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Did ya know you could enjoy “cheesy” Italian dishes without using or consuming dairy or cheese? In fact, there are so many other dishes you can still enjoy without using any animal products whatsoever. I especially love this one because I am such a fan of regional comfort food. Plus, I say the sauce is classic because it’s first class AF. Some of my favorite Italian dishes were covered with melty cheese that made me weak in the knees every damn time! Fettuccine Alfredo, Manicotti, luscious lasagnas…gimmie, GIMMIE! I was having a hard time thinking I couldn’t live without cheese…until this recipe for Classic Cashew Cream Sauce came into my life.
Well, HELLO lover…I mean Cashew Cream Sauce…
In the plant-based cooking course I took, I had to learn how to make fresh plant-based pasta (no eggs) for a manicotti dish. I’m straight up going to be honest with you when I say, I LOATHED that particular assignment. I wanted to pull every hair out of my head trying to make that damn dough! To top it off, I also had to make a marinara sauce, THIS cashew cream sauce (I’ve made a few changes to it), and a ricotta for the manicotti. It was quite the task! BUT, it was SO DELICIOUS! When you are cooking more at home and learning how to make your favorite dishes vegan, YOU TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM, DAMNIT!
So…with that being said, it’s always a great idea to have some classic cashew cream sauce on hand in the freezer for those nights you want to whip up a quick pasta toss. You will love me forever for sharing this with you. And if I’m wrong, you can pay me a million dollars!
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Classic Cashew Cream Sauce
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews
5 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp onion powder
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
The first thing you want to do is soak the cashews in water for 2-3 hours. This will soften them well enough to blend into a smooth consistency.
Once the cashews have been soaked, drain them of their soaking water and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and sweat the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes or until slightly translucent. Add garlic and sweat a few more minutes.
Add onions and garlic mixture to a high speed blender (I love my Vitamix). Then, add the soaked cashews, stock, white wine, nutritional yeast, and onion powder. Cover with lid and blend on the lowest speed then increase to a higher speed. blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Pour into a large bowl and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to your liking. Mixture can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 6 months.
Notes
*If you choose to freeze the sauce for later use, re-blend the mixture once it has thawed to smooth out the lumps.
*Recipe adapted from a Rouxbe Culinary recipe
- Prep Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: sauces
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
