One of the very first things I tried to do after going vegan was make a plant-based alfredo sauce. And when I tell you that I failed miserably, I am not kidding. I don’t think I realized that to blend nuts properly, you really do have to have a pretty powerful (and expensive) blender. My 20$ Walmart blender just could not keep up with what I wanted to do.
So, I had to improvise. After scouring the internet, I managed to find a pretty easy sauce that I was able to replicate a few times before I felt comfortable creating my own. The sauce that this is based on is Minimalist Baker’s sauce that she lists on her site under her recipe “Vegan Garlic Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes,” which you can find here. This is a recipe that I make ALL THE TIME. It is so good and truly a staple in my home. I seriously recommend trying it. A huge thanks to her for being my unknown-to-her vegan guru. She has helped me understand so much about vegan cooking and cooking in general.
As for my pasta, though, I wanted the sauce to be a little different. More cheesy and with more kick and a deeper depth of flavors that I really enjoy, so with this in mind, I started my experiments. Around ten or so iterations later, I finally had something I really enjoyed.
One thing that I love about this sauce and pasta recipe is that you can quite literally take it in any direction you want. Change up the veg of choice or even some seasonings in the sauce and you have something else entirely. For this, I decided to go with red bell peppers and around half a bag of a spinach/kale blend, along with two servings of vegan chicken strips (around 24 small strips of the Morningstar brand).
For anyone that wants to know, this serves about two-four people as a main dish depending on how much you eat. When I make this, I usually get around three meals out of it. So, without further ado, here is how I made this delicious pasta!
First, start roasting your vegetables. For the peppers, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut off the stem of your peppers and slice lengthwise and cut into your desired length. Toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper before putting them into the oven. Roast them for about ten minutes and check on them. If they aren’t done after ten minutes, continue roasting until they are nice and soft and fragrant. Keep a close eye on them or they will burn! It only takes about a minute for them to go past the desired cooked stage, so be careful!
Next, start your pasta. Add your pasta to a pot of boiling water and salt generously. Give the noodles a good stir so they don’t stick together and cook for around 7-8 minutes.
While your pasta is cooking, start your sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a medium saucepan and let that heat up on medium-low. Once your oil is heated, add your onions and cook for about a minute before adding your garlic. Cook for around three to four minutes or until soft and fragrant. Add your flour and stir generously until all the onions and garlic are coated.
Then, slowly begin to pour in your almond milk while stirring so clumps don’t form. Once all your milk is added, add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Bring to a boil and then lower down to a simmer and cook for another five minutes or until it has reached your desired thickness and flavor. Once it’s where you want it, turn the heat down to low and keep warm until your veg and noodles are also ready. Once everything is ready, first add your pasta to the sauce and stir until everything is evenly coated, then add your vegetables and stir again. Add your vegan chicken strips and stir once more.
Now, you are ready to eat! Enjoy this yummy plate of plant-based pasta with your favorite show or movie and whatever beverage you enjoy most.
Ingredients:
- For the sauce:
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of frozen, chopped onions
- 3-5 cloves of chopped garlic
- 2 and a half cups of your unsweetened almond milk of choice
- 3-4 tablespoons of unbleached all-purpose flour (I used the Kroger brand and 3 tablespoons. Adjust how much depending on how thick – thin you want your sauce to be).
- 3-? tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Again, adjust to your tastes! I start with three and work my way up if I want more cheesiness. I used the Red Star Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes, but I have used Bragg’s before and enjoy it a lot as well!
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 a teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (adjust to your preferred spice level)
- 1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Optional seasonings: garlic salt, Everything Bagel Seasoning (I know this is so strange but I love the flavor and add it to just about everything).
- For the pasta
- Your pasta of choice. I used Fettucine and did the normal serving size based on the back of the box twice. So two servings based on what your pasta says! Really though, any pasta works! I have made this with egg-free egg noodles, elbows, penne, etc.
- For the peppers or your veg of choice:
- Cut off the stem of peppers, remove seeds, and slice lengthwise to your desired length. I cut mine into strips. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Start with ten minutes and keep an eye on them, they tend to burn rather quickly.
- Add half a bag of spinach and kale and let wilt in the pasta sauce before serving.
- For the vegan chicken strips.
- For the Morningstar brand, I counted out two servings of the strips, which equaled to 24 small trips. Add however many you want, or omit! They aren’t necessary, but they add a healthy amount of protein!
- Add your strips to a microwave-safe bowl and add about 1/4 cup of water. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes and drain water from the bowl before adding the strips to your pasta.
- For any other brand, follow instructions for what they say to do!
For any of my readers that count calories, I recommend importing this recipe into the MyFitnessPal app for the calorie information. I’ll start adding that information to my recipes soon, though!
A Lazy Vegan Chef 