Creamy vegan truffle pasta with balsamic-roasted broccoli rabe is the kind of dish that feels genuinely special without being difficult. The sauce is blended with zucchini and cashews, giving it a silky, lush texture that is lighter than you might expect. As one reader put it: “This was unbelievably good and the best recipe I’ve tried for broccoli rabe. Doesn’t even taste bitter.” Ready in about 45 minutes and elegant enough for a date night in. Finish with my vegan parmesan on top.

The zucchini in the sauce is the move here. It blends completely smooth and adds creaminess and body without the richness of cashews alone. My partner finds purely cashew-based sauces a bit heavy, so I am always looking for ways to lighten them up. The peeled zucchini gets us there! You would never know it was in the. mix.

A note on truffle oil: look for one with simple ingredients, just olive oil and truffle. Start with half a teaspoon, taste, and go from there. It is easy to overdo and a little goes a long way. The truffle aroma should be present, but not overwhelming.

Broccoli rabe is one of my favorite vegetables. It has a pleasantly bitter edge that the balsamic roasting method highlights nicely. The vinegar reduces and sweetens slightly in the oven, creating a perfect contrast to the bitter greens. If broccoli rabe is hard to find or too assertive for your taste, broccolini is a milder swap that works just as well in this vegan truffle pasta.

Creamy Vegan Truffle Pasta with Balsamic Roasted Broccoli Rabe

Silky cashew and zucchini truffle cream sauce tossed with pasta and topped with balsamic-roasted broccoli rabe. Special enough for date night, ready in 45 minutes.

5 from 4 reader reviews

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup diced)
• 1 small zucchini, peeled and diced (about 1 cup diced)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours & drained
• 1 cup water, plus extra
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon truffle oil, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• pinch ground nutmeg
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe
• 12 oz short pasta of choice
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
• vegan parmesan

Equipment

• Blender

Notes

• The only substitution suggestion I can offer for cashews is raw macadamia nuts or pine nuts. I know that these are likely even more expensive than cashews in most shopping scenarios, but they do have that same richness.

Instructions

• Heat a large, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the avocado oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the onion to the pan and saute until edges are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue to stir and saute until the zucchini is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and transfer the sauteed vegetables to an upright, high speed blender. To the blender, add the drained cashews, water, lemon juice, truffle oil, nutritional yeast, onion powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Blend the mixture on high until totally smooth, about 1 full minute. Add more water by the tablespoon if necessary. Set the creamy truffle sauce aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Separate the thin leaves from the broccoli rabe stalks and cut off the woody ends. Cut the trimmed broccoli rabe stalks into 2-inch pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Toss the chopped stalks with 2 teaspoon of the avocado oil, 1 teaspoon of the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Spread the coated pieces of broccoli rabe out on a large baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
• While the stalks are roasting, toss the thin broccoli rabe leaves in the remaining 2 teaspoons of avocado oil, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Really massage it in!
• At the 10 minute mark, remove the roasted broccoli rabe stalks from the oven and stir them up a bit. Scatter the coated broccoli rabe leaves over top and return the baking sheet to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the leaves soften and crisp up a bit on the edges.
• While the broccoli rabe is roasting, prepare your pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
• Wipe out the original large saute pan you were using and place it over medium heat. In the pan, combine the creamy truffle sauce and cooked pasta. Stir until the pasta is evenly hot and super creamy. Add splashes of pasta cooking water to loosen things up, if necessary.  Stir in ½ of the roasted broccoli rabe.
• Serve the creamy truffle pasta hot with the remaining roasted broccoli rabe on top with chili flakes and vegan “parm” if you like.

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Keyword: creamy vegan pasta, truffle pasta, vegan truffle pasta