Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Cashew Alfredo
Ingredients
- 4 servings fettuccine or linguine (gluten-free chickpea-based linguine)
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup water or plain plant milk (start with 1/2 cup)
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, or cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos, liquid aminos, or soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Preparation
Fill a medium saucepan half full of water and place it over high heat. Add cauliflower, cashews, garlic, and onion. Boil for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is very soft – it should crumble easily when pierced with a fork.
Drain the water and transfer the cauliflower, cashews, garlic, and onion to a high-speed blender. Meanwhile, fill the same saucepan with water and cook pasta according to package instructions while finishing the sauce.
Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on high until super smooth and creamy. Add more water if needed. Season to taste.
Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water, and set aside. Wipe out the saucepan.
Pour the blended Alfredo sauce into the same saucepan and heat over low heat until it begins to thicken and get slightly “stretchy” (like melted cheese), stirring frequently, and adding pasta water little by little if needed.
Add the cooked pasta back into the pan with Alfredo sauce and toss to coat, adding more pasta water and heating through to achieve the desired creaminess. Toss in parsley and serve hot, topped with fresh cracked black pepper and extra parsley.