• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • about
  • RECIPES
  • LIFESTYLE
  • BLOGGING
  • VIDEO
  • SHOP
  • Cookbooks
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • My Books
  • Videos
  • About
  • holiday
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » recipes » entree » pasta » Creamy Cashew Cream Pasta with Lemon, Spinach & Tempeh Bacon Bits

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Mar 23, 2020 · published: Mar 31, 2015 · About 4 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

    Creamy Cashew Cream Pasta with Lemon, Spinach & Tempeh Bacon Bits


    I love cashew cream pasta, aka Vegan Alfredo. But I wanted to lighten it up a bit, add the sauce to taste, add some greens and lemon and tons of flavorful crispy little bits. AND make it into a one bowl wonder meal. This Cashew Cream Pasta succeeded in all those things and more!

    Pasta Night. Cashew cream pasta with lemon, organic spinach wilted in and smoky-maple tempeh bacon bits. What a winner for dinner! Yes, that rhymed. I must be on a roll here. The best part is how fancy yet easy this meal is. 30 minute meal approved. I did not even pre-soak my cashews. Have this fancy-casual, date-night-meets-family-dinner meal. I used a gluten free quinoa-brown rice pasta, but you can use any pasta you’d like! Pasta night awaits you..

    Before adding the goodies..

    Goodies on top!

    Dive in to a vegan pasta night..

    This decadent, yet surprisingly light meal is loaded with healthy-delicious flavors. Lemon, spinach, garlic, cashew cream, black pepper, smoky maple and nutty quinoa-rice pasta. SO satisfying! Serve with a glass of vegan wine and toast to what a brilliant cook you are. I mean, YOU can totally have this for dinner tonight, I promise!.. #easy

    Assembly of this dish in a video. Be sure to click the upper right hand corner to give this video a thumbs up without leaving HHL!..

    Cashew Cream Pasta with Lemon, Spinach, Tempeh Bacon Bits

    By Kathy PatalskyPublished 03/30/2015Cashew Cream Pasta with Lemon, Spinach, Tempeh Bacon Bits
    This delicious vegan cashew cream pasta has accents of garlic, lemon and black pepper. Spinach and smoky maple tempeh bacon bits. Pasta night worth craving and dreaming about!

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup white onion, diced
    • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • —
    • cashew cream:
    • 1 cup raw cashews (quick soaked)
    • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + pinch of salt
    • ½ cup warm pasta waster (from cooking pasta)
    • —
    • Tempeh Bacon:
    • 4oz. tempeh, diced
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup, grade B
    • ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika (or a few drops liquid smoke)
    • To serve, garnish on top: fresh lemon zest and fresh black pepper to taste
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt (or less – tiny pinch)
    • To serve, garnish on top: fresh lemon zest and fresh black pepper to taste
    • —
    • Pre-cooked: 3 cups freshly cooked pasta (quinoa-rice gluten-free spirals used)
    • 2 cups fresh organic baby spinach

    Instructions

    1. About ten minutes before starting this recipe, soak 1 cup raw cashews in hot water — boiling works best, but the warmest setting on your tap will also work. Add a pinch of salt to the water and let the cashews sit for at least ten minutes — longer is even better, but ten minutes will work, as I tested.
    2. Heat a skillet over high heat and add the 1 teaspoon EVOO. Then add the onions. Cook for 2-5 minutes until edges are very browned and caramelized. Pour onions into a bowl and set aside.
    3. In the same skillet, add all the tempeh bacon ingredients and keep skillet on high heat. Toss bits around until well coated. Cook for 2-4 minutes, or until edges start to blacken and all liquid is absorbed. You want them to have crispy edges. Turn heat off skillet and set aside — or if you are worried about the bits burning, remove them from the skillet and set aside. (Best to keep them warm in the skillet though until needed.)
    4. While you are skillet-ing, you can be bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dry pasta — cook according to package, until al dente in texture. (About 8-10 minutes on average) — drain pasta and place in a large mixing bowl. Reserve pasta water for step three!
    5. Sauce: Drain cashews and add the cashews, and all cashew cream ingredients into a blender or food processor. High-speed blender is a must for smooth, silky cashew cream. Blend from low to high until silky smooth.
    6. Assembly! (See my video above for the best big picture of this process.) Toss pasta with the onion. Then add the spinach. The warm pasta will wilt the spinach. Then add in two to three heaping spoonfuls of cashew cream. Toss. Pour pasta into serving bowls. Add a spoonful of sauce on top. Add tempeh bits and fresh lemon zest on top too. Serve warm.

    Yield: 2-3 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. Total time: 30 mins. Tags: pasta,vegan,cashew cream.dinner,entree,lemon,tempeh,

    Oh those facon bits! love love love..

    More fave ways to use cashew cream..

    * On bagels! For a bagel feast.
    * Pot Pie
    * Enchiladas
    * On Pizza!
    * Nachos
    * Topping for seven layer dip — or a seven layer dip bowl.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Sunny Blues Breakfast Cookies
    • The Best Sunflower Butter! (for People Who May Not Like Sunflower Butter…)
    • THAT Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Chef: Vegan Version! + giveaway!
    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    How I Found My Lost Cat – Tips to Help

    Vegan Linzer Cookies

    5 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Pie

    Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

    Primary Sidebar

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    newsletter:

    Trending

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky

    featured: peach coconut water smoothie

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me