Mushroom Alfredo Pasta
Prep. Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings
4-6 plates
Difficulty
Challenging
Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, dairy-free, egg-free
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.
The Latest Bite
Wonderful Parsley Salad
I usually buy parsley with the idea that I’ll use “just a little” in a recipe, and then I’m left with a big bunch staring at me from the fridge. This salad is my solution. Instead of letting those greens wilt away, I chop the whole thing and make it the main event. It’s fresh, full of flavor, and takes almost no effort.
The best part is how forgiving it is. Walnuts give it crunch, but almonds or pecans work if that’s what’s in the pantry. Cheese adds creaminess and the dressing is quick to whip together with what we usually have on hand, and it makes the parsley feel less like “just herbs” and more like a real salad.
This isn’t a kid-friendly dish in our house (the parsley is just too “green” for them), but it works great for the adults. I’ll make it at home when dinner needs something light on the side, or pack it into a container when we’re traveling in an RV and want an easy salad to balance out heartier meals. Since it’s dairy-free and plant-based, it holds up well for hours on the road without the stress of refrigeration worries you get with mayo-based dressings.
It’s fast, flexible, and keeps parsley from going to waste—a little grown-up salad that travels well.