Oh man… Have I mentioned my love for sun-dried tomatoes before? Yes? Well I’m gonna say it again – that intense, sweet-tart flavor is everything!

Some lovely sun-dried tomatoes along with sautéed onions and garlic, white wine, baby spinach, and a cashew cream sauce make this vegan pasta dish so creamy and flavorful!

The fusilli pasta really grabs as much of the sauce as possible – it’s awesome.

Cook up this dish and be amazed as your multiple cups of spinach are reduced to what seems like a tablespoon. We’ve all been there, am I right?

Caution: be sure to cook enough for all parties present because your house will be smelling heavenly. Thank you onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Anyways, let’s get to it:

Prep time: 10 minutes – Cook time: 15 minutes – Serves: About 4 people

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or use this quick boil method*
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water (if using water, you may want to add a bit more salt)
• 1 tbsp of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 of one medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 – 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup white wine (I used a vegan pinot grigio)
• 3 – 4 cups of baby spinach, optional
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• pasta water to thicken if needed
• 16 oz fusilli pasta, cooked (you could also use bowties, penne, fettuccine, you name it)
• vegan parmesan for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Begin boiling the water for the fusilli pasta and cook according to package directions.
2. Make the cashew cream by blending cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and vegetable broth until very smooth.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender and translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
5. Then, toss in the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Pour in the wine and simmer for a few more minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Add spinach, if using, and cook until wilted.
7. Stir in the cashew cream and a few cracks of fresh ground black pepper until combined. Cook to thicken. If it gets too thick, stir in small amounts of the pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Add in the pasta noodles and stir again to coat.
8. Top with vegan parmesan if you’d like, serve, and enjoy!

*Quick-boiling cashews: If you’re not someone who plans out far enough ahead to soak cashews overnight, you can add the cashews to a small sauce pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, remove from the heat immediately, cover with a lid, and let sit for 10 minutes to soften.