Who doesn’t love a creamy white pasta sauce? Better yet who doesn’t love an affordable and quick pasta sauce that requires no dairy or stove top time. This creamy pasta is made from blending cannellini beans with cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, some spices, and the starchy pasta water that your noodles cook in to give this rich and creamy texture.
Using cannellini beans and cashews supply a source of plant based protein for this meal and additional fiber to keep you feeling full. You can choose to serve this pasta as is or add fresh vegetables like steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and my favorite savory roasted mushrooms to add a meaty texture to the dish.
Using cannellini beans and cashews supply a source of plant based protein for this meal and additional fiber to keep you feeling full. You can choose to serve this pasta as is or add fresh vegetables like steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and my favorite savory roasted mushrooms to add a meaty texture to the dish.
Serves 6
sauce:
1 1/2 cup of drained and rinsed cannelini beans
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 15 minutes
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp ACV
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup packed fresh basil
3 cups pasta water, reserved, (don’t use all at once)
More salt to taste, if needed
8-10 oz pasta
Vegetables to serve, optional:
Cherry tomatoes
Roasted mushrooms
Steamed broccoli
Fresh basil
Bring water to a boil, pour over cashews in a bowl and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.
Cook pasta as instructed on packaging, reserving 3 cups of pasta water before straining. Transfer strained pasta back into pan, toss in some olive oil so the noodles don’t stick to one another ~1 tbsp.
Strain cashews. Place sauce ingredients into a blender with 2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Blend on high speed until a smooth consistency, transfer to noodles and turn heat to medium low allowing it to thicken slightly. If sauce becomes too thick add more of the leftover pasta water to thin.
Serve with your choice of vegetables or have plain!
sauce:
1 1/2 cup of drained and rinsed cannelini beans
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 15 minutes
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp ACV
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup packed fresh basil
3 cups pasta water, reserved, (don’t use all at once)
More salt to taste, if needed
8-10 oz pasta
Vegetables to serve, optional:
Cherry tomatoes
Roasted mushrooms
Steamed broccoli
Fresh basil
Bring water to a boil, pour over cashews in a bowl and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.
Cook pasta as instructed on packaging, reserving 3 cups of pasta water before straining. Transfer strained pasta back into pan, toss in some olive oil so the noodles don’t stick to one another ~1 tbsp.
Strain cashews. Place sauce ingredients into a blender with 2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Blend on high speed until a smooth consistency, transfer to noodles and turn heat to medium low allowing it to thicken slightly. If sauce becomes too thick add more of the leftover pasta water to thin.
Serve with your choice of vegetables or have plain!