VEGAN PENNE PASTA

This Recipe of the Week was provided by our Wellness Coach, Katie Alfaro with Nutrilishus.

A delicious vegan and gluten-free penne pasta. Made with a cashew cream cheese sauce and delicious herbs and spices like basil and red pepper flakes. This recipe can be ready in as little as 10-15 min. and it is delicious for lunch, a snack, or dinner! Sub in or out any ingredients as you see fit to your taste. See full recipe below…

INGREDIENTS

Prep Time: 3 mins | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves 2

2-3 servings of penne pasta or pasta noodle desired
1 cup of cashews for the cashew cream sauce
1-2 cups of low-fat coconut milk, or dairy-free milk of choice
1 tsp of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
2-3 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
Fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium to large pot boil your (option: gluten-free) pasta noodles as recommended in the instructions box for your selected pasta.

2. In a small to medium pot lightly boil 1 cup of cashews in 2-3 cups of water. After cashews have boiled for about 2-3 minutes, drain the cashews and begin to make the cashew cream sauce, while the pasta cooks separately.

3. In a high-speed blender toss in drained boiled cashews, nutritional yeast, cloves of garlic, lemon juice, red pepper flakes (as desired), salt and pepper, and plant-based milk (or regular milk). When adding the milk keep in mind that 1 cup of milk will make for a thick sauce. You can add more milk as desired to acquire the ideal consistency you would like.

4. Once pasta is ready and drained, add pasta to a bowl and mix in your cashew cream sauce. This is a great time to add in chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

5. This is a simplified recipe. However, feel free to toss in cherry tomatoes or chopped veggies to your finished pasta.

6. Enjoy!

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