Penne with Asparagus, Walnuts and Lemon-Cashew Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 lbs. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
½ cup vegetable stock
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. whole-grain penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 cups Lemon-Cashew Cream Sauce (recipe follows)
¼ cup roughly chopped tarragon, for garnish
For the lemon-cashew cream sauce
2 cups cashews
2 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided, plus more if needed
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
• To a large skillet over medium heat, add the asparagus, onion and shallot. Cook until the onion is translucent and begins to brown, and the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes, adding the broth 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to prevent sticking.
• Add the walnuts and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine, then fold in the cream sauce and transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Garnish with the tarragon.
For the lemon-cashew cream sauce
• Soak the cashews in very hot water 20 minutes.
• In a high-powered blender, combine 1½ cups almond milk, the nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the soaked cashews and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and add salt and pepper.
• Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and cook, whisking frequently, over medium-low to medium heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the remaining ½ cup almond milk. If the mixture still seems too thick, add more almond milk 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Keep warm over very low heat until ready to use.
