Categories: Pasta
Ingredients
- SAUCE
- 1 cup (120 g) raw cashews
- 1 whole head garlic (for roasting // see instructions)
- 2 cloves raw garlic (omit for less garlicky flavor)
- 4-5 Tbsp (12-15 g) nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for roasting garlic
- 2 tsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) // for thickening
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups (360-480 ml) unsweetened plain almond or rice milk, + more as needed
- optional: pinch red pepper flake (omit for less spicy)
- NOODLES
- 3 large or 4 small-medium sweet potatoes (~525 g // organic when possible, peeled and spiralized)
- 1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) coconut or avocado oil (if avoiding oil, sub water // plus more for garlic)
- Pinch sea salt
- FOR SERVING optional
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Sautéed kale or Kale Chips
- Crispy chickpeas (store bought or DIY)
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Red pepper flake
Directions
- Add cashews to a small mixing bowl and cover with very hot water to soak for 1 hour. Then drain thoroughly and set aside (or soak overnight or 6-8 hours in cool water).
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and slice off the very top of your whole head of garlic. Place on a piece of foil, drizzle with oil (optional) and a pinch of salt and loosely wrap. Bake directly on the oven rack for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until fragrant, tender, and slightly golden brown. Then remove from oven to let cool.
- If serving with kale chips or sautéed kale, prepare now and set aside until serving.
- While cashews finish soaking, peel and spiralize potatoes using a veggie spiralizer on the thinnest blade, or if you don’t own a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler or julienne peeler instead. Set aside.
- Add soaked and drained cashews to a high-speed blender as well as roasted garlic. To extract garlic cloves, squeeze from the base upwards and the softened cloves should easily slide out. Then add remaining ingredients: fresh garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, arrowroot starch, and 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) almond or rice milk.
- Blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more fresh garlic for zing/kick, nutritional yeast for “cheesiness,” salt for saltiness, or a pinch of red pepper flake (optional) for heat. The sauce should be creamy, smooth, and pourable. If too thick, thin with a bit more almond milk (I used 2 cups (480 ml)).
- Transfer sauce to a large, rimmed pan or pot and heat over medium-low heat until it just starts to bubble. Whisk as it heats, as it will thicken. Once bubbling reduce heat to low and simmer to keep warm. The sauce will thicken, so thin with more almond or rice milk as needed.
- Heat a separate large rimmed skillet or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 Tbsp oil (or water) and add potato noodles. Season with a pinch of salt and toss with tongs to coat. Cover to let steam. I added a couple of Tablespoons of water to my pan to help them steam. But be careful not to add too much or it can make the noodles soggy. You need just a little moisture to help them soften. Continue cooking, gently tossing occasionally until tender.
- Add your sweet potatoes to your sauce and gently toss to combine. If adding kale or other add-ins, add at this time.
- Serve as is or garnish with fresh parsley, crispy chickpeas, kale chips, vegan parmesan, or red pepper flake.
- This dish is best when fresh, as the noodles tend to get soggy after reheating, but the flavor is still delicious! If storing for later, I recommend keeping kale and other toppings separate. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.