An impossibly green weeknight pasta that packs in the veg (and protein)

Plus, your kids will eat it too

Thank you for filling out my Weeknight Simple poll for the recipe you wanted from my June batch. I won’t lie, I did expect the Greenest Goddess Pasta to win, and it did so by a decisive margin! Here it is.

This is not your average green goddess. She’s greener, bolder, and absolutely packed—broccoli, zucchini, spinach, basil, scallions, parsley and your choice of cheese or nutritional yeast all whirl together into a sauce brimming with goodness. It's become a mainstay in my fridge, thanks to a very specific request from my daughter: more veggies, but… you know, hidden.

I often serve this with a high-protein, low-carb pasta like Kaizen (made of lupini beans) so I can make room for one of my favorite pairings: a few golden roasted potatoes tossed right in. Some fresh or frozen corn would also go really well here. Feel free to use whatever pasta works for you. A scatter of nuts, and a spoonful of pickled onions add welcome texture and brightness to the bowl.

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Greenest Goddess Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz protein pasta of choice (at least 12g protein per 56g)[224g]

• Greenest Goddess Sauce

  • 4 oz broccoli[112g] , roughly chopped

  • 4 oz zucchini (courgette)[112g] , roughly chopped (about 2 medium)

  • 5 oz spinach[140g] , roughly chopped or other seasonal greens

  • 1 ½ oz fresh basil[40g] (about 1 large bunch)

  • 1 small bunch scallions (spring onions)[80g] , trimmed and roughly chopped

  • 1 oz parmesan[28g] or aged cheddar, or 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 1 tsp. fine sea salt, to taste

  • 1 tsp. dried oregano

  • ½ tsp. red chile flakes

  • ⅓ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tsp. Yondu seasoning or tamari or 1/2 tsp soy sauce, optional

  • 2-4 Tbsp. water, as needed for blending

  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped

• 4 servings Quick Pickled Onions

• 2 oz dry roasted unsalted almonds[56g] , roughly chopped

Directions

Step 1. Make the sauce - Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and zucchini and bring to a boil again. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and al dente. Turn off the stove and add spinach, basil and parsley, let them cook in the residual heat until they turn bright green. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water, while saving 1/2 cup of the original salted water.

Step 2. Blend all ingredients for the sauce together until smooth, adding more water as needed.

Step 3. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain the water.

Step 4. In the same pot, toss the pasta with the sauce, then garnish with Quick Pickled Onions, chopped almonds and serve immediately.

Cooking Note

If you're using a very low-carb, high-protein pasta like Kaizen lupini bean pasta, go ahead and add some roasted potatoes in Step 4, like in the picture!

Nutrition per serving (see disclaimer)