Creamy Vegan Pasta Sauce

This dreamy, creamy vegan pasta is so simple yet richly flavoursome and deeply satisfying.

Prep: 20 mins | Fridge: 8 hours | Serves: 2 

When first making the move to veganism, the hardest foods to give up are often those creamy, cheesy dishes, like casseroles, lasagnas and pasta. There’s just nothing quite as comforting after a long and tiresome week of work. But you need not give up on your dreams of returning to creamy pasta heaven just yet. 

Almo Crème makes whipping up a creamy vegan pasta so quick and easy you’ll soon forget about the traditional Italian marinaras you ate in the past. Almo Crème is made from pesticide-free almonds, lightly blanched and ground into a deliciously nutty paste. Its mild flavour and silky-smooth texture are perfect for creating a plethora of pasta sauces, from garlic mushroom to pesto and pumpkin.   

Nutritional yeast flakes give a cheesy, parmesan taste, and a beneficial boost of plant-based B vitamins. This group of eight water-soluble vitamins are critical for a range of biological functions. They play a crucial role in releasing energy from the food we eat and are necessary for red blood cell formation, healthy nerve cells, and the maintenance of strong hair and nails.

But B vitamins are particularly challenging to obtain in adequate quantities when following a vegetarian or vegan diet since they’re most abundant in animal products and cannot be stored in the body. Fortunately, both nutritional yeast flakes and the humble little almond are rich in B vitamins, especially riboflavin and niacin.

Tip: We love adding a teaspoon each of ground turmeric and ground garlic to deepen the flavours. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Almo Crème
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock, warmed
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2 tsp cornflour to thicken, if desired
• Sea salt to taste

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook preferred pasta until al dente. When done, drain, cover and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, prepare your sauce. Rinse and trim broccoli (or your preferred vegetables). Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and sauté broccoli until tender yet still crisp and vibrant green. Add garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and continue sautéing until the garlic is fragrant. 
3. In a blender or mixing bowl, combine Almo Crème, vegetable stock, yeast flakes, cornflower, and salt. Blend until the sauce is smooth and free of lumps.
4. Pour into a separate saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Add pasta and stir through broccolini. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes or dairy-free cheese.