Lemon Basil Creamy Pasta Sauce. Vegan. GF.

Lemon Basil Creamy Pasta. Vegan and gluten free. I originally created this recipe during the spring last year for Lucy Activewear but since they’ve transitioned over to North Face, and the posted recipes have been removed, I’m adding them back to my website so they’re still available for you.

This pasta dish would be perfect for your spring brunches, girls lunches, family dinner or for your Easter celebration. This sauce is so easy to make plus the creamy texture comes from cashews, soaked, versus heavy cream. The sauce has a lovely cheese-based flavor thanks to the nutritional yeast, tartness from the fresh lemon juice with a tangy flavor from the Dijon. Then for an extra punch of flavor I added some fresh basil leaves, which also adds to the brightness to the dish. This sauce can be prepared ahead of time to save time and just topped on your freshly cooked pasta. I prefer wide noodle pastas for this substantial sauce. Bon appétit friends.

Lemon Basil Creamy Pasta. V. GF.

Prep time: 12 hours

Total time: 12 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1.5 cups of raw cashews, soaked 12 – 24 hours
1.25 cups of filtered, fresh water
1 cup, packed, fresh basil leaves
1 tbl of fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tbl Nutritional yeast
1 tbl Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl, add your cashews and enough water to cover nicely.
Soak the nuts for at least 6 hours but I normally soak overnight.
Drain and rinse completely after soaking.
Place the nuts and the remaining ingredients into a high powered blender, I use a Vitamix.
Blend until completely incorporated.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add more water if you prefer your sauce thinner.
Add more lemon juice for additional tartness.
Ensure you have enough salt and pepper as well.
Top your pasta once cooked and garnish with additional basil leaves if you wish.