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This creamy green macaroni is a great way to add more vegetables to a familiar pasta dish. Its sauce blends zucchini, peas, spinach, and basil with cashews for a smooth, creamy texture. Garlic and nutritional yeast add savory flavor, while lemon brings a fresh, zesty finish. The sauce coats every piece of pasta with plenty of green goodness.
The cashew-based sauce combines blended vegetables with fresh basil and garlic. You can also add a little chile for gentle heat. Finish each bowl with lemon zest, chopped hazelnuts, and vegan feta for extra texture and a tangy, salty contrast.
Read more: Mean Green Bean Bowl
This creamy green macaroni comes from Sadia Badiei’s Simply Plants. It makes a useful lunch or dinner when you want pasta with a generous serving of vegetables. The recipe serves four and takes about 50 minutes from start to finish. Serve it fresh from the pot for a simple family meal that combines familiar comfort food with plenty of green ingredients.
Reprinted with permission from Simply Plants by Sadia Badiei. Copyright © 2026 Pick Up Limes B.V. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Photographs copyright © 2026 Pick Up Limes B.V.
Whip up some creamy green macaroni
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni or medium shell pasta
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium zucchini finely chopped
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
- 1½ cups fresh spinach
- ¾ cup fresh basil
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 1½ tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon chile flakes optional
- Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup unsalted roasted hazelnuts chopped
- 2 ounces vegan feta crumbled (about ⅓ cup)
Instructions
- The night before you plan to serve the macaroni, soak the cashews in plenty of water. The next day, drain them. If the cashews weren’t soaked overnight, simply boil them in water for 10 minutes to soften.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and return it to the pot.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the zucchini and peas, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the zucchini has softened. Transfer the mixture to a blender.
- Add the soaked and drained cashews to the blender along with the spinach, basil, milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and chile flakes, if using. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve the pasta topped with lemon zest, chopped hazelnuts, and crumbled feta.
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