Description
Creamy sun dried tomato pasta with that’s perfect for special occasions but easy enough for everyday!
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews (75 g)
- 1.5 cups boiling water (375 mL)
- 210 mL jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (1 cup)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 7.5 cup bowtie pasta (510 g)
- 1 tbsp oil reserved from sun dried tomatoes, or olive oil (15 mL)
- 1 medium white onion, diced (1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated (15 g)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 2 cup kale, tough stems removed and roughly chopped or torn (50 g)
- 2 cup pasta water (500 mL)
- ¼ cup parsley or basil, finely chopped, optional for serving
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Soak the Cashews: Place raw cashews in a bowl, and cover with the boiling water. Let the cashews soak for 10 minutes. While you wait, start bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop and chopping up the kale.
- Drain Sun Dried Tomatoes: Drain the sun dried tomatoes well, reserving some of the oil for cooking later.
- Prepare the Cashew Cream: Add the cashews and water to a blender along with the lemon zest, lemon juice and half of the sun dried tomatoes. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Cook Pasta: Cook bowtie pasta al dente according to package instructions. Once cooked, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Cook Onion & Garlic: Once the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of the reserved tomato oil (or olive oil) over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add Herbs & Remaining Tomatoes: Add sun-dried tomatoes, chilli flakes and oregano. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add Cashew Cream: Add the cashew cream, stir well and cook for another minute.
- Add Pasta and Kale: Stir in the cooked pasta and kale.
- Slowly Add Pasta Water: Slowly start adding the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at at time until you reach a smooth, thick and creamy consistency over 2-3 minutes. You may or may not use the full 2 cups depending on the consistency you’d like.
- Serve: Divide the pasta evenly between bowls and serve with chopped parsley or basil and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
Notes
The pasta is best fresh while it’s the creamiest. After storing it thickens considerably. Consider cutting the recipe in half if you only need 2-4 servings. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. It still takes great after storing, just keep in mind its drier after storing as the pasta absorbs the sauce.
If you want to add additional veggies, such as zucchini, bell pepper, asparagus or broccoli, add them when you cook the onion or steam or roast separately and mix them in at the end.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 561
- Sodium: 62 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 96 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 18 g