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Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound of pasta
  • 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews - soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes or soaked overnight, then drained
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 garlic clove or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup frozen peas (optional)
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
  • about 6 leaves fresh basil cut chiffonade style
  • salt and pepper to taste

This dish reminds me of Spring; though it works perfectly for a great week night meal anytime! Simple, light ingredients with some fresh, crisp mint and basil make this dish a favorite with everyone.

Directions

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add the cashews, water, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and garlic powder to a high speed blender. Blend until it’s a ricotta consistency and set aside.

When the pasta has a few minutes left to cook, reserve about a ½ cup of the pasta water and set aside. Add the frozen peas to the pot and let them cook with the remainder of the cooking time for the pasta. When done cooking, drain the pasta and peas and return to the empty pot. Mix in the ricotta with a spatula to coat everything well, adding some of the reserved cooking water to thin out. You might not use all of the ricotta.  Add the fresh mint and basil and mix again with the spatula. (You can also just top the plain pasta with the ricotta, mint and basil). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

If you have leftover ricotta, store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container for a few days, or freeze.

 

Here I added peas + crushed pink peppercorns. So good!