Creamy cauliflower pasta

Indulgent, hearty and secretly full of cauliflower – this pasta dish inspired by fettuccine alfredo from comedian Kitty Flanagan is also 100% plant-based. Raw cashews, nutritional yeast and a dash of soy sauce add complexity and flavour to the veggie-hiding sauce!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g penne
• ¾ cup chicken-style stock (see Note)
• 250 g cauliflower florets
• ⅓ cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 lemon, finely zested, plus juice to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Soy sauce, to taste
• 60 g baby spinach leaves, shredded
• Toasted breadcrumbs, roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, chilli flakes, to serve

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water for the sauce.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a light simmer. Add the cauliflower and cashews, stir, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon zest, a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Blend again and season with soy sauce, lemon juice or extra nutritional yeast to your taste. Drain the pasta and return to the pot with the blended sauce and a little pasta water to loosen it. Toss lightly to combine and season to taste. Stir through the shredded baby spinach.
4. Divide the creamy cauliflower pasta between bowls and sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs, parsley and chilli flakes.

Note

• For the toasted breadcrumbs, toss ½ cup dried breadcrumbs in a bit of olive oil and salt and toast in the oven until golden.
• This recipe used Massel brand chicken style plant-based stock; alternatively you can use almond or cashew milk.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.