Description
Creamy, fresh, and vividly green, this nettle pasta sauce is a nourishing way to make the most of stinging nettle season. Blanched nettles are blended with roasted macadamia nuts, hemp milk, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice to create a flavorful, dairy-free and plant-based sauce that comes together in minutes. Serve it with your favorite gluten-free or lectin-free pasta for a simple and nutritious spring lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
For the nettle sauce
- 2 cups blanched stinging nettles, very well packed
- 2 pieces spring garlic or about 4 garlic cloves
- About 10 roasted macadamia nuts (raw macadamias or blanched almonds can also be used)
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup hemp milk, adjusted according to your blender and desired consistency
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For serving
- Cooked pasta of your choice
- A few tablespoons of pasta cooking water
- 1/4 cup toasted almond flakes
- Fresh or dried oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Wearing gloves, wash the fresh nettles thoroughly in several changes of water.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the nettles and blanch them for about five minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain. Once cool enough to handle, gently press out excess water.
- Add the blanched nettles, garlic, macadamia nuts, hemp milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more hemp milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Gently warm the sauce in a pan. Add the cooked pasta and a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water, then toss until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Serve immediately with toasted almond flakes, oregano, freshly ground black pepper, and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Unsweetened almond milk can replace the hemp milk. Coconut milk is not recommended because its flavor may overpower the dish.
For extra protein, begin by cooking chicken, ground beef, sausage, bacon, or prosciutto. Add the nettle sauce and cooked pasta once the protein is ready.
If you consume dairy, serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Store leftover uncooked sauce in a closed jar in the refrigerator and use it the following day.
