Hello my fellow eaters! Today I’m sliding another recipe your way. One thing my family seems to eat a lot of is pesto. And one thing I’ve missed since adopting a plant-based lifestyle is creamy white pasta sauces. (But I haven’t missed the heavy, yucky feeling I get after eating them!!) Enter: My favorite self-invented staple: vegan pesto cream sauce.
Make It Vegan Or Take the Easy Way Out
Now, to say this is vegan is slightly misleading. We eat as vegan as possible most of the time, however we don’t eat SO much pesto that I am willing to go out and hunt down pre-made vegan pesto every time we eat it. We do shop at Walmart, after all, and they haven’t quite reached the expert level of carrying vegan pesto just yet. (Albeit, they have come a long long way in the plant-based department.) So, the way we generally eat it is with good ol’ Classico Basil Pesto, which is, unfortunately, made with parmesan.
If, however, you are so committed to eating dairy-free that you will make a special trip to Whole Foods or place a specific order on Amazon for true vegan pesto, then I commend you for making this recipe completely plant-based! *Cue applause* Another option is to trail blaze your way through some homemade pesto. But if you are reading this mom blog, odds are you probably don’t have time for that either.
Aside from the pesto debacle, this cream sauce is made with vegan butter, plant milk, and nutritional yeast–and you seriously won’t miss the dairy products. OR that heavy feeling.
Vegan Pesto Cream Sauce
This pesto cream sauce is a light vegan alternative to the heavy cream sauces made with dairy products! Stir into pasta with some sautéed veggies for a quick, delicious, and simple dinner.
Ingredients
Pesto Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter (or other margarine product)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups plain unsweetened cashew milk (or plant milk of choice)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup dairy-free pesto (can substitute traditional pesto if you can't find vegan pesto)
- 1 tbsp corn starch (optional)
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 16 oz pasta, cooked
Instructions
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1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta of choice. Boil for 7-10 minutes and drain.
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2. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce. Add the vegan butter and flour to a small pot. Heat and stir the butter and flour over medium heat until it forms a paste and begins to bubble. Continue to stir and cook for one minute more.
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3. Whisk the cashew milk into the vegan butter and flour, then allow it to come up to a simmer, while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the sauce should thicken. (If it does not, feel free to whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch. First mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of warm water. Whisk the cornstarch and water mixture into the sauce.)
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4. Whisk the nutritional yeast and pesto into the sauce until smooth. This will further thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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5. Combine the drained pasta and the finished sauce in the large pot, removed from heat. Stir until pasta is well coated and serve immediately.
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6. (Optional) While cooking the sauce and pasta, stir fry your favorite veggies to add to the pasta, i.e. cherry tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, etc.
And voila! Don’t forget to serve with a salad and some garlic bread. Or feel free to add any roasted, sautéed, or stir fried veggies to your pasta. And if you have a meat-eater in the family, throw some grilled chicken on top and everyone will be satisfied. Happy saucing!
PS. Check out my recipe for Vegan Bruschetta. If you’d like to see more recipes, leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by!
I can attest to the fact that this is, indeed, delicious