Creamy “Alfredo” Mushroom Pasta

Hey Friends! If it’s one thing I love more than anything it’s comfort food. Pasta with a creamy, cheesy sauce is the ultimate comfort food for me, but I can’t always indulge in heavy dairy-laden sauces. So, I wanted to create a gluten free, dairy free creamy pasta dish that was worthy of satisfying my comfort food craving. So, I came up with this creamy “alfredo” mushroom pasta dish..and let me tell you, it’s absolutely fantastic that even non-vegans will enjoy it!

Whenever I want to create a dairy free cheese recipe, I automatically think cashews and nutritional yeast. These two ingredients are key in achieving creamy cheesy goodness sans dairy. I added spinach and mushrooms to the dish to get some veggies in and to make it a little fancier. I also used my favourite chickpea pasta making this dish not only dairy free, but gluten free too!

This dish is ready in 30 minutes making it perfect any night of the week and its luxurious sauce also makes it date-night worthy. Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (I used a mixture of shiitake, Portobello and oyster)
• 1 cup of fresh organic spinach
• 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cups of your favorite GF pasta (wheat pasta will also work just as great for those who can tolerate it)
• 1 tsp of red chili flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp of low sodium Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

For the Cashew Alfredo sauce:

• 1 + 2/3 cups raw cashews soaked for 2 hours*
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• 1 + 1/4 cup vegetable broth**

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of sea salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook the pasta per the package instructions.
2. Add all ingredients to your @vitamix (or high speed blender) and process until smooth
3. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium sized skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
4. Add the tamari sauce, and stir to incorporate.
5. Add the spinach to the pan, mix continuously to wilt the spinach.
6. Add the cashew sauce to the pan and mix to combine.
7. Drain your pasta and add it to the skillet. I like to add about ¼ cup of pasta water to help bring the sauce together and coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately.
8. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or even some hemp hearts for extra protein. Enjoy!

*If you are pressed for time, place the cashews in a bowl and top with boiling water. The cashews will be ready in about 30-45 minutes

**If you are not vegan, you can also substitute your favourite bone broth for some extra health benefits!