Creamy, delicious, and made with simple ingredients, this vegan mushroom broccoli pasta with lemon garlic cream sauce is a simple and delicious dinner. It’s ready in about 20 minutes and approved by both kids and adults!
You guys. I didn’t think it would be possible to make a dairy free sauce that was so creamy, so simple, and so easy to make. Yet here we are.
While I love my roasted red pepper pasta and lentil bolognese, I think this mushroom broccoli pasta with lemon garlic cream sauce might take the cake on my all type favorite pasta recipes.
Sprinkle on top some cashew parmesan and you’ve suddenly gone to vegan pasta heaven.
There’s no cashew soaking involved (I got you impatient people) but you still get a gorgeously creamy sauce in *literally* 20 minutes. I think I found heaven. It’s perfect for a quick family dinner, and you can even toss in some grilled chicken or salmon if you aren’t vegan for some added protein.
How to make vegan pasta
It’s easier than you think ladies and gents. Follow these simple steps to get the perfect lemon garlic cream sauce every time.
First, you’ll want to bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. You can use any type of pasta, but I like rigatoni for this vegan broccoli pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, add the chopped broccoli and mushrooms to a pan with about 1/2 inch of water and let steam for about 5-7 minutes.
To prepare the sauce, mince the garlic very finely and add to a large saute pan with the olive oil. Cook until the garlic starts to brown slightly.
Whisk in the flour until no clumps remain. It’s going to look clumpy because of the garlic, but as long as you whisk it really well, there shouldn’t actually be any clumps of flour. Slowly pour in the almond milk and whisk together.
Add in the lemon juice and reduce heat to low. Let simmer until the sauce is thick. This should take about 10 or so minutes.
Add in the salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Try not to add the lemon and salt too close together (wait a few minutes between the two).
For some reason when I did this once, the garlic turned blue when it reacted with the salt. If anyone can explain that to me, I’m all ears!!
For an extra creamy sauce, use an immersion blender to process the sauce until completely smooth or just add it to a regular blender.
It will be delicious and creamy blended or not! I personally like the blender method because it really infuses the garlic flavor into every bite and gives a really silky texture, but the choice is yours!
Add the veggies and sauce to the pasta and combine well. Top with additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes and enjoy!
How to store
Once prepared, this mushroom broccoli pasta will store in the fridge for about 3 days, but tastes best when served right away. To reheat, add to a pan with a splash of milk and heat until creamy and warm.
I have not tried freezing this pasta, but I do think it would be ok! If you use gluten free pasta like I did, just keep it mind it will fall apart a bit when it defrosts, it unfortunately doesn’t hold together as well.
You can freeze for up to 1 month, then thaw and reheat on the stove.
Ingredient tips & swaps
FLOUR. We’ll be using a bit of flour to thicken the sauce. The brown rice flour can be subbed for any neutral flour like whole wheat (if not gluten free), regular rice flour, gluten free all purpose flour etc. Try to stick to a flour that has a very neutral flavor.
MILK. Any kind of plain/unsweetened milk will work here. I usually use almond or soy, so if you want to keep it nut free, just use soy! I don’t recommend oat milk because it is naturally a bit sweeter. Almond, soy or regular cows milk work best if you are not vegan.
SALT. I know a whole teaspoon and a half of salt seems like a lot, but it really rounds out the flavor of this dish, so don’t skimp on it!
GARLIC. I’ve received a few questions about the 12 cloves of garlic. Yes, I really do mean TWELVE cloves! Trust me, it’s amazing. The flavors calm down when it cooks, so it won’t be overpowering! I like to use this garlic press to ensure the garlic is very finely minced.
Try these recipes next
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Vegan Vodka Sauce
- White Wine Cream Sauce
- Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
- Carrot Pasta Sauce
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
Mushroom Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta of choice
- 1 head broccoli chopped into florets
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- 2 ¼ cups unsweetened plain non dairy milk I used soy
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice about 2 large lemons
- 12 large garlic cloves about 3-4 tablespoons minced
- 3 tablespoons brown rice flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper or to taste
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Gently wipe mushrooms to remove any dirt.
- Slice each mushroom into about 4 pieces.
- Add to a pan with the broccoli florets, add 2 tbsp of oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for about 5-7 minutes. Afterwards, drain off any extra liquid that was released from the mushrooms.
- Mince the garlic and add to a large pot with the olive oil and cook until the garlic starts to brown.
- Stir in the flour and whisk to combine.
- Slowly stir in the non-dairy milk and continue to whisk.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce has thickened. If the sauce doesn't thicken to your desired consistency after 10 minutes, whisk in an additional tablespoon of flour.
- Add the salt and pepper and stir.
- For an ultra creamy sauce, transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender and process until completely smooth. I prefer blending the sauce because it infuses the garlic flavor into every bite and makes it incredibly creamy and silky.
- Add the mushrooms, broccoli and sauce to the cooked pasta. Stir to incorporate. It may seem saucy at first, but the pasta will soak some of it up.
