Penne is drenched in a silky cashew pumpkin sauce and seasoned with savory sage and a dash of nutmeg to make this creamy vegan pumpkin pasta.
- 12 ounces dried penne pasta
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup unflavored soy or almond milk, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
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Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot, reserving about a cup of the pasta boiling water.
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While the pasta cooks, place the pumpkin, cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt and nutmeg into a blender or food processor fitted with an S-blade.
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Blend until smooth. Taste-test and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
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Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water, if needed.
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Stir in the peas and sage. Season the pasta with additional salt to taste.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
If you timed everything well, your pasta should still be hot by the time you add the sauce. If it's cooled down by then, just place the entire pot of pasta and sauce on the stove once mixed and warm it up for a few minutes before serving.