Creamy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta (1 Pot!)

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked

3/4 cup water (or reserved pasta water from cooking pasta)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

8-10 oz. dry pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup diced shallot (2 medium shallots yield ~3/4 cup or 105 g // or sub red onion)

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts in water, drained, finely chopped

1 (5 oz.) package baby spinach (5 oz. yields ~7-8 cups)

1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste)

Vegan parmesan cheese

Red pepper flakes (for heat)

Directions

SOAK CASHEWS: Add cashews to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water by at least 1-2 inches. Soak for ~20 minutes.

PASTA: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.

While pasta is cooking and cashews are soaking, chop the shallot, garlic, and artichoke hearts. Set aside.

SAUCE: Drain the cashews and add them to a high-speed blender (or small blender) with all remaining sauce ingredients: water, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast (optional). Blend until smooth and creamy — about 1 minute.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, Dutch oven, or large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped shallot and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium-low and sauté for 2-3 minutes more or until slightly caramelized.

Increase the heat to medium and add the chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 3-4 minutes to remove some of the liquid. Add the spinach and a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper and sauté for ~2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to wilt the spinach. If your spinach doesn’t all fit in the pan at once, simply add some, let it wilt, then add more. Keep going in this way until it’s all added. It’s okay if it doesn’t all go in at the same time.

Turn off the heat and add the sauce and cooked pasta and toss to combine. You can add a little water if you desire a saucier, thinner consistency.

Enjoy warm garnished with vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (both optional).

Best when fresh, but leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Not freezer friendly.

Nutrition

• Calories: 449 kcal
• Total Fat: 16.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 11.6 g
• Sodium: 523 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 67.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 13.4 g
• Total Sugars: 6.3 g
• Protein: 17 g