Creamy Mushroom Pasta | Vegan Pasta Recipe
Pasta is one of my default meals that I fall back on when I haven’t got anything else planned up my sleeve. Once you have stocked up your kitchen with all the pasta basics, dishes like this can be whipped up lickety-split. The beauty of it all is that a quick dish of pasta is just as gratifying as a more complex recipe, so it’s easy to satisfy your significant other, kids, friends AND yourself with this quick fix.
I teamed up with Almond Breeze for this recipe which is pretty awesome because I’ve been enjoying the Almond Beverage since before I was a vegan. It has no cholesterol or saturated fats so it’s no wonder that a lot of non-vegans I know use it instead of cow’s milk. I use the unsweetened Almond Breeze in my recipes so often that I keep cases of it stocked in my office.
Literally.
I’m a big fan! I really appreciate that Almond Breeze grows their own almonds! I recently spent some time at one of their orchards, and was so inspired by their passion and dedication to almonds! I love to see where food comes from, especially products I use so often. Almond Breeze actually has a very rich history in California’s agriculture industry. Blue Diamond Growers have been a cooperative working for almond farmers for over a century! These farmers are masters at their craft with several generations worth of knowledge being passed on within farmer families and their community. It truly is a family-run business; and I could feel the sense of connection and identity the owners and their family members feel with the business. I left Sacramento feeling like part of the Almond Breeze family.
Today I am going to show you how to cook with it. Most people think of smoothies and coffee when they hear “I’ve switched to almond beverage”, but did you know that you can cook with it as well? Simply use it 1:1 to replace cow’s milk in any recipe you’re cooking or baking. While I love using it in creamy sauces, soup and even scones and cookies; today’s recipe is for all the mushroom lovers out there.
Let’s get started by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil and whip out your pasta of choice. I chose to go with penne for this round, but linguine, fettuccini, spaghetti and farfalle are all excellent pasta choices as well. For the sauce, you will need olive oil or vegan butter, chopped shallots, minced garlic, frozen peas, mixed mushrooms of your choice, salt, unbleached flour, black pepper and of course, unsweetened original Almond Breeze to give this sauce a creamy texture. This recipe is so easy, any newbie can pull this off. Top this dish off with some vegan parmesan cheese and you will have everyone believing you are a pro in the kitchen. Quick and simple weeknight dinners can taste just as gourmet as something that takes hours, as long as you use fresh, wholesome ingredients.
- 1 lb pasta of choice
- ¼ cup olive oil or vegan butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup shallots, finely chopped
- 8 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced (I like cremini, shiitake, and chanterelles)
- 3 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened original almond breeze
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, or ½ cup vegan parm, optional
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- saltand pepper to taste
- In a large pot bring salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
- Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet oven over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots, mushrooms and ½ tsp salt and cook stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and tender, about 10-15 mins.Turning down to medium low after 5 mins.
- Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir to coat, allowing to cook for 30 sec-1 min. Bring heat back up to medium-high.
- Add 1 cup almond beverage, stirring constantly and it let simmer for 1 min. Make sure to break up any clumps.
- When completely smooth and thickened slightly, add remaining almond milk and pepper to taste, return to a simmer, stirring constantly.
- Cook until the sauce thickens slightly again, about 3 mins.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in nutritional yeast or vegan parm, if using until melted and or well incorporated. Add peas, and salt & pepper to taste and cook for 1 additional minute or until peas are heated through.
- Add the pasta to the mushroom sauce and toss to coat.
- Serve garnished with extra parsley and serve immediately.
Shelly says:
Made this today and the hubby said ‘it’s a keeper’!