Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta – 30 mins! Creamy Lemon Alfredo style sauce with tofu with fettuccine and pan roasted garlic asparagus and more lemon. Vegan Nutfree Recipe. Can be Glutenfree. 17 gm of protein Jump to Recipe
Asparagus is abundant and in season. Fresh, crisp and delicious and this lemon asparagus pasta celebrates it perfectly! The pasta comes together in 30 minutes and has this luscious delicious zesty cream sauce. The sauce uses tofu, non dairy milk and herbs for the sauce, See below for soyfree option. Tofu makes the sauce so fluffy creamy! Lemon in various forms at various stages of the sauce, lemon juice and zest in the blended sauce, zest and lemon slices while simmering, make this sauce incredibly tasty! Hubbs couldnt believe it was tofu! and 2 serves went down within minutes.
This Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta is all things Spring. Lemony, Creamy, satisfying and makes a great weeknight meal. The lemon pasta sauce is creamy and delicious. Adjust the flavor of the sauce while simmering to preference. Add a few tbsp of white wine for variation. Lets cook.
Ingredients and Substitutions for Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Tofu makes for a quick and creamy sauce! no soaking the nuts needed. It also picks up the lemon flavor amazingly. To make this soyfree, You can use 1/2 cup cashews with 1.5 cups non dairy milk instead. Or use 1 cup of steamed cauliflower and 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds.
- Use any pasta of choice and use glutenfree if needed.
- The recipe can be easily made without oil. Saute in broth instead.
- Lemon at various stages in various forms, zest and juice in the blended sauce, zest and slices added during simmering is what makes this sauce mindblowingly delicious. No subs there!
Step by Step Photos
The key is to multitask for the various components for a quick meal. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, Chop the garlic, onion, mushrooms if using and asparagus. Assemble the sauce ingredients.
Blend the sauce and set aside.
Add pasta to the boiling water. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and Cook for half a minute, then add asparagus, salt, pepper. Toss for a few seconds, then cover and steam until bright green. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same pan add oil and then saute the garlic for a few seconds. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until translucent.
Check on the pasta while the onion is cooking. The pasta should be done by now, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Once the onion is translucent. Add the blended sauce and simmer. Add the zest, slices, cooked asparagus and fettuccine and fold in. Toss well to coat all the pasta. Taste and adjust flavor. Switch off heat, but don’t take the pan off the stove. Cover and let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to meld.
Plate portions, garnish with vegan parm, basil, black pepper/pepper flakes and serve as is or with some garlic bread.
How to make Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Start cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, Asparagus is roasted for a minute with golden garlic, then covered to cook with the steam.
- The sauce uses tofu and lemon, herbs and flavors. Tofu when blended makes for a silky creamy sauce!
- Garlic, onion and mushroom are sauteed, the sauce added and simmered to thicken.
- Then more lemon zest and lemon slices round up the flavor of this fabulous lemon cream sauce. Toss in the pasta and asparagus and serve!
More Pastas from the blog
- Sundried Tomato and Garlic Pasta with Soy curls.So beautiful!
- Garlic Pasta with Cajun Cauliflower – super popular
- Rose Sauce Farfalle – so Creamy!
- Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti.– Hearty
- Cauliflower Parmesan Pasta Bake – sliced cauliflower, baked then dressed in vegan mozz, baked over pasta
- Chickpea Chorizo, Quinoa shells in tomato sauce. GF – So Meaty.
Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine or other pasta , glutenfree pasta if needed
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic , finely chopped
- 1 lb asparagus , chopped into 2 inch pieces, remove tough bottom stem
- dash of salt and black pepper
Lemon Cream Sauce:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3-4 cloves of garlic , finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (53.33 g) chopped onion
- 2 oz sliced mushroom optional
- 7 oz firm tofu or silken tofu
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) non dairy milk such as almond or soy
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of half a lemon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) onion powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground mustard
- 1-2 tbsp (1 tbsp) nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1 tsp flour , use starch or rice flour to make glutenfree
- 2 tsp italian seasoning (I like 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/3 tsp rosemary)
- zest of the other half of the lemon
- 3-4 (3) thin lemon slices
- pepper flakes ,black pepper, vegan parm for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the fettuccine according to instructions on the package, rinse in cold water and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for half a minute.
