Vegan Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Sauce
This delicious Vegan Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Sauce with pasta and Roasted Tomatoes is dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free and full of a rich and creamy lemon sauce. Fresh herbs take this dish up a notch and make it a healthy plant-based dish for any night of the week!
Servings: 2 cups of sauce
Ingredients
- Two 8 oz boxes Explore Cuisine Red Lentil Penne Pasta
LEMON GARLIC THYME SAUCE
- 1 cup (150g) raw pine nuts (make sure they are fresh and not old, as old pine nuts will taste very rancid/bitter)
- 6 tablespoons (90g) fresh lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons (90g) water
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled (16g)
- 5 long sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Remaining ingredients
- small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup (200g) fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a pan with parchment paper.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, salt the water well and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. If you don't salt your water, the pasta will be bland.
- While waiting on the pasta, add the sliced tomatoes to the lined pan and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. The tomatoes should be bubbling and the bottoms have a nice charred color. Both the tomatoes and pasta should be done about the same time.
- While the pasta and tomatoes are cooking, make the lemon sauce.
- Add all of the ingredients listed under "Lemon Garlic Thyme Sauce" to a Vitamix. The best way to remove thyme leaves is to slide them off in the opposite direction they are facing. They will slide right off this way. Blend the ingredients until smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides and lid a couple of times. Blend again until 100% smooth and no bits of nuts remain. It should taste creamy, buttery and a wonderful pucker of lemon!
- Once the pasta is done, drain and add to bowls with desired amount of lemon sauce. Toss with some of the fresh parsley (as much as desired) and garnish with the tomatoes and extra pine nuts. I chose to toast extra pine nuts since they add more flavor. Either briefly do this in a toaster oven or over low heat in a pan on the stove, stirring often on the stove. Watch closely as they toast quickly in a couple of minutes.