Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo with Corn + Spinach
By: Gina Fontana
Published: Friday, October 20, 2017 - 8:14am

Ingredients




16 oz Rotini (2- 8 oz boxes- Banza chickpea pasta)
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 cup frozen corn
black sesame seeds (for garnishing)
nutmeg (optional for garnishing)
PUMPKIN CASHEW CREAM
1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked in hot water for 20 minutes)
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp salt
ALFREDO SAUCE
3 tbsp Earth Balance butter
4 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 cups pumpkin cashew cream
VEGAN PARMESAN CHEESE
3/4 cup raw cashews
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

1 PUMPKIN CASHEW CREAM 2 Make your cashew cream by combining the raw cashews (drained + rinsed) + pumpkin + salt + almond milk in your blender and blend until smooth 3 ALFREDO 4 In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter 5 Whisk in the arrowroot 6 Whisk in the almond milk 7 ** NOTE: at this point it will be very clumpy 8 Whisk in the pumpkin cashew cream 9 Pour the alfredo sauce into a blender and blend until smooth 10 At this point, cook your pasta 11 Make your vegan parmesan cheese (blend all ingredients together) 12 ** NOTE: I HIGHLY suggest making this ahead of time and keeping it in your fridge 13 Place your corn in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for a couple of minutes 14 Add the alfredo sauce back to the large skillet and turn the heat down to low, stirring occasionally while your noodles cook 15 Drain and rinse your pasta, add to the alfredo sauce, stir to coat all the noodles 16 ** NOTE: if your alfredo is too thick, you may add more almond milk to thin it out 17 Add the vegan parmesan cheese + spinach and let your pasta simmer until the spinach starts to wilt 18 Spoon into pasta bowls, sprinkle with black sesame seeds + nutmeg (if desired) and more vegan parmesan

About

I think you're going to fall lin love with this creamy + dreamy vegan pumpkin alfredo! Honeslty, I was nervous about pairing the pumpkin alfredo with corn and spinach, but to my surprise it was delicious! The corn added a bit of sweetness that I wasn’t expecting, and I could probably add spinach to everything. The pumpkin cashew cream has only 4-ingredients, and the amazing part is you can make one batch and literally use it for 2 meals like I did. Now that’s meal planning at its finest, people. Lastly, I garnished it with black sesame seeds to give this dish a tiny bit of nutty flavor. Made in 20 minutes, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.