Description
This pasta dish has become one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners when I’m too tired (or lazy) to cook, because it whips up in under 25 minutes and tastes phenomenal!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups Rigatoni
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 small Shallot ((about ¼ onion))
- 2 medium Garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- ½ cup Cashew milk
- ¼ cup Pasta water
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- Minced basil and oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, and drain and rinse the pasta with cold water. Set aside.
- Moving on to the sauce, start by finely mincing your shallots and garlic cloves. Lazy tip, instead of mincing garlic with a knife, I like to use a grater instead. So much easier! Heat the olive oil in a large pot or pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the shallots and garlic and let them cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and soft. Make sure to stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Smash and stir the tomato paste on the bottom of the pan; this is crucial to cook out the “raw” flavor of the tomato paste. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 1 minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cashew milk, pasta water, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and then let the sauce cook for 2 minutes on low until bubbling. Dump in the pasta and stir to coat, cooking an additional 1 minute.
- Serve the pasta with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a generous sprinkle of minced basil and oregano, along with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. You can also use vegan parmesan cheese as well if you're feeling fancy (it's not healthy, but it's fun to have once in a while).