This vegan creamy lemon basil corn pasta is the most summery of all pastas, and you probably won’t change my mind. Bright lemon, sweet corn and herby basil. The summer trifecta. All tossed with carbs and creamy sauce. What could be better, I ask you? Well, I’ll tell you. This is one of the fastest meals ever. It will get you out of the hot kitchen as quickly as possible. While somehow being one of the most incredible pasta dishes you’ve ever had.
The keys to making this extra great is to use fresh corn cut right off the cob. Then to get a nice sear on the corn to make it super sweet and juicy. Use super fresh basil right at the end so it just wilts slightly. Make sure the cream sauce is crazy smooth and flavorful. Absolutely add the lemon zest into the pasta at the end!
One of my favorite parts of my job is coming up with vegan comfort food no one has done before. Thinking of comfort food for the hot seasons when people don’t generally have that on their minds. Summer is always a challenge for me, but this pasta proves creamy pasta belongs in summer! It is light and fresh enough to work, but still so comforting for your belly!
This easy cream sauce is something that can be thrown together in a few minutes once the cashews have soaked. It is also one of my go to pasta sauce recipes. You can use this with so many other veggies. There really are many other delicious summer veggies that would work great with this sauce. Roasted tomatoes, zucchini and squash, shallots and spinach! They’d all be killer in this dish, but vegan creamy lemon basil corn pasta is totally magical and will be a permanent summer fixture!
Super creamy lemon pasta tossed with sweet corn and fresh basil.
- 1 Cup Raw cashews, soaked*
- 3/4 Cup Vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoon Lemon juice, divided
- 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled
- 12 Ounces Pasta
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 Ears of Corn
- 1/3 Cup Fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- Salt and Pepper to taste
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Once the cashews have soaked, make the cashew cream sauce, drain them and add them to a blender.
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Then add the veggie broth, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend on high, scraping down the sides as needed until the sauce is super smooth. It may take a minute or 2. Set aside.
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Now cook the pasta according to package directions.
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While the pasta is cooking, cut the kernels of corn off the cob. Then heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high. Then add the corn kernels and a pinch of salt and pepper.
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Saute, reducing heat as needed, for 3-4 minutes or until the corn has browned slightly. Remove from heat.
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When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot. Then pour in the cashew cream sauce you made. Toss to combine.
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Now add the corn, basil, remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine everything. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve!
*To soak the cashews, you can either soak them for 8 hours-overnight in cool water, or soak in boiling water for 30 minutes.
What type of pasta did you use?
It’s called fusilli col buco!
Just made this pretty much the second you posted it, and OMG, it is amazing and SO easy. I added a little extra garlic and lemon. So so good though, just like every recipe I’ve tried of yours! Thank you!!
This is absolutely delicious!!! It was very easy to make and is perfect comfort food. Thank you for sharing this, I’m gonna send it to everyone I know.
This was delicious and so easy! A great summer pasta. I used orecchiette which was perfect with the corn.
I live alone, so a lot of this will be leftovers. Would you recommend adding in the basil to only the portion I’m eating at the moment, and then add it in to the leftover portion as I heat it up? I’ll save some pasta water, as I know how thick and dry cashew sauce gets when reheated.
Yes, I think adding the basil to each portion is a great idea. If not it will probably get soggy and not so great! Adding extra pasta water is also an excellent idea!
Delicious!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
I used all of my basil the day before to make pesto so I added a few spoonfuls of that instead. SO GOOD!!
This is delicious, simple and we both loved it! Will make again.
Delicious and easy! Will definitely make again!
This was so refreshing and felt decadent at the same time. My carnivorous 3 and 4 year old, and my boyfriend, all really liked it as well.
Damnnnnnn. Am I allowed to say that? This was so delicious and so, so simple. The flavor was super bright and it was refreshing but still comforting. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while (or until I make it again). I used fresh corn straight from the farm and it was unbelievably good.
I am super interested in this, but we have a nut allergy in our house. What kind of sauce would you recommend instead of cashew (does not have to be vegan even)? Would alfredo work the same? Or would you think something different?
I think a regular alfredo sauce would be great!