As the weather gets cooler, I think we all naturally want to cozy up with some warm, hearty foods. This Creamy Vegan Autumn Pasta is a great option for a chilly night and (surprise!) it’s totally vegan. It’s also full of fresh, seasonal produce to reduce our carbon footprints and make it extra delicious.
One thing I know is really hard to give up on a journey to eat a more plant-based diet is cheese. Believe me. I know.
I had the incredibly good fortune of living in France when I was younger. When I was very young, my sister and I would run past the cheese store holding our noses – the French like their cheese stinky! My preference at that time was for a good old box of Kraft macaroni and cheese.
Over time, I grew to love more and more types of cheese until I was happily marching into the cheese store and ordering the strongest cheeses I could find. My favorite food became fettuccine alfredo. And as a lifelong vegetarian, I felt like I was doing my part to live a low-impact lifestyle. From an ethical standpoint, I felt good that my diet wasn’t killing any animals.
What Makes Creamy Vegan Autumn Pasta Revolutionary?
1. No Dairy
When articles started coming out about how eating meat, and particularly beef, was one of the biggest ways an individual could contribute to climate change, it didn’t click for some reason (willful ignorance?) that eating dairy has a similar environmental impact.
But it’s true. Agriculture currently contributes approximately a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions (World Resources Institute Report). Of this, cattle milk production accounts for 19 percent of the sector’s emissions (FAO Report). Whoa! Beef production accounts for a staggering 41 percent.
Beyond this, there are some pretty compelling animal rights arguments that I will save for another day. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this little dreamboat:
I didn’t create Revolutionary Chef to preach to anyone about what is best for their bodies or their health. However, I did start it to talk about what foods we should be eating to have the lowest, least harmful impact on the world. And I don’t think there’s any legitimate question that reducing our meat and dairy intake has a positive effect on our planet.
As such, I have been experimenting with ways to achieve the effect of dairy without using any actual dairy. While I’m still looking for the perfect cheese substitute to have sliced with crackers (any suggestions??), I have found that in baking and cooking, there are tons of great substitutes. (As an example of vegan baking going delightfully well, check out my Fresh Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe).
2. Fair Trade Cashews
This pasta uses a cashew base, which is a staple in many vegan sauces. This sauce goes a step further and calls for Fair Trade cashews, since cashews are an ingredient that very often have human exploitation in their supply chains. Check out my guide on Foods to Buy Fair Trade for more information.
3. In-Season Produce
Finally, the recipe uses and a blend of classic seasonal fall vegetables – brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and spinach – with the idea that the more local and in-season we eat, the less carbon footprint we have.
This recipe has a delicious balance of cream, garlic, lemon, and a slight spice. If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast yet, it adds a great cheesy flavor to your dishes. I normally prefer it in small doses but I think it really works in this recipe so there is a good amount.
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the final result and you’re really in business. Enjoy!
Creamy Vegan Autumn Pasta
Ingredients
Cream Sauce
- 1 cup raw Fair Trade cashews soaked
- 1/2-1 cup unsweetened, plain plant-based milk (can substitute with filtered water)
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
Pasta
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 10-12 brussels sprouts trimmed and halved (approx. 8 ounces)
- 4 large crimini or baby bella mushrooms sliced (approx. 4 ounces)
- 4 cups farfalle (bowtie) pasta 8-10 ounces of any type of dried pasta would work fine. I used gluten-free brown rice pasta.
- 1 small Fresno chili sliced (optional – can substitute with red pepper flakes or omit if you prefer no heat.)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 clove shallot minced
- 2 cups spinach
For Serving
- 1/2 lemon sliced for serving on the side
- salt and pepper to taste
- additional nutritional yeast to taste
- Fair Trade chili flakes optional substitute for (or addition to) Fresno chili
Instructions
- Blend soaked cashews, 1/2 cup almond milk (or filtered water), lemon juice, and garlic together. If you haven't soaked your cashews in advance, you can quickly soften them by putting them in a heat-safe bowl and adding very hot (just under boiling) water to cover them. After 15 minutes, drain the water and your cashews should be ready to blend.
- Blend in nutritional yeast and salt. Taste and add additional nutritional yeast and salt to taste. Add additional almond milk if too thick, a little at a time. Set aside.
- In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add the brussels sprouts in a single layer and use a wooden spoon to get as many of the cut-sides down as possible. Don't stir for first 3-5 minutes so that the sprouts can sear.
- Once sprouts are in pan, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Set aside.
- While pasta is cooking and once sprouts have begun to sear, flip the sprouts. They should be a nice brown color. Add the rest of the olive oil, the mushrooms, and fresno chili to the sauté pan. Sauté on medium heat an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts and mushrooms begin to feel tender.
- Add garlic, shallot, and spinach. I recommend moving some of the ingredients to the sides of the pan so that the garlic and shallot can cook directly on the pan. Sauté everything additional 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted and garlic is browned. Turn to low heat while you prepare the pasta, stirring occasionally.
- Cook pasta according to instructions (usually 7-12 minutes)
- Drain pasta and add it back to the pot it boiled in. Add the vegetables from the pan and stir in the cream sauce.
- Serve with additional slices of lemon to squeeze on top (highly recommended) and salt and pepper to taste.
Love the variety of flavors in this recipe!
Me too! Thank you for the comment!
Simple to make and delicious!!
Thank you, Melissa! I’m glad you enjoyed it!