Ingredients Pasta + Noodles Creamy Vegan Pasta with Greens, Peas, and Lemon Zest 4.3 (3) 3 Reviews Quickly blanched greens and sizzling scallions and garlic meet in a surprisingly creamy vegan sauce for pasta, with a touch of white miso for added depth. Feel free to top with your favorite grated plant-based cheese, or just enjoy it all on its own. By Liz Mervosh Liz Mervosh Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama. She creates and fine-tunes recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and EatingWell. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 17, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey Active Time: 40 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 large scallions, thinly sliced 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon), divided 2 cups coarsely chopped leeks, dark green parts only (from 1 medium leek) 2 cups stemmed and coarsely chopped green Swiss chard (from 1 bunch chard) 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white miso ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 12 ounces dried garganelli pasta 1 ¼ cups frozen English peas Fresh chives, sliced 1/2-inch thick Freshly grated vegan Parmesan, for serving (optional) Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium; add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring often, until garlic is tender and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon zest; let sizzle, undisturbed, for a few seconds. Remove from heat. Add desired amount of salt to boiling water. Stir leeks into boiling water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add chard and spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and deep green, about 1 minute, 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Using a spider, remove leek mixture from water, and hold over pot for a few seconds to drain completely. Transfer drained leek mixture to a blender. Reserve cooking water in pot. Add scallion mixture, miso, salt, and 1/4 cup cooking water to leek mixture in blender. Process until mixture is very smooth and has a thick heavy cream-like consistency, about 45 seconds. Set aside. Return cooking water in pot to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions for al dente, adding peas during final 45 seconds cook time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water in a small heatproof bowl. Return pasta and peas to dry pot. Add pureed leek mixture to pasta mixture, and toss together, adding reserved cooking water as needed, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce is loose and creamy. Add lemon juice and additional salt to taste; toss together. Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls, and garnish with chives and vegan Parmesan, if using. Rate it Print