Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce
I think we've learned by now that cashews are near and dear to my heart. Their versatility is incredible and I truly think I use them in cooking and/or am eating them every single day. Lately my favorite way to incorporate them into my dishes is to add them into existing recipes! I made a homemade marinara sauce a few weeks ago and just happened to have some leftover cashew cream...I mean why wouldn't I marry the two?! FIREWORKS, y'all. Cashew cream should always be added to marinara sauce. It's like adding heavy cream except it's so much better for you! A vegan alternative to heavy cream?! Let me say it again for the folks in the back: A VEGAN ALTERNATIVE TO HEAVY CREAM. And with minimal ingredients, you really have no excuse not to try it.
And I know that cashews are not cheap. BUT if you are vegan or are thinking about going vegan or plant based (I use the two terms interchangeably), then that means you're not spending money on meat or cheese anymore soooooo time for you to get over the sticker shock, mmkay?
It's literally as easy as adding everything to your blender!
Back to this creamy red pepper spaghetti sauce! The next best thing about it is that it takes 5 MINUTES! After you've roughly chopped your onion and garlic and sauteed them for just a few minutes, you literally add everything to your high speed blender and you're good to go! I like to add my sauce back to my saute pan and combine my pasta and sauce together that way but that step is not necessary. You could totally just pour your sauce from the blender to your plate and it'd be just as delicious.
Using jarred red peppers here is the easiest and quickest thing to do BUT you could totally make your own by roasting 3-4 red bell peppers until their skin is blistered (about 10 minutes under the broiler). Wrap those babies in a towel or tin foil and let them cool and then the skin peels right off.
Look how creamy! That's from the magical cashew nut!
Try this out for a busy weeknight dinner or an easy lunch! Everyone in my family, toddlers included, LOVES this stuff!
Now all that's left to do is slurp it up!
Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce
A creamy, nutritious sauce for pasta, veggies, and the works without the guilt!
Makes: Enough for 4-6 people
Prep time:
Cook time:
- 1/2 Recipe of Cashew Cream (1/2 cup raw cashews, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 t. salt, 1 tsp ACV)
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 12oz jar Roasted Red Peppers
- Handful or approximately 1 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 3 TBS Nutritional Yeast(optional)
- 16 oz gluten free or whole wheat pasta>
- Saute your onion and garlic in olive oil, over medium heat until translucent
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth
- Pour sauce back in sauté pan, add your cooked pasta and serve immediately
Top with homemade cashew parm (more cashews? YES, ALWAYS), fresh basil, and red pepper flakes for some spice!
