This Green Pasta is an excellent way to get your daily dose of greens. Spinach and Swiss chard are blended with silken tofu to achieve a rich and velvety sauce. It’s high in fiber and protein and has a healthy dose of veggies.
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I’m a big believer in getting creative in the kitchen when it comes to getting your picky eaters to try new vegetables. One of my favorite ways to ensure my kids eat their leafy greens is to blend them into pasta sauce. They devour the pasta and don’t even realize they’re eating their vegetables. In fact, when they were younger, I called this recipe green monster pasta, and they couldn’t get enough!
Both spinach and Swiss chard have a milk flavor. When combined with silken tofu, nutritional yeast, and fresh lemon, you have a bright, creamy sauce with a beautiful green hue.
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Why You’ll Love This Green Pasta
Quick and Easy: This recipe comes together in 20 minutes! There’s no chopping or heavy food prep necessary. Just blend, warm, and toss with your favorite pasta.
Versatile: I used rigatoni for this recipe because I love the way the ridges hold onto the sauce, but you can use any pasta you like. This sauce would pair beautifully with chickpea pasta!
Flavorful: This pasta has an earthy “green” flavor accentuated with aromatic garlic, citrus notes, and an umami undertone.
Healthy: All the ingredients that give this recipe its flavor are also loaded with protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Ingredients and Notes
Rigatoni: Rigatoni has the perfect texture and shape to grab the sauce.
Spinach and Swiss Chard: A blend of spinach and Swiss chard gives the sauce a deep, earthy flavor with a sweet note.
Silken Tofu: Adding silken tofu to the sauce provides a rich, creamy texture and tons of protein!
Garlic: Garlic adds a subtle zing.
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a bright citrus undertone that balances the other flavors in the sauce.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast gives the sauce a cheesy uamami note similar to parmesan.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Substitutions and Variations
Greens: Use different green vegetables to create different flavor profiles for your sauce. Add avocado for an extra creamy element, or try collards or kale.
Onion: Add sauteed onion for more aromatic notes to the sauce. You must saute the onions prior to adding them, as raw onions will be way too potent in flavor.
Gluten-Free: Create a gluten-free version with gluten-free pasta.
Add Some Heat: After I serve the kids, I add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to give this pasta some kick!
How to Make This Green Pasta Recipe
- Wash the Swiss chard, roughly chop, and remove the stems.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to aboil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, including the reserved pasta water.
- Pour the green pasta sauce into a large
saucepan and stir consistently until it bubbles. Reduce the heat. - Add the pasta to the sauce and fold it together.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cashew parmesan.
FAQ
When raw, Swiss chard tastes like spinach with an added bitter note. However, when it’s cooked, this green becomes mild and sweet.
Silken tofu doesn’t taste like anything, making it a great ingredient in vegan recipes. Silken tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is combined with. I can be used in vegan sauces, scrambles, and desserts.
Garlic gets bitter if it’s cooked for too long or at a temperature that’s too high. Always cook garlic on medium or lower, and never let it toast.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to remove the stems when preparing your Swiss chard. They’re very tough.
- Pulse the blender a few times when you first blend your ingredients. This breaks them up and makes it easier for the blender to thoroughly combine them.
- Use a gentle, folding motion when mixing the pasta with the sauce to avoid breaking up the noodles.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this pasta with a sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese. You could add my favorite chickpea meatballs to the pasta for more protein! Serve with a side salad like this summer berry salad or blood orange salad, and for something really special, add a few slices of vegan garlic bead.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store this green pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Store for up to 2 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
Reheat: Defrost the pasta if frozen, then microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated.
Rigatoni pasta coated in a green sauce in white serving bowl with a gold fork.
More Veggie Filled Pasta Recipes!
Recipe
Green Pasta with Spinach and Swiss Chard
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 10 ounce leaf spinach
- 1 bunch Swiss Chard about 3 cups chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 14 ounces silken tofu
- 16 ounces rigatoni pasta or other pasta of choice
Instructions
- Wash the Swiss chard well, remove the stems, and roughly chop.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding a healthy spoonful of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add the spinach, Swiss chard, garlic, sea salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tofu, and reserved pasta water to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring consistently. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the sauce and gently fold together. Serve with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer, you can cook the greens in water and then transfer them to an ice bath. Be sure to wring them out of any extra water. Then add to the blender.
- Another option is to saute the minced garlic in a saucepan before adding the cloves to the blender.
- For some added spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Use your favorite pasta, including gluten-free varieties.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
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