- Top with additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes if desired and enjoy!
Elizabeth says
Can you freeze this ?
Claire Cary says
You can, but the pasta might not hold up very well, especially if you use a gluten free pasta!
JOHN R VALDEZ says
Great recipe!! The dish came out delicious and savory!!
Emma says
Hi, I just tried making this recipe for 1 portion and it tasted fab! However, I was just wondering where you got your nutritional information for the pasta? For 4oz of pasta (chickpea or regular) per serving, I would expect this calorie count to be much higher.
Claire Cary says
So glad you liked it! The nutrition is automatically calculated, so take it with a grain of salt 🙂 but I agree, that was way off, it has been adjusted and should be more accurate now!
mandy says
I only have vanilla almond milk on hand and really don’t want to run out. Can I substitute whole milk instead? And if so would it be the same quantity?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tested this with whole milk, but yes I think it would be fine with the same quantity. Whole milk is much sweeter than other kinds of milk though so keep that in mind. You may want a touch more salt, lemon or pepper to balance it out
Jackie says
If you’re not really concerned with dairy, could you use whole milk instead?
Claire Cary says
Yes, I imagine that would work! Whole milk does tend to have a sweeter flavor though, so just be aware of that. Let me know how it turns out!
Jennifer says
We had some broccoli that I needed to use, so I made this for the first time last night. It was better than I thought it would be! So flavorful, and the way the sauce clings to the broccoli is fantastic! And, even better, it was super easy! Will definitely make this again when I have broccoli!
Claire Cary says
Omg I know! It actually makes broccoli enjoyable 🙂
Anne says
Loved it! Served over gnocchi. The lemon tang is amazing.
Claire Cary says
Yum! Such a great idea, I’ll have to try it with the gnocchi!
Alli says
This was absolutely delicious! Between my husband, my 3 and 4 year old sons, and me, we finished the whole pan! My sons each had 3 bowls… There is no better endorsement than that. 🙂 Thank you so much… We can’t wait to have this again! I used whole wheat rigatoni, and I agree, it was the perfect pasta for this dish.
Claire Cary says
Love that! Kid approved recipes are the best 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Gracie says
Do you think the sauce could be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge? I try to meal prep as much as possible and the more I can get done, the better.
Claire Cary says
I think it could work! It will definitely thicken up more as it sits in the fridge, so you might want to add a splash of milk and whisk it really well when you’re ready to use it.
Jackie says
This dish is really yummy! Thank-you!
Paula says
What type of non dairy milk did you use?
Claire Cary says
I use unsweetened, plain almond milk!
Gena says
Just made this tonight. It was easy and tasty! I added zest from half a lemon into the sauce and more when serving along with some vegan parm cheese. So tasty!
Claire Cary says
Thank you for the feedback Gena! So happy you enjoyed it.
Richelle says
The garlicky lemon cream sauce is to die for. Will make this again and again! Thank you
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Richelle! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Shelbie says
Made this tonight! After a disastrous mistake of using vanilla almond milk, I salvaged it with the leftover Ripple I had in my fridge for my daughter. It came out delicious, and my non-dairy free husband loved it! I subbed peas in for the broccoli and added cubed ham. We’ll definitely be making this again!
Andreea says
Super yummy!! Thank you for sharing! I made the recipe and is simply delicious!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Andreea! I’m so happy you liked it. Would love if you could leave a star rating with your next review, it really helps!
Brittany says
An easy but delicious weeknight dinner option!!! Loved this recipe!
Claire Cary says
Thanks Brittany! It’s my favorite weeknight dinner 🙂
Michelle Bühler says
Super tasty! I loved it, super easy and fast to make. I will repeat this recipe soon!!!
Claire Cary says
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Madison says
This is the ultimate comfort food! I added a mix bunch of frozen mushrooms and some hot pepper flakes.
Claire Cary says
Sounds perfect! Pasta is the perfect comfort food!
Jennifer Oneal says
Can you make this with regular flour instead?
Claire Cary says
Yes, any neutral flour such as all purpose flour should be fine!
Caroline says
I also grew up in MA and I know the EXACT Bertucci’s dish you’re talking about! It was my favorite! Looking forward to making this soon! (-:
Claire Cary says
Right?! It was my favorite too! I hope you love this recipe just as much!
Teri Weefur says
This looks delish! Trying it tonight!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Teri! Let me know how you like it!
Emily says
I have been craving a pasta sauce like this ever since switching to a plant based lifestyle, and all the recipes I find seem very complicated. I made this tonight for dinner, and it was incredibly easy and convenient to make, and exactly what I have been craving. I swapped the brown rice flour for tapioca, but it still turned out amazing and very very creamy. So simple yet one of my new favorite pasta dishes. Thank you!!!
Claire Cary says
Hey Emily! I’m so glad to hear you liked it! Easy pasta recipes are my favorite, so there will be lots more to come 🙂