Creamy Cashew Pink Pasta

I am celebrating Valentine’s Day this year with naturally occurring pink foods! I mean look at this color.

I first saw this pink pasta idea in the Cherry Bombe Cookbook. Elettra Wiedemann created some instagram worthy pink spaghetti using beets and ricotta and I fell in love with the idea (or maybe just the look). But I wanted to put my own twist on it, so I created a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free version using cashews and chickpea pasta. (please keep reading, I promise you won’t even realize).

Have you tried creating a cashew sauce? It’s pretty amazing! If you soak cashews for 2 hours in a bowl of water and blend them in a food processor, it turns into a creamy sauce. And if you add beets…it’s pink!

So really think about your heart health this Valentine’s Day and treat your loved ones to something healthy and delicious! (who am I kidding you should make something for dessert too!)

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Creamy Cashew Pink Pasta

a guilt-free way to impress your Valentine

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 small beet
• salt & pepper
• 6 oz chickpea pasta

optional:

• lemon zest
• parsley

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews in water for two hours. Do not soak over night. 

2. Drain the cashews and add them to a food processor.

3. Add the minced garlic to the food processor

4. Shred the beets and add to the food processor. 

5. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

6. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box. Cooking times may vary depending on what chickpea pasta (or regular pasta you use) 

7. Add 2 tbsp of sauce to the pasta and mix together.

8. Zest with lemon and chopped parsley. 

Substitutions:

This recipe is already gluten free, dairy free, and vegan, so I am not sure how you can go wrong! But if you don’t have any restrictions, there is always Parmesan!

• Chickpea Spaghetti: I also used the sauce with farro to make more of a risotto!

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