Vegan Alfredo Pasta

For years I have missed the delicious creaminess of Alfredo sauce… until now! Vegan Alfredo Pasta is a creamy gluten free gourmet dish made with nutritional yeast and cashews instead of heavy cream. The sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers in this pasta dish add a punch of flavor and the red pepper flakes add a spicy kick. Vegan Alfredo Pasta is an amazingly delicious gluten free meal that will keep you coming back for more.

Tamari

I use tamari in a lot of my recipes including Asian Quinoa Salad, Brown Rice Chicken Congee, Thai Rice Wraps with Peanut Sauce and many more. If you are not familiar with Tamari you are probably wondering what the heck it is and why I use it so much! Tamari is a form of soya sauce that is made with less or no wheat. When you are shopping for tamari and follow a gluten free diet, it’s important you get the kind that is certified gluten free. You should also be looking for organic tamari or soya sauce because it is made with fermented soybeans; soybeans are one of the most common Genetically Modified Crops in Canada and the US. For more information about genetically modified foods and their effects on our health check out Natural News. Tamari and Soya Sauce have high sodium content but they also contain antioxidants and manganese. The fermentation process creates nutrients that breakdown components from protein and carbohydrate and provide us with immune system, digestive system and cardiovascular support.

To learn more about Nutritional Yeast check out my Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl post.

It might look like a long ingredient list but this but Vegan Alfredo Pasta is really easy to make.

Start by roasting your red pepper in the oven on broil for 20min, turning every 5min, until the skin is blistered and brown/black. Seal the red pepper in a paper bag for 10min to let it steam and cool down. Once the red pepper is cool enough to touch, the skin should easily peel off. Once the skin has been removed, scoop out the seeds and dice it up. If you want to save time on this step, you can use 1 cup of roasted red peppers from a jar.

While the red pepper is roasting, start cooking the pasta as directed on the package. I like to use shell shaped brown rice pasta because it is gluten free and the shells hold lots of tasty Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce. If you plan to have leftovers, I would recommend using a spelt, kamut or organic corn pasta because rice pasta gets a little mushy after a saucy night in the fridge. You also want to undercook the pasta just a little bit because it will continue to cook in the sauce and no one likes overcooked pasta! After the pasta is cooked, rinse it under water to remove the starch and set aside.

Now that the pepper is roasting and the pasta is cooking its time to start the Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce.

First blend the garlic and cashews in a food processor until finely minced. For a nut free version you can use 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds in the place of cashews and light coconut milk.

Add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, tamari, tahini, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, paprika, nutmeg, red pepper flakes and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. If you are a big fan of spicy food add as many red pepper flakes as your heart desires, but make sure to taste as you go.

To heat up the sauce; pour it in to a large pot. Add the coconut oil (or organic butter for a non-vegan version), sundried tomatoes, roasted red pepper and spinach. Cook everything until it is heated through and the spinach is just wilted.

Mix the drained pasta with the Vegan Alfredo Pasta sauce in the pot and cook until everything is nice and hot.

Vegan Alfredo Pasta

Prep time: 20min

Cook time: 30min

Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red pepper or 1 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 4 cups dried pasta
• 2 big garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup raw cashews or sunflower seeds
• 1 cup almond milk or any milk alternative
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp tamari
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (1/4 lemon)
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• ½ – 1 tsp red pepper flakes to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup spinach, diced

Directions:

1. If you are roasting the red pepper, preheat the oven to broil. Wash the red pepper and place it whole on a baking sheet. Bake for 20min turning every 5min until all of the sides are brown/black and blistered. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10min sealed in a paper bag. When the pepper is cool enough to touch, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Dice into 1cm squares.
2. While the pepper is cooking prepare your pasta as directed on the package. Undercook the pasta slightly as it will continue to cook in the sauce.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by placing the garlic and cashews in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, tamari, tahini, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, paprika, nutmeg and red pepper flakes and pepper to taste and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the spicy Vegan Alfredo Pasta sauce into a large pot and add the coconut oil (or organic butter), sundried tomatoes, red pepper and spinach. Cook for 5 min on medium until heated through and until the spinach has just wilted.
5. Rinse and drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir until mixed and heated through, roughly 3min.
6. Serve the Vegan Alfredo Pasta hot straight out of the pot and enjoy!

Are there any creamy meals you wish were dairy free or vegan? Leave a comment with you wishes and I’ll see that I can create in the kitchen!