Alfredo. A rich creamy, indulgent white sauce. Who knew you could make just as decadent of a sauce using all plant based ingredients. Instead of using cream and parmesan cheese this Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta uses a blend of cashews, nutritional yeast, plant based milk and blended till smooth. Add your favorite sauteed vegetables and get ready for this “healthier” tasty version of the beloved alfredo pasta. Best served a cozy night in.
Tips For Making Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Pasta
Traditionally alfredo is served on a linguini or fettuccini. If you are looking for a low carb alternative try Healthy Noodles from Costco.
Sauce
Cashews- Soften the cashews up so they blend easier by pouring hot boiling water on them. When you are ready to use the cashews. Save the remaining water to thin out the sauce if needed.
Nutritional Yeast- Is a great vegan cheese substitute that has a nutty flavor. In addition you could also add shredded vegan parmesan cheese.
Onions and Garlic- Remember to saute your garlic and onions before you add them to the blender. The browner they get the better your sauce will taste.
Milk- Any plant based milk will do. I prefer almond milk but you could also use cashew, oat or soy milk.
Blending- It is very important to blend the sauce for a minimum of 2 minutes. This is how it will become creamy and smooth. The longer you blend, the better. Add some additional cashew water if it needs to be thinned out more.
Vegetables
Butternut Squash- This is the best addition in my opinion for alfredo sauce. It gives it a sweet nutty flavor. Cut the squash into 1 inch uniformed cubes. The smaller the cubes the quicker they will cook. Add them to the pan first because they need a little longer to cook.
Kale- Dinosaur Kale or Toscano kale is my preferred kale of choice to cook with because it is thinner, and cooks quicker then curly kale. Remove the stem from the kale leaves. Stack them on top of each other and using or knife thinly slice them, as you would basil.
Mushrooms- When you are using shiitake mushrooms make sure to remove the stem because the are to tough to eat. Twist them off with your hand or cut them off with a sharp paring knife.
Cooking- After you add all the vegetables to the pan you can add a lid to the pan to steam the vegetables so they cook quicker. If the pan is too dry you can add a tablespoon or 2 of hot water to the pan. Steam for 2-3 minutes or until kale is wilted.
Garnish- Add some toasted nuts for added crunch! Toast your nuts using the dry pan method. Heat a pan, add the nuts and quickly keep them moving over the heat until they start to brown. Stir the nuts so they don’t burn. The natural oils will cook the nuts without having to use additional oil.
Assembly
If you are eating immediately, add the sauce and noodles to the pan. Pull off heat and serve with toasted nuts.
If you are going to serve this later on I recommend keeping all the ingredients separate and incorporating them in a pan over low heat right before serving. Adding a little additional water to help it incorporate.
Leftovers- this will hold for 3 days if held separate and one day if it is all mixed together.
Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta
Equipment
- Saute pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 8 Oz Pasta Of Choice I like linguine or fettuccini
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
- ½ Yellow Onion Diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tsp Salt and Pepper
- 1 Cup Plant Based Milk
- 1 Cup Cashews Soaked in hot water
Vegetables
- 2 Cups Butternut Squash Diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 Cup Dinasaur Kale Shredded, stems removed
- 1 Cup Shiitake Mushrooms Sliced, stem removed
Garnish
- 1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions and set aside.
- Next pour 1 cup boiling water into cashews and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Start by sautéing the minced garlic and onions in 1 Tbsp oil. Sauté for 2 minutes and then add them to a blender or food processor.
- Add the 5 additional ingredients to the blender.
- Strain the cashews, holding the excess water to thin out sauce as needed.Add cashews to blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Using the same sauté pan from the onions and garlic add another 1 Tbsp of oil.
- Add in cubed squash. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Next and in shiitake mushrooms and shredded kale.
- Season with salt and pepper. Mix. Add a lid to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in 1 Tbsp of water if the pan gets too dry.
- When the vegetables are sautéed and in sauce. Remove from heat and add in noodles.
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts.
- Serve immediately.