Description
A spicy play on Mac and Cheese. If you are short on time or don’t have a high-speed blender, you can use oat or almond milk to replace the blended cashews. This will result in a thinner sauce, but works well in a pinch! Start with 3 cups of milk and add more if you need more sauce. Simply skip the blending step and add the milk, lemon, nutritional yeast, and tapioca to the onion/chipotle spice mixture.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch (arrowroot starch, cornstarch, or flour can substituted)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced (from 1 medium onion)
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced (3 cloves garlic)
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 chipotle pepper (from chipotle peppers in adobo can), minced + 2 tbsp adobo sauce from the can (omit if sensitive to spice)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 3 cups kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (from 1 bunch kale)
- 16 oz. pasta of choice, such as macaroni, cavatappi, or shells (We like De Cecco, Banza, or Tolerant brands)
Instructions
- Place cashews in a medium bowl and add enough warm water to fully submerge the nuts. Let cashews sit in the water for 1 hour (up to 12 hours, if planning ahead), then drain. If you are short on time, pour boiling water over the cashews to speed up the softening process. 15-20 minutes should be enough if using boiling water.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once warm, add onion and ½ tsp salt, and sauté until translucent but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, tomato paste, chipotle in adobo, cumin, and paprika, and sauté another 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place drained cashews and 2 cups of water in a high speed blender. Add in the onion spice mixture, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and tapioca starch and blend until completely smooth.
- Return the blender sauce to the skillet or dutch oven and heat over very low heat. The sauce should thicken slowly. To the sauce, add the kale and cook until wilted.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining. Drain and immediately toss into the sauce.
- If needed, use a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce to your liking. Serve immediately!
Notes
On canned Chipotles in Adobo:
- Chipotles in Adobo are smoked and dried jalapenos that have been rehydrated and canned in a delicious Mexican red sauce made of tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, and spices.
- Use only the sauce for a milder smoky flavor and add in the actual peppers for a more intense spice level. We like to combine both pepper and spice!
- These can be found at most (if not all) grocery stores, typically in the international or “Latin” aisle. Occasionally, you may find them in the canned tomato section or near the tortilla chips. The peppers are quite spicy, while the sauce is milder and smokier.
- You will likely not use the whole can in one instance, but freeze the rest in a zip lock bag, freezer-safe container, or ice cube tray for future uses!
- Prep Time: 1 hour (if soaking cashews)
- Cook Time: 20 mins
