on the stovetop on low heat while constantly stirring. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using a microwave-safe container.

Top tip

• How to cook spaghetti: To avoid overcooking your pasta, read the packet instructions of your pasta of choice. Usually they include very clear information on how many minutes to cook them. Make sure to follow these to end up with al dente pasta that's not mushy. Once the water boils, add a generous pinch of salt before adding the pasta.
• Strong blender: For the leafy greens to be turned into a smooth sauce, you'll need a fairly strong (high powered) blender such as a Vitamix. A regular blender does do the job as well but the sauce will be chunkier. The stronger the blender, the smoother your sauce will be.
• Modify recipe: This green pasta sauce is super versatile. Check out our variation suggestions above to get some new ideas on how to modify the sauce to your personal preferences.

FAQs

More Pasta Recipes