Vegan Lemon Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, soaked in boiling water
- 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 add-ins
- white northern beans for protein
- greens of choice, such as chopped spinach or kale
Preparation
Boil enough water to cover cashews and pour it over them; allow to soak for 15 minutes.
While cashews are soaking, start boiling water for pasta and cook the pasta.
Roughly chop the garlic, heat butter in a skillet on medium low heat, and sauté the garlic for about 5 minutes until fragrant and lightly cooked.
Transfer the garlic butter mixture to a blender along with lemon juice, zest, pepper, salt, turmeric, and drained cashews.
Right before the pasta is done, reserve 3 cups of pasta water and set aside.
Drain the pasta and transfer it back to the pot.
Add 1 1/2 cups of reserved pasta water to the blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking, then blend again to ensure smoothness.
Pour the sauce over the pasta, tossing to combine.
Heat on medium low, allowing the sauce to thicken, and add more pasta water if needed to thin.
