This creamy, decadent vegan spinach fettuccine alfredo is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight, but fancy enough for a special occasion!
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Vegan Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo
I have a very clear memory of a dish that my mom made when I was a kid. Isn’t it interesting the way we associate different foods with different phases of our lives? My mom doesn’t remember this dish quite as clearly as I do, so I may have embellished this idea a bit, but…..it’s yummy, so we’ll go with it! The dish I remember had those retro green spinach fettuccine noodles from the 80s. I looked for them recently and couldn’t find any, so I improvised with plain fettuccine and fresh spinach and this might be even better! The noodles were tossed in a creamy sauce, and topped with walnuts and bacon. Yum! This vegan version of my childhood dish hits the spot!
Comfort Food Ingredients
This vegan spinach fettuccine alfredo is ultimate comfort food. Starchy pasta noodles, salty bacon pieces, decadent walnut chunks, and a creamy sauce. Add some spinach for a pop of color—you’ll hardly taste it, and you’ll feel less indulgent (this is what I tell myself)! I like to use Upton’s vegan bacon in this so that it’s quick and easy to make. You could also go the DIY route and make some homemade coconut bacon!
Kid Approved
On Monday the boys had the day off from school. I had grand ideas of going on an adventure to the waterfront, or the mountains….or somewhere other than my living room. But the boys were quite keen on staying home all day, in their jammies, playing video games….and since it was their day off I went with it! I switched gears from my adventure plans and into cooking mode so that I could snap pics for this post AND then serve it up for lunch! As I was heaping noodles into bowls David said “Mom, just serve yourself a bowl and then I’ll eat from the pot!” To which Jonny quickly replied “Hey, why do you get to steal all the love?” These two! Thankfully there was plenty for everyone!
A creamy vegan sauce….that’s nut free!
This yummy vegan spinach fettuccine alfredo is made with a creamy sauce that starts with a roux! A roux is fancy French for equal parts of flour and fat cooked together to thicken a sauce. In many cases you’d use butter as your fat, but in this dish I am using olive oil. You cook the two together in a pan so that the flour is toasted a bit, and not raw tasting, and then slowly whisk in your liquid. You could use some of the water from your pasta pot, or you could be slightly more decadent and use veggie stock. While most vegan cream sauces are nut based, this one is nut free! If you need to make the entire dish nut free you can skip the walnuts.
Almost a One Pot Dinner!
Ok, I supposed you could make this in one pot if you wanted to…but it would take longer that way. So I do this in two pots—one for the pasta and one for the sauce. More cleaning, less time cooking? I think that’s better. This way I can work on cooking the bacon and the sauce while the pasta boils. I dump the spinach onto the sauce while the pasta drains. Once the pasta has drained I toss it right on top of the spinach and mix it all up. Easy peasy!
More Delicious Vegan Pasta Dishes You Will Love
- Vegan Pasta Bolognese with Lentils (Pantry Staple Recipe)
- Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce — Nut Free!
- Pasta Power Bowl (vegan + GF option)
- Almond Butter Red Curry Noodles
- Classic Vegan Pesto
- Vegan Baked Ziti
Let’s Make Vegan Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo!
Are you ready to whip up this easy pasta dish? Simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner, but fancy enough for a special occasion. Leave me a note in the comments and let me know how you like it!
Vegan Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 package vegan bacon, chopped (I like Upton's Naturals)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable stock (I like Better than Boullion "no chicken"), see note
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces spinach (one "bag" from the grocery store, or equivalent)
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, liberally salt the water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- In the meantime, drizzle 1 Tablespoon into a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crispy.
- Add the walnuts and toast for 1 more minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and walnuts from the pot and set aside.
- Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Sprinkle the flour into the oil and stir to make a paste. Cook for a minute or so, allowing the flour to cook and lose the raw flavor, making a roux.
- Slowly drizzle in the vegetable stock, whisking the roux as you go to make a creamy sauce. Stir in the pepper. Lower heat and set aside while the pasta finishes cooking.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, ladle out about a half cup of pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce, and set it aside. Then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Place the spinach in the pot on top of the cream sauce. Pour the drained hot pasta onto the spinach to wilt it, and toss liberally until the sauce has completely coated the pasta and the spinach is wilted. If the sauce is not "saucy" enough, you can add some of the reserved pasta water to get the consistency the way you like it. Remove from heat.
- At this point you can mix in the bacon and walnuts, or you can save them to sprinkle on top of each portion.
- Serve and enjoy!
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