Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta

Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta – a healthy weeknight dinner coated in a simple, delicious 5-ingredient sauce made with miso and cashews.

vegan / gluten free / pasta

Happy Monday, it’s pasta time! This is a spin on a recipe that has been a reader favorite (also one of my favorites) from our cookbook. In the book, this creamy miso pasta is made with brussels sprouts – have you tried it? If so, you’re going to love this version with shiitake mushrooms and kale. If you haven’t tried it, well now’s your chance 🙂

The cashew cream has just 5 ingredients: cashews, miso paste, garlic, lemon, and black pepper. It’s so simple to make, yet it’s so hearty and delicious – especially with sautéed shiitake mushrooms. Shiitakes have such a wonderful umami flavor – I just love them here with this bright lemon-y sauce. There’s also some kale in here for good measure.

I used brown rice fusilli, but any short pasta cut (spirals, shells, etc) will work great in here to soak up the sauce.

If you love this vegan pasta recipe…

Try my vegan mac and cheese (or homemade mac and cheese), linguine, pesto pasta, penne pasta, or roasted vegetable pasta next!

5.0 from 6 reviews

Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta

PrintCreamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta is a healthy weeknight dinner coated in a simple, delicious 5-ingredient sauce made with miso and cashews. You’ll love this veggie-packed comfort food!Author: Jeanine DonofrioRecipe type: DinnerServes: 3-4Ingredients

8 ounces fusilli pasta (I used brown rice fusilli)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces destemmed and sliced shiitake mushrooms
⅓ cup chopped scallions
juice of ½ a small lemon, more to taste
5 to 6 kale leaves, sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
shaved macadamia nut and/or parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

miso cashew lemon cream:

½ cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours or overnight*
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the miso cashew lemon cream sauce by blending together the cashews, water, miso paste, garlic, lemon juice and pinches of pepper in a high-speed blender until creamy. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, or until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta.
While your pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté, stirring only occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallions and continue to cook another few minutes until the mushrooms are tender and browned. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, stir, and then add the kale. Cook until the kale is slightly wilted, add another squeeze of lemon juice, and stir. Add the pasta, toss again and drizzle with ½ the cream sauce. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and remaining cream sauce, as desired. If your sauce is too clumpy, stir in the reserved pasta water, as needed to create a creamy consistency.
Serve hot garnished with shaved macadamia nuts, parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired.

Notes*The cashew sauce is best made in a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. If you’re using a regular blender, soak the cashews for 24 hours and blend longer until the sauce is smooth. Add additional water if necessary.3.4.3177

