Lemon Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce with Fettuccine

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce with Fettuccine

Rich, creamy and delicious, this vegan Lemon Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce tossed in pasta is going to be a new family favorite and they won't even miss the dairy! This dairy free recipe is simple to whip up in the blender or food processor and is ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Soak Time4

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews Soaked in water for 2-4 hours
⅔ - 1 cup water more for thinner sauce
1 -2 garlic cloves
Juice of half lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Cracked Pepper
1 cup baby spinach
8 oz. fettuccine pasta

Instructions

Soak cashews for about 2-4 hours and rinse them very well before adding to blender. When ready to make this recipe, cook your pasta according to package instructions.
While pasta boils, combine soaked cashews, water, garlic clove, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a high powered blender or food processor.
Process until a smooth creamy sauce, scraping down the sides as needed. Add more water one tablespoon at a time if it seems too thick.
When pasta is cooked, drain and put back into pot. Add in spinach and stir to wilt.
After spinach has wilted, add about half of the cream sauce and turn heat to low.
Stir to coat adding more sauce as desired.
Once sauce is heated, remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Depending on your blender or food processor, you may still have some tiny specks of cashew throughout the sauce. When I use my food processor, I always end up with some little specks of cashew throughout, but my blender whips up the sauce soooooo creamy and smooth. If your appliance isn't super high powered, you may end up in the same spot as well. A high powered blender is hands down the ideal appliance for this recipe.
Don't soak the cashews too long. this can cause the cashew cream sauce to come out an odd texture and watery. You only need to soak them for about 2-4 hours or so.
Add other ingredients for even more flavor! The cashew cream sauce is a nice base but feel free to play around with some other spices and herbs. Add a bit of fresh basil (which is amaaaaaazing), some parsley or whatever else sounds delicious.
To speed up the soak time, you can soak your cashews in very hot water. If you are short on time, you can add very hot water to your cashews and soak for about 20-30 minutes before rinsing and adding to the blender.

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