This was a bit of a challenge but turned out so delicious. We all love a bowl of alfredo but sometimes it feels so heavy on my stomach... so I tried to use a few alternative ingredients to lighten the meal and it turned out great. 10/10 recommend the sauce (without any meat) for any Vegan-friendly followers.
Serving size: serves 4
Ingredients
Vegan parmesan
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 cup cashews
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pasta sauce
6 tbsp olive oil
10 garlic cloves, minced
1-1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
300g shrimp
3/4 cup oatmilk *note 1
3/4 cup soya single cream *note 2
1/2 cup vegan parmesan *note 3
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp red chilli flakes
Two handfuls of spinach
150 g roasted chicken, cut in 1/2-inch cubes *note 4
Salt and pepper to taste
More vegan parmesan cheese and fresh parsley to top
Pasta
200g-300g spaghetti
Directions
Parmesan
Blend cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor.
Pasta sauce & pasta
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Once it's hot, add 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, and asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Sauté, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until the asparagus is tender. Remove and set aside.
Marinate the shrimp with 3 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and set aside.
Heat a large pot of water to boil the spaghetti. Once boiling, add salt and boil following package directions. Once cooked, save some pasta water in a cup and drain the pasta then set side.
Using the same skillet (to cook the asparagus), over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 garlic cloves minced, sauté for 2-3 minutes then set aside.
To make the sauce, add to the blender any remaining minced garlic (should be two raw minced cloves), 4 sautéed garlic cloves, soya single cream, oatmilk, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, red chili flakes, and salt and pepper. Blend together until creamy and smooth. Add more nutritional yeast and/or vegan pamesan to adjust flavor. Add a bit more lemon and salt if desired.
Pour blended sauce into a large pan over medium heat to warm until it begins to bubble, then add spinach and sautéed asparagus mix, allow it to reduce.
Meanwhile, cook the marinated shrimp for five minutes or until cooked through over medium high heat.
Add the cooked shrimp and chopped chicken to the white sauce and mix well. Add cooked pasta directly to the sauce and add some pasta water (if it's not hot, heat it up a little), toss thoroughly with a pair of tongues so the pasta is covered in sauce. Top with more vegan parmesan cheese and fresh parsley!
Notes
Note 1: I used Oatly semi-milk, linked here.
Note 2: I used alpro single soya cream, linked here.
Note 3: I made the vegan Parmesan, recipe is at the top under "ingredients"
Note 4: I roasted chicken breast the night before. Heat oven to 180 C. To make chicken breast: heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat and once sizzling add chicken breast, and cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side until seared golden brown. Once seared, transfer to a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Comments