Yet another sneaky veggie-style pasta recipe! For this one, we’re blanching some veggies in boiling water (before adding the pasta) and blending those up with sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, garlic, and other flavor boosters for an ultra creamy sauce loaded with veggies, protein, and healthy fats. Spinach optional (not so sneaky)!
Ingredient highlight
Sunflower seeds! These nutritional powerhouses are high in protein, vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, B vitamins, iron, folic acid, and fiber (to name a few).
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 5 minutes Ingredients
- 16 oz short pasta (penne, bowtie, fusilli, elbows, shells)
- 5 cups chopped veggies* (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrot, fennel, etc…)
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight**
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup pasta water
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 6 cups loosely packed spinach (optional)
- *My favorite veggie to use is cauliflower, but you can use a combo or any other veggie. I find cauliflower creates a creamier sauce.
- **For a quick soaking method, add sunflower seeds to a small pot and cover with water. Simmer for 10 minutes, then drain and transfer to the blender.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and season generously with salt (about 4 quarts of water, 2 tablespoons salt). Add your veggies and boil/blanch them until tender, about 5 minutes. Use a fine mesh strainer or tongs to remove the veggies from the pot and transfer to a high-speed blender.
- Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Add spinach in when the pasta has about 1 minute left to cook, submerging it in the water. Reserve about ½ cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
- Into the blender with the veggies, add sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, miso, oil, lemon (start with 2 tablespoons), ¼ cup pasta water, salt , nutmeg, and garlic. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt or lemon, if needed. If too thick, blend in more pasta water (or tap water).
- Transfer pasta pack to the pot, add the sunflower sauce, and toss to coat. If there is extra sauce, save it for topping leftovers.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Prep 5 cups chopped veggies
- Soak ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
Substitutions:
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles (Jovial Foods is my favorite).
- Try substituting pumpkin seeds for the sunflower seeds
- If you don’t have miso paste, substitute with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- You could add in chopped kale in place of spinach.
Storage:
- Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Save extra sauce for topping/adding to leftovers.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Add some extra sauce to the leftover pasta (when pasta sits in the fridge, it absorbs sauce, so you’ll want more. Warm up in the microwave until warmed through.
- Top with a squeeze of lemon and black pepper.
- Stir in some chopped up tomatoes and fresh basil.
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