Description
A vegan and gluten free recipe for pasta alfredo – but you’d never know! The delicious and rich cream sauce is cut by the slight bitterness of the radiccio, which makes for a very well-rounded dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 12–16 oz uncooked penne pasta,* gf if needed
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head radicchio, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter, vegan or otherwise (I used Earth Balance)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Measure out the water and heat in the microwave until boiling. Add the cashews and let soak for 1 hour, or more if necessary.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. When al dente, drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
- While the pasta cooks, add the cashews and their soaking water to a good quality blender and blend until very smooth. This may take a while, possibly up to 2 minutes. Feel the cream between your fingers to make sure it is not grainy (a tiny bit is okay). Transfer the cream back to a measuring cup and add water to bring it up to 1 1/4 cups. Mix well.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sliced garlic and let cook until they are just starting to brown, about one minute. Very carefully, pour the cashew cream into the butter, stirring while you pour if you can (use a long-handled spoon or wear protective gear if needed).
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir in the nutritional yeast and salt. Let it cook for another minute or two until nicely thickened.
- While the sauce thickens, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the chopped radiccio. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, until softened but still recognizable.
- Toss the noodles and the cream sauce until evenly distributed, and serve with the radiccio on top. Enjoy!
Notes
– If you prefer a higher cream to noodle ratio, use 12 oz of pasta. We used 16.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Comfort Food
Keywords: pasta alfredo, vegan, gluten-free, radicchio