I could eat pasta every single day. And if I had to pick a favorite, it would be this dreamy, Creamy Toasted Walnut Pasta. It’s SO SO GOOD and it takes 20 minutes to cook from start to finish.
This is the kind of sauce nobody will ever guess it’s vegan or healthy. Yes, it’s super healthy. And trust me, EVERYONE WILL LOVE IT. It’s so incredibly DELICIOUS, RICH AND CREAMY, I could drink it straight out of the blender (I promise you I don’t, I have some self-control, but I totally could because it is that good). Think toasty walnuts, roasted garlic and fragrant coriander. The most heavenly blend of flavors.
You can make the sauce ahead and keep it in the fridge for later or you can make it while your pasta cooks. Yes, it’s that quick and it’s that easy. You can also make a big batch and freeze the extra sauce for a busy day.
Feel free to choose whatever kind of pasta you like. I’m obsessed with whole-grain farro pasta right now! So delicious I can’t even begin to describe it, I like it better than regular pasta (and it’s a lot healthier too). Farro is an ancient grain, similar to spelt, but not quite the same. If you want to know some of its amazing benefits, check out this link: https://draxe.com/farro/.
If you need to make it gluten-free, pick your GF brand of choice. I really like chickpea or brown-rice pasta. Though I think farro, spelt or whole wheat work better in this case (but that’s just my opinion).
If you try it, let us know what you think. Tag us on Instagram @mondaydreamsblog or leave a comment below, we love hearing from you!
Creamy Toasted Walnut Pasta
Ingredients
PASTA
- 4 servings of whole-grain or GF pasta - (12 ounces – 340 grams)*
WALNUT SAUCE
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup water
- 1 Tbsp coconut nectar**
- 1 Tbsp olive oil - (omit if you are on an oil-free diet)
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos***
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
TO SERVE
- 3 Tbsp toasted walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp chopped chives
- 2 cups steamed broccoli, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C.
- Cook pasta according to instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining it. This is a great trick; the starchy water will add a beautiful silkiness to the sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Place walnuts and garlic cloves (unpeeled) in a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to check the walnuts a couple of times, they burn easily. Remove the walnuts when toasted. Check the garlic cloves, they should be a little soft, if not, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and cool down.
- Place walnut, garlic cloves (peeled) and the rest of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Pour the sauce into a large pan and heat over medium heat until nice and warm.
- Add cooked pasta and stir for another minute, if the sauce gets thick, add some of that reserved pasta water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until smooth and silky (you won’t need the whole cup, just a little bit).
- Serve immediately and top with more walnuts and chopped chives. You can also add some steamed broccoli, it goes really well with this sauce.
- Enjoy this heavenly meal!