- Add asparagus, pinch of salt and black pepper and mix. Cover to cook/steam for 3 mins or until bright green. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add oil to the same skillet over medium heat, add garlic and cook for a few seconds. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 2 mins
- Meanwhile, blend ingredients from tofu to flour until smooth. Add the blended sauce to the skillet, add herbs, and mix in. Bring to a simmer. Fold in the rest of the lemon zest, lemon slices. Taste and adjust salt and flavor with additional salt , garlic powder, herbs and some black pepper if needed.
- Add the the cooked pasta and 2/3 of the asparagus and mix in. Cover and take off heat and let the flavors meld for 2 mins.
- Garnish with pepper flakes, black pepper and fresh basil and optional vegan parm and the cooked asparagus. and serve.
Christina Papulis
This was absolutely delicious! It came together in 30 minutes. (I omitted the onion, yet the flavors were spot on). We will be passing this recipe around and making it often.
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Heidi B
Just made this as I had some asparagus to use. It was quick, easy and delicious. I probably should have blended for a bit longer to make the sauce look better – but it tasted amazing!
Vegan Richa Support
yay!
Kim
This was a perfect dish that felt perfect for an early Spring meal. We added a few different veggies to give it more weightiness. Loved it – thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Wonderful!
Bethany B.
Yum! This was so easy and delicious. I love the concept of using tofu as the base for a sauce instead of cashews and the lemon + asparagus combination was of course delicious. Definitely worth making again. 🙂
Vegan Richa Support
its a nice change
Valerie
Excellent! Quick and easy just as described! Thank you, Richa!
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad you enjoyed.
Caryn
My sauce curddled. 🙁 What did I do wrong? I used soy milk, silken tofu, fresh squeezed lemon and all purpose GF flour.
Richa
I think it’s either the soy milk or the gf flour. The flour doesn’t thicken like regular flour so the lemon might have got the time to react with the soymilk. It’s prob mot curdled but just separated.,you can add cornstarch and cook to thicken it. Blending it really well also would help in the future , also blend in 2 tsp cornstarch
Heather
I was looking for a spring dinner party pasta dish and this hit the mark! I made this as written for a trial run. Loved it! For the dinner party of all non-vegans (except me), including at least one non-veggie lover, I decided to make it without asparagus and with spinach on the side. I encouraged mixing the spinach in with the linguini and sauce. It was a hit! Perfect amount of lemon and garlic flavor, so creamy. Also quick and easy enough to make this for weeknight dinners.
Vegan Richa Support
sounds like a great 🎊 party
Gabriela
This recipe was absolutely delicious 😋 super easy too! I will be making this again soon!
Vegan Richa Support
glad to hear it
Tiffany
I am still new to using tofu. Do I need to press it before I use it for this recipe?
Vegan Richa Support
not when blending into a sauce – press is a good idea when sauteeing or baking to crisp it up
Roseann Magda
Very good! It took longer than the 30 minutes for me to make it, but it was time well spent. This recipe is a keeper.
Dee Hughes
Made this last night for dinner and it was delicious. The creamy, lemon sauce is so simple and so tasty. I added some cherry tomatoes and spinach that I had in the fridge. I
Richa
Awesome
Michelle
This was FANTASTIC! It’s asparagus season so I was looking for something different to make with my surplus. I used the cashew substitution (instead of tofu) and wow! The sauce is delicious. My husband said it tasted like a pasta dish from a high end (expensive) restaurant! Now I am looking forward to enjoying the leftovers!
Richa
Yay!
Felicia
The asparagus add such a great lightness to this dish, and I loved how tart it was. If I were to make it for guests I might leave out a bit of the lemon indicated to add but for myself it was perfect and very spring-like!
Leslie
This tastes delicious! If I made a double batch, do you know if I could freeze half of it for a quick meal later?
Vegan Richa Support
thank you, yes, taht would work
Hannah Reyes
Sauce needs WAY MORE seasoning/garlic. Great recipe otherwise! I had fun making it.
Richa
this happens because of the different brands of tofu. Some foods are a lot more strong flavored and overshadow the flavors. Adjust during simmering to preference
Lynley
I’ve made this recipe several times for home and for others. It’s a winner and has made it onto my repeat recipes document. The simplicity of the recipe belies the wow factor! I’ve had nothing but compliments. Thank you!
