The Perfect Vegan Alfredo

If you’re looking for a plant-based, dairy-free, knock your socks off creamy pasta sauce with only 6 ingredients, you can stop now. You’ve arrived, welcome.

There are few things in life I love more than creamy pasta. It’s just so incredibly satisfying. But it can also be heavy and lead straight in to a food coma when I eat a few bites too many, which is always with me and pasta. One too many alfredo hangovers has taught me to avoid sauces with heavy cream and cheese, but it’s been hard to find a fulfilling replacement. I’ve tested many vegan pasta recipes over the years and played around with almost every ingredient combo, which basically qualifies me to say: I found it, this is the one.

This recipe is similar to ones I’ve made before, but the vegan pasta gods must have intervened on this particular day to inspire just the right tweaks. For example, I used unsweetened coconut milk instead of my go-to almond milk, sautéed the garlic in coconut oil instead of using raw, doubled the nutritional yeast, and blended in fresh basil just because I had some. I also soaked the cashews for longer than intended leaving them extra soft. The result was a silky smooth, perfectly balanced, garlicky-sweet sauce with a subtle cheesy kick I will be making from now until forever. I ate it over mung bean rotini (curve ball!) with crispy garlic roasted broccoli.

To make, you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup raw cashews, pre-soaked *
• 1 small head of cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk **
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 T coconut oil
• 2 T fresh basil, chopped
• salt and garlic powder to taste
• 1 small head of broccoli, washed and broken into florets
• mung bean pasta*** or pasta of choice, cooked according to package directions

Directions:

1. Cover 1/2 cup raw cashews in 1 cup water and let soak for 5-6 hours (softer is better).
2. Cover cauliflower florets in water in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil, cook until very tender.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F and prepare sheet pan for broccoli. Toss florets in a little oil, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder, and roast until tips are crispy, about 20-25 min.
4. Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat and sauté garlic, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn, about 2 minutes.
5. In high-speed blender (I used a Vitamix), add sautéed garlic, cauliflower, cashews, nutritional yeast, coconut milk, fresh basil, and blend on high until silky smooth, keep scraping down the sides as needed. I did not add more liquid but feel free to if you like a thinner sauce. Add salt to taste.
6. Serve over fresh cooked pasta and top with roasted broccoli, or veggie of choice.

This makes roughly 4-5 cups so you will have plenty leftover to use on roasted veggie bowls, weeknight tacos, and more pasta!

*you can also boil cashews to do this step faster but I haven’t tried that. I like to buy raw, organic cashews in bulk and soak 2 cups overnight, drain the water, and keep the cashews stored in an air-tight container in the fridge to use in recipes like this one – they keep well and it saves time later.

**you can use any non-dairy milk of choice, but trust me on the coconut. It makes it that much creamier and gives a touch of sweetness that other milks lack. It’s also an excellent source of healthy fat. I used organic canned coconut milk minus the solid cream that forms in the can. I save the coconut cream for smoothies and fruit dip!

***what’s a mung bean? They’re from the legume family (like lentils) meaning they are totally gluten free and packed with nutrients like folate, magnesium, potassium, fiber and B6. Mung beans are native to India and part of traditional Ayurvedic diets. They are a healthy source of plant protein and the pasta noodles have a savory veggie flavor that tastes great with creamy sauce like this vegan alfredo.