Easy 5-Min Cashew Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Mushroom Pasta
This creamy, dreamy cashew alfredo sauce is the perfect healthy comfort food - and it comes together in just 5 minutes! I love my cashew alfredo with roasted garlic, but if you have none on hand, you can toss the cloves on the pan with the mushrooms for a quick cook version that is still super delicious.
Servings: 4 Servings
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
Ingredients
Cashew Alfredo
- 1 ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 4 cloves roasted garlic or 1/2 - 1 clove raw garlic, crushed
Roasted Mushroom Pasta
- 340 gram package of your favourite pasta I like chickpea-based Banza
- 1 pound mixed mushrooms (crimini, oyster, shiitake) cleaned, trimmed and halved if necessary
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, skin on optional, if no roasted garlic on hand
- ½ cup curly parsley minced, optional
Instructions
Cashew Alfredo Sauce
- If making just the alfredo sauce, place the cashews, water, salt, nutritional yeast and garlic in a high-speed blender and blend until silky smooth, 1-2 minutes, while heating. I have a soup setting on my blender, so I use that.
- Use immediately, or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat over medium-low on stove.
Cashew Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Mushroom Pasta
- Preheat oven to 450° Fahrenheit and prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, place cashews, water, salt and nutritional yeast in the blender and set aside while you roast the garlic with the mushrooms.
- Toss the mushrooms and garlic with salt and olive oil and spread on baking sheet. Add thyme sprigs and ensure that the mushrooms aren't crowded so they don't steam. Place in oven, close to heat source.
- Let roast for 15-20 minutes, or until thinner edged mushrooms are crispy at edges, stirring once halfway through cooking process. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Carefully lift garlic cloves out of skins (they're hot!) and place in blender. Blend cashew alfredo sauce on high speed until silky smooth, about 1-2 minutes, to let sauce heat up.
- Drain pasta and rinse quickly. Place back in pasta pot, off of the heat and toss with cashew alfredo sauce and divide among bowls, topping with roasted mushrooms and parsley if you wish.