Old Bay Garlic Butter Cream Sauce
An all vegan garlic butter sauce seasoned with summery Old Bay and one secret ingredient: corn! The corn adds dairy-free creaminess and body to the sauce, and ofsets the spices with just the slightness bit of sweetness. The combo is divide and delcious when tossed with pasta and served with a chilled glass of white wine ☀️
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 of a red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup corn kernels I used thawed from frozen
- 1/2 cup warm pasta water (the water the noodles cook in)
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan I use + recommend VioLife for this
- 1 small lemon
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 basil leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped parsely
For Serving
- 10 oz short pasta, vegan ravioli, or tortellini
- 3 cups spinach or arugula
Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- In the meantime chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Then melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add the Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 cup of the corn, and the garlic. Cook for one more minute.
- At this point, your water is probably boiling so add in the noodles (see notes) and cook according to package directions until al dente.
- Return to the sauce pan and add in the white wine. Raise heat to about an 8 out of 10 and cook for 1-2 minutes or until most of the wine is evaporated. Then turn off the heat and remove from the stove to cool slightly.
- In the meantime, grate your vegan parmesan cheese and chop the basil and parsely. You'll need about 1-2 tbsp of fresh parsley (or more to taste)
- Next transfer the garlic butter mixture to a blender and blend until it resembles a smooth, creamy paste. Then transfer it back to the saucepan and warm on the stove over medium heat.
- Carefully ladle out 1/2 cup of the water that pasta is cooking in and add it to the garlic butter paste to create a sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken while adding the vegan parmesan. Zest the lemon and add it to the pan along the juice too.
- Finsih the sauce by add the maple syrup and olive oil and stir to combine. Then add remaining 1/4 cup of corn, chopped basil, and parlsey.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the saucepan along with 3 big handfuls (about 3 cups) of spianch or argulua. Allow to wilt for 1-2 minutes then serve with lots of vegan pamresan, additional lemon zest, and some black pepper on top.
Notes
Tweak as Needed
Because certain ingredients like vegan butter, corn, and vegan parmesan can vary slightly, you may need to adjust the seasonings to taste. General rule of thumb here is that it's easier to add than it is to take away so if you find it needs more Old Bay or salt, add a little at a time until it tastes right to you.
If your corn is very sweet, you may not need the maple syrup, though it is recommended. And if you've accidentally made the sauce too salty, additional lemon juice can provide balance.
Make it a Meal
This is a delicious meal on it's own, but I often like to serve it with some crispy vegan chicken and a green salad for a satiating, balanced meal.
It's also nice to add different veggies like roasted broccoli or sautéed mushrooms instead of - or in addition to the arugula.
Toppings Make it Shine
The toppings are more than garnish. They add a ton of flavor to this dish so feel free to sprinkle on tons of fresh basil, more lemon zest, some flakey sea salt, or freshly cracked black pepper as desired 👌
Ravioli Pictured in the Photo Above is by Kite Hill, but their tortellini is good for this too and honestly, it's also great with regular short pasta like penne or orecchiette and I make it that way all the time as well.