Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce
Whole-wheat penne and kale tossed in vegan sun-dried tomato vodka sauce. This virtuously hearty, plant-based pasta is weeknight-friendly and kid-approved.
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast or grated parmesan cheese if not making plant-based
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. whole-wheat penne or pasta of choice
- 3 cups roughly chopped lacinato kale
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Soak cashews in 1 cup warm water for 20 minutes.
- Transfer cashews and soaking water to a blender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast (or cheese), lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper; blend until smooth.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain remaining. Transfer cooked pasta back to pot and place back on burner with heat turned off; add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and kale; toss pasta continuously for about 1 minute, until kale begins to wilt. Alternate adding cashew sauce and remaining pasta water, stirring continuously, until sauce coats noodles and desired level of creaminess is achieved. (Note: you may not end up using all of reserved pasta water or sauce, but better to have extra.) Divide pasta evenly onto each of 5 plates. Garnish with additional chopped cashews and fresh basil, if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 310mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g