I have so much to say, and yet so little energy to say it all today. So today, I will be brief. Not a lot of food for the soul today, just going to go with a big helping of good food for the body.
I have now made this Dairy Free Creamy Tomato + Spinach TWICE and by husband request, AND he knows that it is cashews that make the cream. After he gobbled this up the first time and asked for seconds, I felt it was necessary to have a ‘drop the mic’ moment and let him in on the secret ingredient. And he didn’t even care. I mean, I can’t even tell you how far we have come over here. Miracles really do happen!
This pasta dish is super easy to whip up and so delicious, which we all know is what we really want, easy and tasty. While soaking the cashews is ideal, if you are ever in a pinch, run hot water over them for 5-10 minutes and you should be good to go. I even have not soaked them at all and only noticed a slight difference. So if push comes to shove, go for it.
I find this to be the perfect base sauce even before the addition of the cream. You can spice it up a bit more, you can add lots of extra veggies, some grilled chicken, the list goes on and on. If you have garlic and tomatoes, this sauce is your oyster, take it wherever you please! One night, I only made a small portion of pasta and froze the leftover sauce so we could use it again later. It cooked up really well after thawing! I always find leftover sauces and chilis to taste even better as leftovers.
Enjoy dinner tonight–and you may even get to enjoy no complaints as well! Wouldn’t that be a dream???
Dairy Free Creamy Tomato + Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 can tomato sauce BPA Free
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes BPA Free
- 2 T tomato paste
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 5 oz. Baby Spinach
- 1 shallot diced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3/4 c cashews soaked 4 hours
- 1/3 c water plus more if needed
- 1 pound dry spaghetti gluten free or regular
- 1 1/2 T olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta according to package instructions.
- Heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add 2-3 garlic cloves and the shallots and sauté until shallots become slightly translucent. Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices and heat over medium for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- After simmering, add in spinach and allow to wilt.
- While spinach is cooking, combine cashews, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 T olive oil and water to a high powered blender. Blend for about 1 minute or until creamy and smooth. If it seems to thick, add water 1 T at a time. It should be easily pourable, but not runny.
- Add cream to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Add in tomato paste and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Toss with drained pasta and serve with fresh basil or your favorite cheese.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
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