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37 comments

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Amalynne
05.08.2023
When I saw lemon and shiitakes and kale, I was concerned that the flavors would clash. However, the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m sorry to say, I’m not sure I understand the flavor profile of this dish. The rich flavor of the shiitakes somewhat clashes with the slight bitterness of the kale – the lemon does cut that bitterness but it’s very strange with the shiitake. However, the texture of this dish was lovely and the mouth-feel was nice too. One of the other issues is the recommendation of the lemon squeeze midway through the cooking of the shiitakes and the kale (you never want to add lemon juice to a cooking dish – always at the end or it will become extremely bitter).
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Jehan Marino
01.18.2021
New Meatless Monday addition!!! So delish!
Made with baby shiitakes and all the rest the same!
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Virginia
12.05.2018
Absolutely fabulous! A keeper! The sauce is divine and compliments the buttery, smoky taste of the shiitake mushrooms. I made it with barley so it had a “Risotto” feel to it. I didn’t put the kale in it, instead served the dish alongside sautéed zucchini. I’m glad I did because the sauce stayed creamy and rich solo, and the flavor stayed focused on the mushrooms. I did add lots more lemon. I’ll make this for company, for sure. Thanks!
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Cathy from whatwouldcathyeat.com
10.21.2018
Late to the game, but just wanted to say, this is a great recipe. I have acid reflux so left out the garlic and lemon, and it was still really good! Also used leeks instead of scallions. Tip: put crunchy homemade bread crumbs on tpp.
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- Cathy from whatwouldcathyeat.com
  10.21.2018
  Oh also, I use an entire bunch of kale, not just eight leaves.
  Reply ↓
- Jeanine Donofrio
  10.21.2018
  Hi Cathy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
  Reply ↓
Genevieve Richard
11.22.2017
I made this with sunflower seeds instead of cashews and it turned out just incredible!
Thank you 🙂
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  11.24.2017
  Hi Genevieve, I’m so so happy to hear that this worked well with sunflower seeds!
  Reply ↓
Cilicia
05.31.2017
Hi ! I was wondering if this could be made ahead and good the next day cold ? Thanks
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  06.02.2017
  Hi Cicilia – it’s best the first day, but I enjoyed it as leftovers the second day (I heated it though).
  Reply ↓
liz
04.21.2017
this is delicious! For some reason I found that I didn’t need nearly as much water when making the cream sauce. I’d suggest to start with 1/4c water and add more as needed. I then added some roasted chicken and it was so great! very comforting.
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  04.24.2017
  I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
  Reply ↓
Leah Favela
04.08.2017
Hi Jeanine! Do you think this recipe would work with packaged dried shiitakes? They are my new favorite thing to cook with, I just throw them in a pot of boiling water for a bit to plump them back up.
Also, I lived in Austin for 15 years and just moved down to New Zealand in December to live with my Kiwi boyfriend. I’ve been super homesick (especially for Mexican food and Bouldin Creek Cafe) and have absolutely loved following your blog! I can’t work yet, so I’m spending a ton of my free time in the kitchen playing with new recipes. And I’ve made several of yours that have been soooo good! Last week I made the lemon cake and it was light and lemony and my boyfriend and I ate it in less than 24 hours. We’re heading into winter here so I’m looking forward to making some of your soups.
I love your blog. I love your recipes!! Say “good morning” to Austin for me. = )
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  04.11.2017
  Hi Leah, aw, thank you! I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipes and the cake 🙂
  Yes, I think dried shiitakes would be just fine to substitute here :_
  Reply ↓
Rachel
04.04.2017
Hi! This looks super easy and delicious. I’m curious, it’s not always easy for me to find miso paste, is there anything you could use as a substitute? Really want to make this!
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  04.04.2017
  Hi Rachel, you can skip it just be sure to salt enough (miso is very salty) – start with 1/2 teaspoon in the sauce and add more to taste. Hope that helps!
  Reply ↓
Mer
03.30.2017
Made this for dinner tonight and it was scrumptious! The grated macadamia nut is brilliant! (I used a micro plane grater/zester). Didn’t have scallions so I used some baby Spring leeks sliced thinly…and also garnished the dish with toasted pine nuts. Wish I could find some pretty curly pasta like yours. So pretty. 🙂 Thanks for a delicious recipe!
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  04.02.2017
  Hi Mer, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! The pasta I used was Tinkyada’s Brown Rice Fusilli (you can find it in the gluten free section of most grocery stores).
  Reply ↓
  - Mer
    04.02.2017
    Thank you so much for generously sharing your pasta information…I use the Tinkyada spaghetti shape pasta all the time (for noodle dishes) and love them….I’ll definitely look for these beautiful spirals. And, an update. I’ve now had this gorgeous pasta recipe for 4 meals! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. FYI to other readers, the creamy sauce keeps really well if you make it ahead and refrigerate it and then bring it to room temp before using.
    Reply ↓
    - Jeanine Donofrio
      04.04.2017
      I’m so glad you’ve loved it 4 meals worth! So happy to hear that 🙂
      Reply ↓
Brittany
03.29.2017
So yummy! My husband and I ate this in two servings, couldn’t get enough 🙂
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.30.2017
  I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
  Reply ↓
Heidi
03.28.2017
This looks amazing, but my husband is allergic to cashews. Any thoughts as to what I could sub in the sauce? Thanks’
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.30.2017
  Hi Heidi, you can use raw sunflower seeds!
  Reply ↓
  - Heidi
    04.02.2017
    Awesome, thanks – I can’t wait to try it!
    Reply ↓
Logan parker
03.28.2017
Looks really delicious!looks colourful and healthy recipes. Its quite been easy to prepare. Best wishes Gamevillage
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Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today from whatshouldieatforbreakfasttoday.com
03.22.2017
It does look delicious
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Emily Chaboya
03.22.2017
This looks amazing! Did you use red or white miso?
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.24.2017
  thanks Emily! I used white miso.
  Reply ↓
Shilpa
03.21.2017
You need to add scallions to the list of ingredients.
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.21.2017
  thank you for catching that!
  Reply ↓
Nikky
03.20.2017
I just made this tonight and I had to stop myself from inhaling the entire thing straight out of the skillet. Oh my goodness this is SO UNBELIEVABLY TASTY! That miso cashew lemon cream is to die for. I followed this recipe to the letter and wouldn’t change a thing – so so good, will def make again.
Also, this recipe was so QUICK to throw together, which is great for me since I’m in med school and never have time. Thanks Jeanine!
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.21.2017
  Yay! This made my day to hear, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
  Reply ↓
Lindsay
03.20.2017
The cookbook version is such a delicious vegan alfredo, became a quick favorite of mine! So excited to mix it up with kale and shitakes, thanks for the variation!
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- Jeanine Donofrio
  03.21.2017
  I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been liking the sauce (and the book!). Thank you!
  Reply ↓
Izzy from pinchofdelight.com
03.20.2017
This looks delicious!
Izzy | Pinch of delight
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Sarah | Well and Full from wellandfull.com
03.20.2017
I love the combination of miso and shiitakes – so much umami in every bite! 🙂
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Creamy Vegan Shiitake & Kale Pasta