by Dani Taylor
INSTRUCTIONS
1 pound Banza pasta
½ cup cashews
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 can (15-ounce) pumpkin
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the shells & stir to prevent sticking. Cook to al dente according to package directions, 10-11 minutes. Prior to draining the pasta, reserve about 2 cups of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta. Return the reserved pasta to the pot. Set aside.
Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, make the pumpkin cashew cream sauce. Add the cashews, almond milk, pumpkin purée, nutritional yeast, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, salt, & ground black pepper to a high-speed blender. Blend until the cashews completely break down into a smooth & creamy sauce.
Pour the pumpkin cashew cream sauce over the pasta. Stir to combine, adding in the reserved pasta water little by little until your desired consistency is reached. The sauce should be very creamy, but cling to the pasta nicely.
Serve immediately, topped with fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!
Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional Information per serving: 351 calories, 52g carbohydrates, 10g fat, 23g protein.