Zesty Wow Basil Pasta
Cashew cream sauce clings to broccoli and pasta twists, giving richness without heaviness. Loved by meat-eaters and plant-based diners alike, it’s a simple dish with a big lift of basil freshness.
Photographed truthfully. If you cook it, yours will look like mine.
Ingredients
- 160 g broccoli
- 5 ml olive oil | to pan fry
Ingredients for the sauce
- 450 ml oat milk | unsweetened
- 75 g cashews
- 6 g nutritious yeast
- 12 g Dijon mustard
- 22 ml lemon juice
- 12 g cornflour | for cornflour slurry
- 12 ml water | for cornflour slurry
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 10 basil leaves | large leaves
Ingredients for the salad dressing
- 15 ml white wine vinegar | or apple cider vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2.5 tsp agave syrup | or maple syrup
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Other ingredients
- 180 g pasta | cooked
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 ml olive oil
To serve
- 20 g cashews | dry roasted in a pan
- salad leaves
- 1 lemon | wedges and zest
- fresh basil | few small leaves to dress
- 5 ml extra virgin olive oil | to drizzle over the dish
Instructions
Prepare
- Cut the broccoli into slender spears and pan fry in some oil; 4 or 5 little pieces per person.160 g broccoli , 5 ml olive oil
- Pour the oat milk into a large jug.450 ml oat milk
- Blitz the cashews in a grinder; tip the ground nuts into the milk. This avoids soaking the cashews.Then add the ingredients listed to the milk and stir.75 g cashews, 6 g nutritious yeast, 12 g Dijon mustard, 22 ml lemon juice, 12 g cornflour, 12 ml water, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Grate the garlic into the milk.2 cloves fresh garlic
- Slice the basil leaves and add to the milk.10 basil leaves
- Toast a handful of cashews in a dry frying pan.20 g cashews
- Make the salad dressing: dissolve the salt in the vinegar, and then add the remaining ingredients.15 ml white wine vinegar, 1 pinch salt, 30 ml extra virgin olive oil, 2.5 tsp agave syrup, 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Cook the pasta in lots of salted boiling water, and turn in a bit of oil to stop it sticking whilst you make the rest of the dish.180 g pasta, 1 pinch salt, 5 ml olive oil
Cook and serve
- Heat a large frying pan on a low heat, put the milk mix in and stir whilst it thickens. Add the cooked pasta and stir to heat through. Add the broccoli and see it pick up the sauce.
- Serve in a bowl topped with basil leaves and toasted cashews. Add a lemon wedge on the side and grate over a little lemon zest. Add a few glistening drops of oil.1 lemon, fresh basil, 5 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Serve with the salad and salad dressing.salad leaves
Notes
- Multi-purpose: use this sauce as a base for pasta bakes and lasagne. I would chop the basil very finely, don't simply slice it, it needs to be smaller to disperse through the sauce and makes it's flavour known!
- Freezer-friendly: the sauce freezes well.
- Make-ahead: sauce: make it but don't cook it and avoid adding the basil until service; pasta: if dressed in a little oil and covered, it keeps well in the fridge for a few days. This reheats OK... you might want to loosen with a bit more milk but do add more seasoning (salt, pepper, nutritious yeast) and re-taste to check that adding the milk hasn't watered everything down.
- If you're taking it to work, reheat and waft in front of your colleagues - they will love and want to know how it's done!
- Any remaining herbs, chop up and put into storage boxes and pop into the fridge. I find supermarket herbs prepped and stored this way last a fair few days. Leftover basil is good for pesto.
Nutrition
Calories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 19gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 561mgPotassium: 673mgFiber: 7gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 728IUVitamin C: 71mgCalcium: 291mgIron: 5mg
Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.
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© The Golden Polar Bear, 2025. Recipes and photography by Julia Savory. If you share this, please pass it along with kindness and if possible share a link back to this site. #ForTheAnimals