Vegan creamy mushroom pasta
Perfect vegan pasta recipe for menopause
The secret ingredient for this creamy 100% dairy free sauce, is, would you believe … cashews! Packed full of healthy protein and fat, when soaked over-night they form the base of this incredibly rich, dreamy, creamy non-dairy, and intensely mushroomy sauce.
Cashews are a great source of copper, magnesium, and manganese — nutrients important for energy production, brain health, immunity, and bone health. They are low in sugar and rich in fibre, heart-healthy fats, and plant based-protein.
It’s not just a pasta sauce, pour it over chicken breasts, white fish, even steamed veggies. Add a little extra water and it makes a mega-moreish mushroom soup.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes (Allow 4-24 hours to soak the cashews)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
250g any whole wheat pasta
150g cashews, soaked in water for 4 – 24 hours
1 tbsp olive oil
700g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
sea salt and black pepper to season
Method
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions or until al dente.
While the pasta cooks, heat a large non-stick frying pan, add the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and one of the garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the soaked cashews, remaining garlic, sea salt, black pepper, 375 ml of water and a scoop of the cooked mushrooms to a food processor, or blender and blitz on high until smooth. Check and adjust seasoning to your taste.
Pour the sauce into the pan with the rest of the mushrooms. Bring the sauce to the boil. Transfer the drained pasta to the sauce, adding a little of the pasta water if you want to lighten the sauce.