Dairy Free Pasta Sauce with Cashews
Here's an everyday dairy-free pasta sauce that's rich, creamy, and full of flavor. It's similar to a rosé cream sauce, but without all the butter and cream. Toss it with your favorite pasta or veggie noodles for a quick, easy, and creamy dinner the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ cups raw cashews, see notes
- 1 ½ cup water
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce, omit or use vegan substitute if needed - see notes
- Minced basil or parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.8 ounces dried pasta
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Transfer the onions and garlic to your high-powered blender or food processor. Add the cashews and water and blend on high until completely smooth.1 ¼ cups raw cashews, 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 ½ cup water
- Pour the cashew cream back into the pan and add the crushed tomatoes, sea salt, and (if using) the fish sauce. Whisk well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with some minced basil or parsley over top.Minced basil or parsley
Notes
Blender: If you don't have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews in water for 3-4 hours before using them to make them easier to blend. Simply put them into a jar, fill the jar with water, and pop it into your fridge. Discard the water before using the cashews.
Fish sauce: This might seem like an unusual ingredient to use, but it adds a ton of deliciously rich flavor to the cream sauce. It can be found in bottles in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Serving: 1 serving = ⅛ of the recipe, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 955mg, Potassium: 468mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 215IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 3mg