If you have been following along on the blog, you know that I started a Pantry Meal Series as a result of our current global situation. With the world in various stages of self-isolation and physical distancing due to the covid-19 outbreak, many of us are staying home more and cooking more. Grocery store shelves these days tend to be quite bare and many of us are making meals for our family out of classic pantry staples.
Today's key pantry staple is pasta. Pasta is something that I always have in my cupboard. It's the kind of versatile staple that can be used to either whip up a quick weekday meal, or to labour over an elaborate weekend dinner for friends or family.
The second pantry staple item in this dish, that I always have in my cupboard is nuts, specifically cashews. While I do eat meat, I love to make vegetarian or plant-based dishes as well. Cashews are the perfect nut to use to make a creamy, rich plant-based sauce with.
This Smoky Sweet Potato Pasta is a go-to dinner I love as it combines the flavours and colour of the sweet potato, with the smokiness of smoked paprika and the savoury hit of nutritional yeast (parmesan cheese can be used if you are substituting and not plant-based).
The addition of mushrooms to this pasta adds additional protein, fibre and vitamins to keep us healthy during these unprecedented times.
I hope you are enjoying the Pantry Meal Series. Let me know in the comments below or post your pictures on social to #mykuratedlife . I'd love to see your creations!
Take care and happy cooking,
Krista
Smoky Sweet Potato Pasta (Vegan) (lightly adapted from here)
Ingredients
1 540g package pasta, I used rigatoni, as I love how the sauce sticks to the pasta ribs
For The Sauce
1 medium sweet potato (or yam), about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of purée
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 cup cashews, soaked (substitute: almonds)
1 cup water, reserved from cashew soaking liquid
2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast + extra to top pasta before serving (substitute: grated parmesan cheese)
1-2 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper
For The Mushrooms
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cremini mushrooms (brown), sliced (a medley of mushrooms would be nice here too)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
torn fresh oregano leaves, garnish
pea shoots, for garnish
Method
Pre-heat oven (I use my toaster oven) to 425 degrees F. With a fork, poke holes around the scrubbed sweet potato. Bake sweet potato for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a fork easily goes through the potato - times will vary depending on your oven and the size of the sweet potato. Set sweet potato aside to cool (I often do this step the day before). Once cool, spoon out the flesh and discard the skin.
Soak the cashews in water for 3-4 hours, covering the nuts entirely with water. If you don't have 3-4 hours, top and cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes to achieve the same result. Drain cashews, reserving 1 cup of soaking water.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add olive oil and onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until onions are translucent but not browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more to release the flavours and smell. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add a pot filled with salted water over med-high heat and cook rigatoni according to package instructions
While pasta is cooking, in a high speed blender (I use Vitamix) add the cashews, 1/2 -3/4 cup of the reserved water to start, sweet potato, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika and salt and pepper. Blend until sauce is smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of reserved water at a time. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Add sauce to a large sauce pan, heat over medium temperature, stirring constantly until sauce is warmed throughout.
While sauce is warming and pasta is cooking, add extra virgin olive oil to the same medium sauce pan you cooked the onions and garlic in - no need to clean it first. Add mushrooms and dried oregano and cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices. Use wooden spoon to scrape any fond (black bits) from the pan - this is fabulous flavour! Season with salt and pepper after juices have been released. Set aside until ready to serve.
Once sauce is warmed and pasta is cooked, use a slotted spoon or spider, to add pasta to warmed sauce. Mix to coat. If sauce is too thick, use a bit of the pasta water to thin.
To serve, plate pasta and top with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle on additional nutritional yeast (or grated parmesan cheese), salt and fresh cracked pepper and fresh oregano leaves. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
*The cashew sauce is incredibly versatile, use it plain or swap out the sweet potato for roasted beets and you have a stunning pink sauce. Be careful though, as it only takes 1-2 beets or less. The colour goes from pale pink to fluorescent very quickly! Make sure to omit the paprika and oregano if using beets and add in thyme instead.
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