Hi, Michelle here! I interrupt the regularly scheduled program to share this recipe…yes it’s that GOOOD I just couldn’t wait to share!!! So while I finish up today’s typical post for our new “For the Love of Leftover’s Series”…I just had to stop in to share this with you…so good! And if you too are trying to cut back or cut out the dairy…this dish, and this recipe is for you!!!!!
The best part about this cheesy, creamy, rich red pepper pasta, is that there is absolutely NO cheese or milk or dairy in the entire dish! (sans these photos with a sprinkling of Parmesan on top, which is completely unnecessary!). After sharing about my personal Intermittent Fasting Challenge, I also shared how for me, giving up dairy and most cheese typically makes me feel better physically and mentally (hello PCOS!). Which for me, is a major bummer! Who doesn’t want to curl up on a cold winter day with a bowl of cheesy pasta?!
In an effort to use up the leftover roasted red peppers from our Sheet Pan Fajitas (stored in these food safe containers to extend freshness and longevity!!), this dish was born from using simple pantry staples that I always have on hand. In wanting to add protein to the dish, I grabbed a handful of cashews to blend with the other ingredients. What I got was this cheesy, creamy, rich sauce, that was definitely worth writing home about!!! (Even my kids devoured it thinking it was a cheesy pasta!) Now, in hindsight, cashew cheese is clearly ‘a thing’… just this morning the Today Show touted a vegan chilli cheese fries recipe using cashews for a cheesy sauce. So, while I’m not the creator of the cashew cheese, I’m super happy I stumbled upon it. So, yes, search the pin boards for all the cheesy cashew recipes…sounds crazy…but I promise you’ll thank me!!! And if you’re looking for a simple recipe using items you more than likely have in your pantry…this recipe is definitely worth a try!!!
Ingredients
Pasta ~ 2 servings, Rigatoni shown here…feel free to use this with a gluten free option
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp (my favorite all-purpose one being this one)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minched
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup starchy water (from pasta water) + 2 Tbsp
Sprig of herbs…Spicy Globe Basil shown here, regular basil would be just as delightful
Salt
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
To Make
Bring pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook pasta per instructions on package
In a small pan, over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and add in minced garlic, gently cook 1-2 minutes until garlic is lightly cooked and fragrant, but not browned
In a blender, add cashews, roasted red pepper, olive oil, cooked garlic, lemon juice, herbs and dash of salt. Blend. Add 2 Tbsp of starchy water and blend until mixture is smooth. For me I preferred keeping it a paste and thinning it out with the pasta. If at this point your paste is extremely thick and not smooth…feel free to add a little more olive oil or starchy water. Add more salt to taste, blend a final time until smooth.
Drain pasta - reserving at least an additional 1 cup of the starchy water. In the pot, over medium-low heat, add cooked pasta, paste and 1/4 cup of starchy water. Stir until smooth…add an additional 1/4 cup of starchy water…and continue to stir until pasta is covered and the sauce has a slight shine/gloss finish to it. Depending on how thick or not you want the sauce continue adding starchy water until the consistency is to your liking. For me, just 1/2 a cup of starchy water gave me the cheesy, creamy texture I was after.
Top with additional herbs..a sprinkling of cheese (if you must, no judgement here!) and to kick it up a notch a generous pinch of hot pepper flakes.
