This pesto alfredo pasta was created at the beginning of my current relationship. It was the first thing I ever cooked for him so it has a special place in my heart. He had never eaten vegan before and didn’t believe a delicious pasta could be made with cashews and I took that personally. Not only did he get seconds, but for his thirds, he just brought the pot to the table and polished it off. Now I’m not saying that this pasta is the reason we’re in love 3 years later but I’m not not saying that.
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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.
This recipe is quite simple but it does require all fresh ingredients. The good thing is they’re all getting blended together so you don’t have to prep. Everyone just goes into the food processor and gets blended until it becomes a smooth, bright sauce.
Since we’re making a smooth sauce, the food processor, or high-powered blender 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.
Once the sauce is made and the pasta is cooked, what you top it with is up to you. I love this with roasted cherry tomatoes. To make them, I just dump out a clamshell of tomatoes onto a baking sheet, coat them with a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper. They then go into an oven on 400*F for 10-15 minutes, or until they start to break down a bit. Their sweetness plays off the fresh basil and arugula so nicely. I also like to add in a handful of toasted pine nuts to really get that pesto feel.
You really can’t go wrong with this pasta but fair warning, it might just cause you to fall in love.
- 1 cup cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 lemon, juice
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 8 oz pasta of your choice
- Boil very salty water and cook pasta to package instruction.
- While pasta is boiling, add cashews, arugala, basil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper to a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until homogenous, occasionally scraping down the sides. Taste for seasoning.
- Once pasta is finished, drain, return to pot and add sauce. Stir together and allow to cook together for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Top with toasted pine nuts, roasted tomatoes or stir in spinach to wilt. I like all 3 but it’s delicious on its own. Sauce will keep for 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.