Green Pea Pasta

Every spring I look forward to fresh produce, vibrant flavors, and an overall brightness that comes back to my kitchen both literally and figuratively through my cooking. These three features are what inspired this Green Pea Pasta, perfect for a simple, plant-based dinner, or side dish at your next spring picnic or barbecue. Plus it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan! The peas get blended with soaked cashews, broth, fresh basil, and both lemon zest and juice for a creamy, herby sauce. Prep the sauce ahead of time and freeze to serve with fresh pasta for an easy weeknight meal. Make it with gluten-free or regular pasta and enjoy on it’s own or serve with a protein of your choice. This recipe is a part of my April 2026 easy but fancy dinner plan!

Green pea pasta ingredient notes:

Green peas: Although fresh pea season here in New England is only June through August, you can make this meal year round with frozen peas which typically come already blanched, saving you time and energy. In order to blanch fresh peas, boil them for 1-2 minutes and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water. An excellent source of fiber to aid digestion and keep you fuller longer, peas also provide the bright green coloring of this pasta.

Lemon: For a touch of acidity and additional bright flavors, we are using both the juice and zest of a lemon. Use a microplane or the small side of your cheese grater to get the fine zest needed.

Rigatoni: I prefer the elongated, tubular shape of rigatoni for this pasta for the perfect coating of sauce in every bite. You can make it with whatever you have on hand — macaroni, shells, spaghetti, fusilli, or your pasta shape of choice!

Cashews: The key to achieving that smooth and creamy texture of the sauce is soaking our cashews in boiling water before blending with the other ingredients. This allows the cashews to blend more easily, breaks down the fibers to help us digest, and assists in our ability to absorb the nutrients more easily.

green pea pasta

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

4.3 from 11 votes

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

4

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cook time

10

minutes

Every spring I look forward to fresh produce, vibrant flavors, and an overall brightness that comes back to my kitchen both literally and figuratively through my cooking. These three features are what inspired this Green Pea Pasta, perfect for a simple, plant-based dinner, or side dish at your next spring picnic or barbecue. Plus it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan! The peas get blended with soaked cashews, broth, fresh basil, and both lemon zest and juice for a creamy, herby sauce. Prep the sauce ahead of time and freeze to serve with fresh pasta for an easy weeknight meal. Make it with gluten-free or regular pasta and enjoy on it’s own or serve with a protein of your choice. This recipe is a part of my April 2026 fancy but easy dinner plan!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw cashews

• boiling water

• 12 ounces gluten-free rigatoni

• 1 1/2 cups green peas, thawed if frozen

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, up to 1/2 cup additional as needed

• zest of 1/2 lemon, additional for topping

• juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, additional for topping

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional to taste (reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if using salted cashews)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

• Add the cashews to a glass bowl or jar and cover completely in boiling water (about 2 cups). Set aside to soak for at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes (refer to package instructions). Drain, rinse with cold water, and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Drain the water from the soaked cashews. Add the cashews to a blender or food processor along with the peas, broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, 45 to 60 seconds. If needed, add additional broth (or water) 2 tablespoons at a time, until smooth.
• Pour the sauce over the rigatoni and mix well to evenly coat. To serve, divide between four bowls and top with lemon zest and basil.

Notes

• Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
• Reheat it: From refrigerated, microwave until warm, about 2 minutes, or heat in a small saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water or broth. From frozen, thaw the sauce in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight then heat according to microwave or stovetop instructions. Boil fresh pasta to serve.
• Cashews: The cashews blend to make a creamy dairy-free sauce. Swap for 3/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk or light cream.
• Rigatoni: Swap for pasta of choice. Something with ridges will work best.

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