I’m going to be honest here… I’m not sure if this recipe even looks appetizing, but I’m posting it anyway because it’s 100% delicious no matter how pink and weird looking it may be. Just close your eyes and imagine perfectly cooked pasta shells in a creamy tomato sauce with sauteed meatballs seasoned in Italian herbs ??
The good news is, your recipe may come out looking totally normal and non-coral. I based this recipe off of Pinch of Yum’s 3 Ingredient Creamy Tomato Shells and well, mine turned out rather awkward… but our attempts don’t always turn out as perfect as the ones on professional food blogs and that’s okay. As long as it’s delicious and/or you had fun making it!
Aside from being vegan, this dish is also gluten free so pasta lovers rejoice! Lately I’ve buying this Ancient Harvest Supergrain Pasta. I like that it’s organic and non-GMO and only contains a handful of ingredients, as opposed to a long list of overly processed ones. Plus, this pasta doesn’t get soggy and gooey like many other gluten free brands tend to do.
You will also notice that the base of the sauce is cashews. Yes, cashews and pasta can be a thing. This was my first experience making a sauce out of cashews, but it makes everything creamy plus blended cashews have a very subtle taste and tend to take on whatever they’re seasoned with (kinda like tofu).
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of your favorite pasta
- 1/2 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I like mine super simple so I use Hunt’s plain sauce – their cans are non-BPA lined now!)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
- 1/4 cup water
- garlic clove (optional)
- herbs and salt to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
- Gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs (in the frozen section of the grocery store)
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce over low heat to warm.
- In a saucepan, add a little olive oil and heat on medium. Cook your meatballs according to instructions on package.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. In a blender, blend the cashews with the water, garlic, and salt. Blend until very smooth.
- Add your cashew cream to the pasta pot. Stir until creamy. Try adding half of the cashew cream to start and see if that’s enough to cover the pasta. If so, then you have leftover cashew cream for another recipe! Otherwise, add as much or as little to the pasta as you like.
- Top pasta with salt, pepper, herbs, and meatballs. You can also saute your favorite veggies to go with it!
- 8 oz of your favorite pasta
- 1/2 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I like mine super simple so I use Hunt's plain sauce - their cans are non-BPA lined now!)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
- 1/4 cup water
- garlic clove (optional)
- herbs and salt to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
- Gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs (in the frozen section of the grocery store)
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce over low heat to warm.
- In a saucepan, add a little olive oil and heat on medium. Cook your meatballs according to instructions on package.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. In a blender, blend the cashews with the water, garlic, and salt. Blend until very smooth.
- Add your cashew cream to the pasta pot. Stir until creamy. Try adding half of the cashew cream to start and see if that's enough to cover the pasta. If so, then you have leftover cashew cream for another recipe! Otherwise, add as much or as little to the pasta as you like.
- Top pasta with salt, pepper, herbs, and meatballs. You can also saute your favorite veggies to go with it!
I think I added too much cashew cream to my pasta and that’s why it came out so interesting looking. But actually there’s no such thing as too much cashew cream, so everyone wins with this recipe ?
The Gardein meatballs add a surprising element to the dish. They’re very flavorful and add extra protein to the meal. Recipes like this one remind me how amazing and easy it is to be vegan/gluten free/healthy!
Enjoy!
Jillian ?
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