Description
A creamy and flavorful pasta dish made with roasted red peppers, cashews, and spices.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 whole red bell peppers (medium; approx. 285g total)
- 1 whole yellow onion (quartered; approx. 150g)
- 4 cloves garlic (leave skins on for roasting)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (approx. 14g)
- ½ cup raw cashews (approx. 57g; soaked overnight or boiled for blending)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (approx. 15g)
- ¾ cup unsweetened soy milk (or other plant-based milk; approx. 180g)
- 1½ tbsp white miso paste (approx. 30g)
- ¼ bunch fresh basil (approx. ½ cup packed or 10g)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (approx. 29g)
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta (cooked according to package; approx. 454g)
- to taste salt (for seasoning)
- to taste black pepper (for seasoning)
- to garnish fresh basil leaves
- to garnish (optional) crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the quartered onion, whole bell peppers, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and slightly charred on the edges.
- While the vegetables roast, place cashews in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak cashews overnight or boil for 25 minutes instead for a smoother sauce.
- Remove the roasted peppers from the oven and wrap them in foil (or place in a covered bowl). Let them steam for 10 minutes—this makes the skins easier to remove. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, discard the stems and seeds, and roughly chop. Peel the garlic cloves.
- In a high-powered blender, combine the peeled peppers, garlic, onion, softened cashews, nutritional yeast, plant milk, miso paste, basil, and tomato paste. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Add a splash more milk if you’d like a thinner consistency.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- This dish can be made nut-free by omitting the cashews and using a thicker plant-based milk.
- Adjust the amount of crushed red pepper flakes to your spice preference.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting, Blending
- Cuisine: Vegan, Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 0mg