Creamy Tomato Pasta with Broccoli and Peas
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp salt for boiling pasta (optional)
- 4 oz (113 g) dry brown rice penne or similar pasta 3 cups (273 g) fresh chopped broccoli florets (about 1 medium head)
- 1 cup (134 g) frozen peas
Pasta sauce:
- 1/3 cup (40 g) raw cashews, soaked*, drained and rinsed
- Half of a 14- or 15-ounce (397- or 425-g) can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 2 Tbsp fortified nondairy milk of choice (almond, hemp, rice, etc.)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Small pinch of black pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions:
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Read through recipe and put all ingredients in your work area before starting your prep.
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Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt, if desired, and bring to a boil again. Add pasta, making sure to stir frequently for the first few minutes of cooking so that the pasta doesn’t stick together. After 5 minutes of boiling pasta, add broccoli and peas to the pot and blanch them until tender and pasta is cooked, about 5 more minutes. Once cooked, strain the pasta and vegetables together and set aside. You’ll be using the pot again in step 4.
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While the pasta and vegetables boil, make the pasta sauce. Place drained cashews in the blender, along with tomatoes, Italian seasoning, nutritional yeast (if using), nondairy milk, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Set the sauce aside.
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In the pot you cooked the pasta and vegetables, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browning. Add the pasta, broccoli and peas and give them a good stir to mix them up with the garlic.
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Pour the creamy sauce into the pot with the pasta and vegetables, and fold the ingredients together gently, until everything is well incorporated. Season the pasta to taste with salt and black pepper, if desired.
Notes:
*Nut soak note: If you have a high-speed blender, you can skip soaking your cashews. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can either soak your cashews in water for 4 hours, or you can do a “quick soak” by covering them with water in a pot and bringing it to a boil. Once the water boils, remove them from the heat and let them sit for an hour.
Simplify this recipe: Use pre-peeled whole garlic cloves, and 3 cups (273 g) pre-chopped fresh or frozen broccoli florets instead of chopping your own.
Storage tip: Leftover pasta will keep overnight in the refrigerator. Leftover diced tomatoes can be frozen for future use.
Reheating tip: Pasta is best reheated in a pan on the stove over medium heat with a small splash of water.
Make it nut-free: Substitute raw, shelled pumpkin seeds for the cashews.
Nutrition Information Per Serving:
496 calories, 15.6 g total fat, 2.6 g saturated fat, 2.7 g polyunsaturated fat, 8.7 g monounsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 854 mg sodium, 824 mg potassium, 78.4 g total carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 15 g protein, 12% calcium, 26% iron
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