Description
A rich and creamy vegan pink pasta sauce that gets its creaminess from soaked cashews and its beautiful pastel pink color from roasted beets. This would be a great vegan dinner idea for Valentine's Day or a romantic date night.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces of pasta
- 1 cup cashews (soaked, drained, and rinsed)*
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 beet
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 shallot, diced (about 1/2 cup when diced)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of pasta water
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your taste)
Optional Garnishes:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Soak your cashews ahead of time (see notes).
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place the beet in tin foil and drizzle a little olive oil and salt over it. Close the tin foil, and place it in a ramekin. Roast the beet for 50-60 minutes until the beet is fork-tender.
- Add the drained and rinsed cashews, beet*, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the box instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, black pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the pan. Sautè for about 5 minutes until the shallot is translucent and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Pour in the cashew cream, 1/2 cup of pasta water, sugar, basil, oregano, and red pepper to the pan. Mix until the sugar is dissolved and everything is warmed through (about 5 minutes).
- Add the cooked pasta and mix until all of the noodles are coated in the sauce. You can add more pasta water here to get your desired consistency.
- Top with any optional garnishes and enjoy!
Notes
To soak cashews, place them in an airtight container for 8 hours or overnight. If you're on a time crunch, do the quick soak method by placing the cashews in a bowl and soaking them in boiling water for 30-60 minutes. For both methods, drain the soaking water and rinse the cashews before using.
Depending on the color you want the pink sauce to be, add a slice of roasted beet one at a time to the blender and blend until you have your desired color.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heaping scoopful
- Calories: 533
- Sugar: 5.7g
- Sodium: 414mg
- Fat: 23.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 66.6g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 16.1g
- Cholesterol: 62mg