Alicia
Made this again; it is so good!! I didn’t have mushrooms, but added roasted zucchini and yellow squash along with the asparagus and some fresh cherry tomatoes. Thanks for another winner!
Nina
If making the cashew with milk do I still use silken tofu? I am halving and making it for 2 people, any ideas what I can use rest of tofu up on. I’m quite new to tofu silken Thanks
Richa
If using cashews you don’t need to use silken tofu. If you do use the tofu then you can use the remaining for a Mousse or other sauces
Sandra
A wonderful fresh celebration of spring!
lisa
LOVE – love using tofu as the base instead of Cashews to keep the calories down!
Carole
This is a favorite at our house! So good
Vegan Richa Support
great Carole, thanks! I”m glad that everyone enjoyed it
Kelly Koepp
I cannot wait to make this for a group! My son loves chicken alfredo, I think he would love this. I most likely will add a little more asparagus and mushrooms. This is so tasty! I went no oil and it feels like you are cheating, even when you’re not.
Vegan Richa Support
thank you, exactly – great taste doesn’t have to mean many calories and you can never have too many veggies
Heena
This was delicious! I didn’t have enough asparagus so I added broccoli and red bell peppers. I used penne pasta, the sauce perfectly nestled into the creases of the pasta. The tofu sauce is pure genius.
This was my first Vegan Richa recipe, I can’t wait to try the others!
Vegan Richa Support
amazing !! thank you. yes sauces and pastas are best when they compliment/match each other. Nice adaptation with the broccoli and peppers
Lindsay
Delicious!!! I just made this and I’m glad I doubled the recipe so we can enjoy it again tomorrow. I have been searching for a nut free alfredo type of sauce and i can’t believe i never considered tofu. Silken tofu made it soooooo smooth and creamy!
And i made these one the side. 🙂
https://www.veganricha.com/2015/11/easy-dinner-rolls-no-yeast.html
Richa
awesome
Jeffy, (Plant Based Bro)
Great dish Richa! Made a double recipe and the leftovers tasted better every time I heated some up. Made a video of the process too… Thanks for all the great recipes! You crush it every time!
Cheers!
Richa
Thats a cool video! Glad you loved it!
Jeffy
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
dana
Just made this using 6 servings (for 3 people). Delicious! Had to use spaghetti noodles, & no asparagus so the following is for the sauce only:
did not have lemon for zest so used 6 TB organic lemon juice & ended up adding more to taste; left out mushrooms (1 son does not like); used 14 oz block extra firm tofu, pressed (what I had & the only size I’ve ever seen it in); 8 cloves garlic; 1 small yellow onion; 2 cups soy milk; couldn’t be bothered figuring out how much .38 tsp was so I guesstimated on parsley, basil & rosemary as well as onion powder (used dehydrated onion, didn’t feel like grinding to a powder prior to putting in blender) & ground mustard. 1 tsp salt and 3 TB nutritional yeast & 6 tsp of tapioca flour/starch in hopes of thickening the sauce. Even heating did not thicken it enough (for me) but I didn’t want to add more flour and end up tasting the flour.
I did not like the way it tasted with the nutritional yeast but I had not finished adding things to taste. Once I was finished I couldn’t taste the nutritional yeast at all. Will omit next time.
Heated it up in my vitamix and I almost swooned when I tasted it! I asked my son if he liked it (he loves pasta and all carbs). He said it tasted “alright”. I think it was a “teenager thing” because as I was writing the review he came back for a LARGE second helping, even asking if it was ok for him to take so much. I had already eaten my small portion and he had determined there was enough left in the pot for his brother.
My pasta loving son is a junk food vegetarian. I’ll cook something he says he likes for dinner, and he has been known to eat an entire box of Cheez Its instead. So this is definitely being fixed for dinner at least twice a week at this house! Once with asparagus, since it’s “alright” and once with brussel sprouts which he actually likes.
Richa
awesome!
Crissie
Just made this for dinner! Subbed in peas (it’s what I had), but I’m sure it was no less delicious!
Richa
yay!
Dana
This so was good! Thank you for your wonderful recipe! I omitted the nutritional yeast and added capers. Will definitely be a repeat in our house. I had no idea that tofu would blend into such a creamy sauce!
Richa
awesome!
