Dairy-Free Creamy Lemon Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested (or less if you don’t love lots of lemon)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp vegan butter, optional
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 3 cups reserved pasta water (begin with 1 1/2 cups)
- 8-10 oz pasta of choice
Optional additions
- White beans for protein
- Greens of choice, such as chopped spinach or kale
Preparation
Boil enough water to cover cashews, pour on top of cashews and allow to soak for 15 minutes.
While cashews are soaking, get your pasta water boiling or cooking.
Roughly chop garlic, heat butter in a skillet on medium low heat and sauté the garlic for about 5 minutes until fragrant and lightly cooked. Transfer garlic butter mixture to a high speed blender with juice of lemon plus zest, pepper, salt, turmeric, and drained cashews.
Right before pasta is done, reserve 3 cups of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and transfer back to pot.
Add 1 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to the blender mixture. Blend on high speed until super smooth. Give it a taste and adjust flavor to your liking. Give it another blend just to make sure it’s extra smooth.
Pour over pasta and toss to combine. Have heat on medium low and allow to thicken. Add more pasta water to thin if needed.
Serving suggestions
Serve with extra pepper, hemp hearts, and black sesame seeds.
