Friday, January 9, 2015

Luxurious Tomato-Basil Pasta

If the Luxurious Tomato-Basil Pasta were a whiff of what's to come as I make my way through The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon, then I'm super excited. For what looked like a simple pasta, it was exploding with flavor. The creamy cashew cream draped around the fusilli noodles and wrapped them like a gentleman in a trenchcoat. The tomatoes and spinach along with the fresh basil brought the flavor while the nutritional yeast added cheesiness. This simple meal turned into a gourmet feast.


Luxurious Tomato-Basil Pasta
Serves 3

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
  • 9 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups diced fresh or canned tomatoes (drain juice, if using canned)
  • 3 handfuls spinach
  • 1 to 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast, to taste
  • 1 cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 2 to 3 Tbsp tomato paste, to taste
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Place cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews. Place them in a blender along with the almond milk and blend on the highest speed until smooth. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente.

In a large wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the diced tomatoes and spinach and continue cooking for 7 to 10 minutes over medium-high heat, until the spinach is wilted.

Stir in the cashew cream, nutritional yeast, basil, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until heated through.

Drain the pasta and add it to the wok. Stir to combine the pasta with the sauce. Cook for a few minutes, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

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