Pasta Alfredo is a comfort food I thought I’d have to give up when I switched to a plant-based diet. Then I was introduced to the wonders of vegan cheese sauces! You could say this Veggie Pasta Alfredo recipe was inevitable.

This recipe was inspired Minimalist Baker’s 30-Minute Vegan Alfredo. Their recipes are ideal for lazy cooks like me, except I got even lazier on this one. I wondered if I could make the Alfredo sauce from start to finish in a blender. It worked like a charm!

Endless Veggie Possibilities

I also wanted to pack in lots of veggies. A family friend has been sharing a surplus of summer squash from his garden. I added it to the braising greens I picked up from our local farm buying club.

Lastly, I added some lovely cherry tomatoes to the mix. I like to add tomatoes at the end of cooking – so they are just warmed through.

The veggie combo in this recipe is just one of a number of possibilities. I say chop up and steam sauté whatever you have on hand. I bet broccoli would be delicious…

Veggie Pasta Alfredo

However, I do recommend this veggie combination. The dish offers a lovely mix of colors, textures and flavors:

Warm juicy red/orange tomatoes

Sweet yellow summer squash

An earthy mix of kale, collard greens and chard

Feel good pasta with creamy cheesy-garlic Alfredo

Print Pin 5 from 1 vote Veggie Pasta Alfredo - vegan and gluten free This vegan and gluten-free veggie pasta Alfredo offers a lovely combination of colors, textures and flavors. The sauce is made quick and easy in a blender. Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Servings 8 Ingredients Alfredo Sauce 3 1/2 cups almond milk

1/4 cup olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic large

3/4 cups nutritional yeast

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup arrow root powder

1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper Veggie Pasta 1/4 cup water more as needed

1 bunch braising greens (mix of kale, collard greens and/or chard), chopped

2 summer squash large, chopped, zucchini and/or yellow squash

1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half

16 oz. gluten-free pasta Instructions Alfredo Sauce Add Alfredo ingredients to a high-speed blender in the order they are listed.

Begin blending on low and increase to highest speed.

Blend on high for 3-4 minutes.

Leave the sauce in the blender while you prepare the pasta and veggies. Veggie Pasta Add ¼ cup of water to a large (5-quart) non-stick sauté pan

Place chopped greens and summer squash in the pan and steam sauté for 10 to 15 minutes on medium high. (Allow steam to build up in covered pan, stir veggies, cover and repeat until veggies nearly reach desired tenderness. You may need to add more water to keep veggies from sticking to the pan.) When veggies are nearly done, reduce heat to low and leave covered.

When veggies begin to soften, cook pasta according to package instructions.

When pasta has about 5 minutes to go, turn heat on veggies back up to medium and pour Alfredo sauce into the pan. Stir continuously until sauce thickens then reduce heat back to low and cover pan.

Drain and rinse pasta and add it to the pan of veggies. Stir until pasta, veggies and sauce are well mixed.

Stir in sliced tomatoes and let sit for a minute before serving.

Garnish with fresh basil and/or vegan Parmesan if desired. Notes If you use rice milk instead of almond milk, use 3 cups instead of 3 1/2 cups in order to achieve the right creamy consistency.

Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.