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For Meatless Friday, Elizabeth Varga shares a weeknight-friendly pasta dish that's packed with vegetables and protein. Download our printable recipe card!


This dish is like a jazzed-up version of pesto. It's broccoli pasta sauce, but made more flavorful with fresh basil, vegan cream cheese, and nutritional yeast. The result is a creamy pasta sauce that's packed with veggies AND flavor and is ready in about 40 minutes.

 

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Vegan Broccoli Pasta Sauce

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups Broccoli Florets (fresh or frozen)
  • ½ Small Yellow Onion roughly chopped
  • 6 Cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 Pound Rotini or Penne Pasta (I used a bean-based pasta)
  • ½ Cup Pasta Water
  • 3 Cups Fresh Spinach
  • ¾ Cup Vegan Cream Cheese
  • ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
  • ½ Ounce Fresh Basil Leaves (50 leaves)
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
  • ½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 Cups Frozen Shelled Edamame
  • Julienned fresh basil for garnish
  • Red Pepper Flakes for garnish

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the broccoli, onion, and garlic to a large skillet. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the pasta to the pot of water and cook until just al dente - the noodles will cook more when added back to the skillet. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water from the pasta then drain and rinse the noodles.
  • Stir in ¾ cups of the reserved pasta water, spinach, cream cheese, nutritional yeast, basil leaves, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper into the broccoli mixture. Cook 5-7 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and a sauce forms. Add the remaining ¼ cup of pasta water if there is not much liquid.
  • Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth.
  • Pour the sauce back in the skillet and add the pasta and edamame. Cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes.

For more information on ingredients and substitutions, visit AtElizabethsTable.com.

 

 

See our full list of Meatless Friday recipes

 

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Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Varga
Images: Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Varga, all rights reserved.