Creamy Vegan Red Pepper & Cashew Pasta

I saw a non-vegan version of this easy, healthy, vegan red pepper and cashew creamy pasta recipe on Instagram and decided to try my hand at veganizing it. Turns out, it was super easy and it turned out great!!

Ingredients:

- 1 red bell pepper, chopped

- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped

-4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/2 cup cashews, boiled or soaked

- juice from half of a lemon

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1-2 tbsp chilli flakes

- 2-3 cups of uncooked pasta of choice

- 1-2 handfuls of spinach or kale

- Optional: vegan parm for topping, fresh basil, 1 tsp each of garlic powder, turmeric, and onion powder.

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan and add 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil. Add in chopped onion and red pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in chopped garlic, sea salt, chilli flakes, and pepper and cook until onions are slightly browned.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions (reserve one cup of the water!!)

3. Boil cashews until soft and add to a blender *(*see notes) with onion and pepper mixture, lemon juice, spices if using, and nutritional yeast. Add in 1 cup of pasta water and blend until super smooth

4. Add back to the same pan once blended and add in chopped kale or spinach. Taste and adjust to your liking. Serve with vegan parmesan and fresh pepper. Enjoy!