This recipe here is absolutely delicious, period. Even if you are not vegan, I believe you would enjoy it. It is a must to make and you can determine its worth. A few days ago, my mom was scrummaging through recipes and reading out loud ones that she thought she and my dad would like. She did read quite a few that sounded delicious, but this one stood out. Probably because I love mushrooms, and we had some in the fridge that needed to be used. There are steps to do, but nothing hard to achieve. You will need a blender or food processor. You will also need to soak the cashews for at least a couple hours prior to use. Unless you blanche them or soak overnight. Other than that, it is pretty easy.

The sauce is made from cashews. I have had a cashew alfredo sauce before, but this one was far tastier than the one I had previously. This one was smooth, almost like a buttery taste, with a hint of nuttiness. I am pretty picky when it comes to alfredo and spaghetti sauces. I’d much rather make my own. Before I went dairy free, I made my own alfredo with heavy cream and/or cream cheese. Now, with the tomato spaghetti sauce I now make the homemade-marinara-stash.

As I mentioned in my first paragraph about how even non-vegans would enjoy this recipe, I want to briefly explain where the protein comes in. Whether you add an animal protein or not is up to you. In this recipe you get your protein mainly from the cashews and mushrooms. Spinach has 5.3g for four cups in this recipe and the mushrooms have 4.4g . The cashews have 24g for one cup which is what this recipe calls for. So, as you can see, all this protein adds up to a total of 33.7g. That’s a good amount of protein coming just from three plant sources. I speak about the protein part of this recipe because most people who are not vegan are not aware of the other alternatives of protein sources. I had posted this recipe on my personal Facebook page and had a couple people comment that there was not any protein in this recipe because it lacked animal meat.

Vegan Alfredo Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews (soaking at least 2 hrs or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water)
• 6-8 garlic cloves, roasted
• 12 oz any pasta (we used angel hair)
• 2 Tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 4 cups of reserved pasta water
• 2 cups thick cut mushrooms
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup any plant milk (we used Chobani extra creamy)
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch (or cornstarch/flour)
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh basil for garnish (opt)

Cooking Instructions

1. Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight, or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water.
2. In a small pan, roast garlic cloves with the shells on, over med-high heat until browned and soft. Spray pan with Pam or oil as needed. Remove the shells and set aside.
3. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and reserve 4 cups of the pasta water.
4. In a large pan, heat EVOO over medium heat: add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and begin to brown. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. In a blender, combine cashews, 4 cups reserved pasta water, roasted garlic, lemon juice, plant milk, and tapioca starch. Blend on high until completely smooth.
6. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and cook over med-high heat, whisking constantly until sauce begins to thicken.
7. Add the mushroom mixture and the cooked spaghetti to the sauce. Use tongs to ensure the noodles are evenly coated. Season with S&P.

This recipe makes a lot!! I would guess this would feed about 8 people. If you noticed in the ingredients that you are not using the entire package of spaghetti, but it still makes a generous amount. It was great having leftovers to eat from because it’s that good to eat on for a few days or just freeze the remainder and enjoy another time without all the hassle of making another batch. To reheat leftovers, just add a splash of whatever milk you used to make the consistency looser.

I’d like to recommend a very tasty vegan cheese to add to this meal. It is a 3-ingredient mock parmesan cheese. You can find this quick and easy recipe here dairy-free-parmesan-cheese-crumbles/.

*This recipe is not the original, it has been altered to fit my family’s taste. The site where it was discovered is unknown. If the site is ever recovered, I will certainly add it here to give credit to that person.

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