Smooth and creamy pasta vodka but without the heft. Squash and cashew puree provides a sweet & creamy backdrop while tomato, nutritional yeast and lemon impart a cheese-like tanginess. Unlike dairy based sauces, this one won’t break when re-heated. This is one vegan copycat I actually prefer to the original.
ingredients
5 oz (1/2 Cup plus 2 TB) Olive Oil, divided
5 grams (2-3 Cloves) Fresh Garlic
1 Pound Summer Squash or Zucchini, chopped or grated
1 Pound Pasta, fresh or dried
4 quarts Water, for cooking pasta (reserve 2 cups after cooking)
2 Tablespoons Table Salt, for cooking pasta
14 oz (1 1/2 cups) Tomatoes, pureed or crushed
1.5 oz (1/2 cup) Nutritional Yeast
1 Ounce (2 tablespoons/ about 1/2 lemon) Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Ounces (1/4 cup) Vodka or Dry White Wine
1 Ounce (1/4 Cup) Pine Nuts or Raw Cashews
1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Crushed Chili Flakes
1-2 Teaspoons Table Salt, approximate, to taste
1 pound Mushrooms and/or peppers or other vegetable of choice, sliced or diced as desired
deviations & tips
Summer squash such as yellow squash, patty pan or zucchini works best.
Vodka amps up the heat while white wine imparts more tanginess… I prefer white wine.
For leftovers reserve some pasta water in the fridge and add to pasta when re-heating.
the method
Heat 4 oz olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple seconds until fragrant. Add squash or zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture is released and starts to evaporate. The squash should be soft and translucent but not mushy. The mixture will be watery but when you run a spatula through the mixture, the line should hold for a couple seconds. Add mixture to a blender or food processor and set aside.
Place a colander in a larger bowl or pan and place in the sink. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons table salt. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente; cook about 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain into colander set over bowl. Remove colander and pasta; set aside. Reserve about 2 cups of that pasta water and discard the rest.
Add about a 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the squash mixture. If using a blender, be sure to let pasta water cool slightly before blending. Add nutritional yeast, cashews or pine nuts, tomatoes, wine or vodka, chili flakes, and lemon juice. Blend for about 2 minutes or until completely smooth and pureed. Return to saute pan. Cook over medium for about 2 minutes until just warm. Add pasta and cook for another 5 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Add a little more pasta water if sauce gets too thick.
In a separate saute pan or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms or other vegetables, sprinkle with a little salt and saute for about 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked as desired. Set aside. If needed, add a little more pasta water to pasta. Add pasta to serving dishes and top with mushrooms or vegetables and any nutritional yeast or pine nuts if desired.
Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shiitake Mushroom and Pine Nuts