Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

Name: Mushroom Alfredo Pasta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4-6 plates
Ingredients: 1 cup raw unsalted cashews; 1 1/4 cups protein-rich plant-based milk; 3 tbsps nutritional yeast; 1 yellow onion, sliced; 2 garlic cloves; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground black peppercorn; 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed; 1 tsp consomme -or- 1 cup vegetable broth (if adding the latter, reduce milk to 3/4 cup)

Creamy vegan fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and herbs in a pan.

Prep. Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

4-6 plates

Difficulty

Challenging

Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, dairy-free, egg-free

Stovetop

Cooking required:

Allergens:

Ingredients

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

1 1/4 cups protein-rich plant-based milk

3 tbsps nutritional yeast

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black peppercorn

1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed

1 tsp consomme -or- 1 cup vegetable broth (if adding the latter, reduce milk to 3/4 cup)

Instructions

Soak the cashews in boiling-hot water for at least 20 minutes.
While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add one thinly sliced yellow onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened and just starting to caramelize. Remove the onion from the skillet and set it aside.
Turn the heat on medium-high, and add 8 oz of thickly sliced mushrooms (cremini, champignon or bella work well), and stir often - the mushrooms should get a nice golden exterior, but not shrink so much. Cook for about 2-4 minutes. Set aside.
In a high-speed blender with a steel blade, combine the soaked cashews, about half of the milk, the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and spices and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta of choice (8–10 oz fettuccine or linguine works great) according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. I recommend cooking the pasta al-dente, meaning that it is nearly ready, but just nearly. It will soak up the rest of the needed fluids from the sauce in the next steps, and will get tender enough.
Turn the stove on medium-low heat, and pour the cashew Alfredo sauce into the skillet with the onions, and about half of the cooked mushrooms. Stir frequently, until the sauce is warmed through and slightly thickened. If it gets too thick, add from the reserved pasta water to loosen it to your liking.
Toss the cooked pasta directly into the skillet with the sauce and mix well to coat evenly. If the pasta was added al-dente to the skillet, keep cooking on low heat for 8-10 more minutes.

Serve warm, with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and vegan parmesan!

Notes

For a soy-free dish, make sure to choose a soy-free milk.
For a gluten-free dish, use gluten-free pasta.

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