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5-Minute Vegan Alfredo Sauce That You’ll Devour

Vegan alfredo

It's dinner time and you have no idea what to prepare.

This happened to me on Tuesday, and as I'd been thinking about rich cream sauces, I devised this alfredo. It's absolutely delicious, healthy and vegan.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Before we get started, a couple notes. I used a high-power blender to blend up the cashews into a sauce, soaking not required. If you don't have a powerful blender, you'll need soaked cashews.

A time-saving trick is to soak a couple cups of cashews, then dry and put them in the freezer. That way when you have a hankering for a rich sauce you can take a few out. And Voila!

5-Minute Vegan Alfredo Sauce (no added oil)

Ingredients (enough sauce for 2-3 hefty servings of vegan alfredo)

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used Edensoy Soymilk)
  • 1 Tablespoons dried onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Salt to taste, I used 1/2 teaspoon
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional but adds a wonderful kick)
  • handful of fresh parsley or basil for garnish
  • Pasta - use your favorite whole wheat, brown rice, or regular. Around 1/2 pound of pasta, or three cups of cooked pasta will yield 2-3 servings depending on your hunger levels. 

Blend all ingredients together on high speed for around one minute, or until the sauce is creamy and no graininess from the cashews remains.

In the meantime, boil water for your pasta and cook according to instructions. I used penne or fusilli.

Saute a few vegetables of your choice in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of rosemary. I enjoyed this dish with kale and asparagus.

Assemble: Put 1 cup of pasta in bowl, drizzle with alfredo sauce, top with 1 cup of sauteed vegetables, drizzle with a bit more sauce and garnish with fresh parsley or basil.

Lick the bowl, it's healthy and delicious!

Jessica Blanchard

Jessica Blanchard is a registered dietitian, longtime Ayurvedic practitioner, and yoga teacher. She's on a mission to dispel dietary myths and make healthy habits accessible to everyone. She's here to help you on your journey to a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life.

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