vegan, gluten-free
This cashew-based cream sauce comes together quickly to serve as the perfect base, letting your favorite veggies shine!
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
½ c cashews, soaked (6 hour min, ideally overnight) and rinsed
¾ c unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk, separated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp starch (corn, potato, tapioca, arrowroot)
Pasta + Veg:
1 box gluten-free pasta, cooked according to package directions
2-4 cups chopped, cooked summer vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, asparagus, green beans, peas, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet corn, mushrooms)
DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
Add garlic and shallot, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent, 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and shallot to a blender with all other sauce ingredients except the starch and ¼ c non-dairy milk.
Whisk together starch and ¼ c non-dairy milk, then pour into sauté pan over low heat.
Stir constantly until thickened, 10-15 sec.
Add thick “milk” to the blender and turn onto high speed until sauce is smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes.
Add sauce to cooked pasta and vegetables, stirring to combine.
Notes:
Soak your cashews longer for a creamier sauce, even with a high-powered blender. If you’ve forgotten to soak them ahead of time, try soaking for 1 hour in hot water.
You can omit the starch and add the full ¾ c non-dairy milk into the blender for a thinner sauce.
Try a high-protein pasta or adding some white beans or tempeh for a fuller meal.
Swap out the summer veggies for root vegetables and you have a healthier comfort meal this fall/winter!
Want to up your game by customizing the sauce?
Cheesy > add more nooch
Tangy > add more lemon juice
Smoky > add liquid smoke
Fresh + green > add fresh herbs
As always, if you make this recipe + share it on Instagram, be sure to tag @sarah_keal so I can see what delicious things you’ve created! :)