Pamela Ann Skinberg
This was a big hit with my non-vegan friends. Everyone wanted the recipe. I used roasted garlic and about a teaspoon of miso paste (I put that stuff in everything) 🙂 for some extra oomph.
For the herbs, I used basil, parsley and tarragon. I think I may have doubled up on the lemon and it was great!
I used oat milk as I find it to be richer in both flavour and consistency, and soft tofu. This was really a great recipe and I will be using it as my basic cream sauce for everything. Game-changer.
Richa
awesome!
Brittany
Can I blend the sauce ahead of time and put it in the fridge until I’m ready to make it?
Richa
yes
Brittany
Can I blend the sauce ahead of time and put it in the fridge until I’m ready make it?
Richa
Yes you can.there might be separation, but it will mix in when you heat it
Lauren
This dish was so creamy and delicious! The mushrooms add a great flavor as well! I love so many of your recipes! Thank you for sharing – the hardest part of my weekly meal planning is narrowing down which delicious recipes I’ll make each week. This is definitely added to the favorites list!
Richa
awesome!
Liz
Hi,
I’m looking forward to trying this! If I’m going to make the cashew version, do I use 1.5 cups of nondairy milk plus the 1 cup in the recipe, or just 1.5 cups total? Thanks!
Richa
1.5 cups total
Rebecca
So unbelievably delicious!
Richa
thanks!
Carly
This recipe looks great I can’t wait to try it! Do you need the nutritional yeast or can it be made without it?
Richa
without is totally fine.
Pam Moore
Made this tonight and loved how the lemon flavor came through the tofu cream sauce. My first time using tofu so wasn’t sure if I would like; absolutely loved it! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Richa
awesome!! thanks! you can use half tofu and half cashews for a more neutral flavor.
Meryl
We loved this recipe! I included one portobello mushroom, and for the herbs used 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp rosemary, and 1/2 tsp oregano.
Richa
awesome!
Agata
Oh we will!! And aim for leftovers. XX
Agata
My only issue is how to make 8oz of pasta feed 4. You’ve clearly not seen my kids eat. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!!
Richa
😀 we are small portion eaters 🙂 you can double it or triple!
Alicia
Made this! I made a small slurry of cornstarch and water to add to the sauce to thicken it. It’s delicious! I had some asparagus sitting in my fridge in water just waiting to be used and lemons coming out of my ears (tis the season here in AZ) — this was the perfect happy marriage for both. Thank you!
Richa
yay!!
Alice Mola
Cant wait to try this!
Lou
This looks incredible. Just one thing – Should you press the firm tofu before blending?
Richa
no pressing needed!
Emily
Hi Richa –
Such a good recipe! I love using lemon to brighten up pasta dishes for the spring time, and I liked the texture that the tofu gave!
Richa
thanks!
Rebecca
This sounds so delicious! Just wondering why not use silken tofu since it seams like that would be creamier? Thank you.
Richa
you can use silken too. i should add that option.
I usually have firm lying around and i always use that. once blended both are creamy. I find that the firm adds more fluffy volume which i like.
Nancy
Hi Richa! This lemony pasta looks divine. I just received your Everyday Kitchen cookbook. It’s so beautiful! I can’t wait to read it from cover to cover, and try the recipes.
Richa
awesome! thanks for getting the book!
Helyn Dunn
Looks amazing., Richa! Can’t wait to try.
Richa
Thank you Helyn!
Zach
Made and devoured! Next time I will be adding more garlic to the mushrooms/onions and maybe some garlic powder to the cream. Your recipe actually doesn’t mention how much garlic to add in with the mushrooms so I only used one clove (since I had initially chopped up two for the asparagus haha). Definitely would enjoy more though.
I very rarely have a lemon flavored dish for dinner, I loved the light flavor!
Zach
Also great idea to use tofu for the sauce. No one would EVER guess tofu!
Richa
its so creamy and non tofu tasting!
Richa
awesome! oops yes, 3-5 cloves in the sauce.
Zoë
This recipe sounds delicious, and I’m keen to try it. I am pretty new to vegan cooking though, and I’m wondering if I go for the soy free version, do I have to soak the cashews before I blend them?
Richa
thanks! yes soak them in hot water for 15 mins for smoother blending.
Karuna
The explanation quite understantable, step by step easy to follow and healthy recipe. Thanks and hopefully many menu will appear after this.