I love getting creative with pasta. As someone who isn’t the biggest pasta fan, I find that if I can get creative I tend to like it more. While drinking a glass of my favorite $5 rosé, I realized I could cook with it just like I cook with other wines. After analyzing what I had in my kitchen, this creamy rosé cashew pasta was born. Reminicest of a vodka sauce, this sauce is tomato-y, bright, floral, and absolutely delicious.
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This pasta starts with building the wine sauce. Everything goes into the pan, including your rosé wine. Remember when cooking with wine, cook with one you like to drink. Plus you get the added benefit of having a glass with dinner. I’m not going to lie to you, my absolute favorite rosé wine is California Roots from Target. I’m serious. It’s a $5 bottle and is so tasty. I’ve tried probably a smooth 40 different rosés and I swear this $5 is the best I’ve had. I don’t know why, I just know this is my truth.
I like to make my cashew cream while my wine sauce simmers away on the stove. If you like it super smooth, you can add the sauce into the food processor with the cashew cream sauce once it’s all done but I like it a little chunky because it’s reminiscent of lasagna.
Since this is a cashew based sauce, you already know I’m going to tell you to soak your cashews overnight. But if we’re being completely honest here, who the heck remembers to soak their cashews overnight? Because I never do, I have a trick to rectify my inability to plan ahead. I’ll place my cashews and a decent amount of water into a small pot, bring that to a boil, and boil on high for 15 minutes. Then I just drain the cashews and use them like I soaked them overnight. The boil helps to soften them so you’ll still get that creamy texture of a soaked cashew but it takes very little planning.
Because we’re working with cashews here and want them to be as smooth as possible, the food processor or high-powered blender you use is important. This is the one I use that I bought 7 years ago and it’s still going strong. I’ve never needed to sharpen an attachment, it’s all dishwasher safe, and I use it at least once a week. Seriously, it’s so worth the investment.
I love using a rigatoni or tortiglioni pasta in this so the thick sauce can fill the tubes and make every bite delicious.
Once the sauce and pasta are done, it’s just a matter of combining the two and allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce for a few minutes. Then it’s a matter of devouring the whole pan.
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 medium white onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup rosé wine
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 8 oz pasta of your choice
- Make cashew cream by blending cashews and lemon juice in a food processor or high powered blender. Slowly add 1/2 cup water while blending. Once it’s creamy and somewhat loose, season with salt and put aside.
- Heat a small drizzle of oil in a medium – large pan. Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add wine and reduce by half (about 4 minutes). Add tomato, basil, and a large pinch of salt and pepper, stir and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
- While sauce is simmering, cook pasta to package direction.
- After the 20 minutes, add cashew cream and stir together. Allow to cook together for a few minutes and add in pasta. Combine and allow to cook together for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm.