Garlic Cashew Alfredo
Eight ingredients, ten minutes, one blender. This creamy alfredo gets its body from soaked cashews and slowly-cooked onion. No dairy, no oil, nothing extracted. Toss it over whole-grain pasta or pour it over roasted vegetables and you have weeknight dinner sorted.
Ingredients
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- 1 medium white onion , diced (~1 1/2 cups)
- 1-2 cups water 🛒 , divided; 240-480g
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 x-large minced garlic cloves
- ½ cup raw unsalted cashews , heaping; see soaking note below
- 1/2-1 Tbsp lemon juice , start with just 1/2 and taste after blended!
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Ingredient amounts above are scaled. Amounts mentioned in the method and preparation notes remain for the original recipe; adjust those to match your batch.
Method
- Add the diced onion and 1 cup of the water to a wide pan over medium-high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is fully soft and the pan is dry. Stir in the garlic and cook 1–2 more minutes. By the time the garlic is fragrant, all of the water should have evaporated; reduce heat if the onions are browning instead of softening. You want sweet, jammy onions. Not seared ones.
- Transfer the onion-garlic mixture to a blender. Add the cashews, ½ cup of the remaining water, ½ tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth and creamy. Taste it: add more water for a thinner sauce, more lemon for brightness, more yeast for a cheesier finish.
- Serve over your favorite whole-grain pasta. Top with fresh parsley, a little lemon zest, or any roasted vegetable you have on hand. The sauce thickens as it cools; loosen leftovers with a splash of water when reheating.