Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp chickpea miso
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Soak cashews in very hot water for 30 minutes, uncovered.
2. In the meantime, start water for pasta and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta, stir, and set a timer for the lower end of your package’s al dente recommendation.
3. While pasta cooks, blend soaked cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic powder, garlic clove, chickpea miso, nutritional yeast, salt, and olive oil with 1 cup (240 ml) water until completely smooth — about 1 minute. Sauce should be somewhat thin and watery, like the texture of non-dairy milk. It should taste quite tart from the lemon juice, and savory from the garlic powder. If it seems too tart, don’t worry! It will balance out once it’s on the pasta. Adjust to taste by adding more lemon juice for brightness, or nutritional yeast for a more savory cheesy flavor.
4. Transfer sauce to a large shallow pan. Test pasta for doneness. It should be just a little firmer than you want it to be, as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
5. Carefully scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water to reserve for thinning the sauce. Then drain pasta.
6. Off the heat, add 1/2 cup to the sauce and whisk to combine. Add drained pasta to sauce.
7. Turn heat to medium low and begin stirring and tossing the pasta in the sauce. After 3-5 minutes, the sauce will thicken and begin clinging to the pasta. Stir until the sauce fully coats the pasta.
8. Add vegan parmesan and give the pasta one final toss. If sauce appears too thick, add some of the remaining pasta water until you reach the desired consistency.