After a post-work run, dance class, swim or gym session, there’s absolutely nothing like a big bowl of pasta. It’s the ultimate comfort fitness food – whether you’re having it post-workout or the day before a big race. 

Many vegan pasta recipes are focused on tomatoes or blended cashews, and both of those are nice enough – but if you’ve had a big session and want to refuel in style, then you need to check out this rich and creamy dish instead. 

The pappardelle is cooked in a buttery sauce with truffle oil, crumbled blue cheese (this recipe uses Honestly Tasty’s Vegan Blue) and plant superstar, the walnut. Walnuts are absolutely packed with useful nutrients, including heart disease-lowering omega-3 fatty acids (a single serving meets the RDA), inflammation-busting polyphenols and gut-promoting butyrate – a fat known to nourish gut bacteria. 

Cheese is a fermented food and as such, has been cited as a potential gut-helpful food. The vegan block used may be made from starch and coconut oil, but it also contains real penicillium roqueforti – the fungus found in ‘real’ blue cheese. Not only is it responsible for that distinctive look and taste, but it’s also good for blood pressure and limiting cholesterol build-up. It also contains calcium, which makes this a great option for diary-free eaters. 

40g walnuts

1 tsp truffle oil

200g dried pappardelle (or paccheri)

80ml dairy-free cream (like Oatly’s single cream)

80g Honestly Tasty Vegan Blue Cheese

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp vegan butter (or olive oil)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Juice and zest of ½ a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Once at that temperature, add the walnuts to a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven for 3-5 minutes until nicely toasted. 

Toss in 1 tsp of truffle oil and set aside. 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add your pappardelle. Cook as per the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp of vegan butter or oil to a large frying pan and place on a medium heat. 

Once the butter has melted and is nice and hot, add your thinly sliced onion. Keep stirring for about 8 minutes, until the onions have gone brown and are starting to caramelise a little. 

Stir in your chopped garlic. 

Next, add the cream and 50ml of your pasta water. Stir well for a few minutes, until this starts to thicken a little.

Crumble in half your cheese and stir into the sauce. 

Once cooked, drain the pasta and add to the pan to mix well with your blue cheese sauce. Squeeze in the juice of the lemon, along with the zest. 

Divide the pasta into two bowls, crumbling the truffled walnuts and the rest of the blue cheese on top. 

Dig in!

Recipe and image from Honestly Tasty.