(ꈍᴗꈍ)ε｀*)

--

Intro:

This is basically a lighter cream pasta recipe that is MUCH easier and MUCH healthier than traditional culinary methods!! (dairy and saturated fat is no joke, man... I've loved cream pasta all my life but it puts me right to sleep now... I literally cant eat it anymore o(-< )

It replaces the typical cream/butter/roux that forms the base of traditional cream pasta/alfredo/mac n cheese with homemade walnut milk, made by blending raw walnuts & water(that's it!!) Need y'all to get on walnut milk as a cream replacement in cooking fr it's crazy... Walnuts are super good for you, so I'm trying to eat more, but I cant stand the bitterness/texture so it's hard... but blending them into milk/cream solves both the texture & taste problem... The texture is just as creamy and smooth as real cream (given u blend it thoroughly), and you can't taste the bitterness at all mixed w the other strong savory flavors; it only adds creaminess & a delicious mild nuttiness.

Full Ingredients (with detailed notes):

homemade walnut milk: forms the base of the sauce; made by blending raw walnuts and water until a creamy milk-like/cream-like consistency. Alternatively, use cashew milk made with the same method, but walnuts are much healthier than cashews fyi! cashew cream has a very creamy & lightly sweet taste, & works equally well

nutritional yeast/brewer's yeast: (i use around 2 tsp i think; add more to taste. Can omit and use only cheese if you don't have it! Nutritional yeast is v good for you so I'm trying to eat more of it, but it's totally optional)

cheese of choice: ~2 spoonfuls, or to taste. for alfredo sauce, use parmesan(parmigiano reggiano) and/or pecorino romano cheese. For macaroni & cheese, use cheddar (or something similar.) Feel free to use vegan cheese!

~1/2 tsp vegetable oil (canola oil, olive oil, avocado oil etc) (per serving): makes it super creamy, just like traditional alfredo/mac n cheese; recommended, but can omit for a lighter texture

salt and black pepper to taste: Important..! If it's salty enough after adding cheese u can omit, but a pinch of salt can sometimes make or break a dish!

- optional: minced or granulated garlic to taste

- optional: parsley for garnish

- optional: any veggies to add in; customize as you like

Note: personally, I'm not vegan and much prefer using real cheese for the taste, but it is possible to use ONLY nutritional yeast-- that's definitely the most healthy & lightest option. However, I found that using only nutritional yeast didn't satisfy my taste standards... felt like it was missing something... So for vegans I think it would taste better to also add vegan cheese! (Unless you don't mind the taste of pure nutritional yeast, of course)

I've tried using both parmesan(for alfredo) and cheddar(for mac n cheese) and both were delicious~

Instructions:

First make the walnut cream:

- add some walnuts and water to a blender (I dont measure... i just add the walnuts, and then add enough water until the walnuts are submerged and floating, and it roughly looks like there's a 2:1 ratio of water to walnuts visually?)

- blend until completely smooth and a creamy milk-like consistency. taste & adjust until the consistency is right; add more water if too thick, more walnuts if too thin. should be liquid, but taste buttery & creamy- if it burns the back of your throat that's normal for walnuts. You won't taste that at all in the actual dish, i promise. If your blender is strong enough, no need to strain (and it keeps the fiber in!). Even if there are tiny bits of walnut, I honestly think it adds a nice texture, but you can try straining it if you want. Store leftover in the fridge!

For 1 serving:

Add some walnut cream to a bowl, proportional to the amount of sauce you'd like to eat with your serving of pasta.

Then add the vegetable oil, pinch salt & pepper*, nutritional yeast, & optional garlic. (*u could add salt & pepper at the end, but from experience i know i'll need a pinch of salt, so I just add it here). (i don't measure btw)

Cover and microwave for 30 sec, then mix well with chopsticks until creamy & smooth.

Then add the cheese of choice and mix well. If the cheese doesn't melt, microwave 15-20 sec more or until it's melted. (For parmesan cheese, I found that I didn't need to.)

^I didn't measure the amount of cheese but that's how much i added (parmesan)... + a light sprinkling on top at the end as garnish.

After that taste and adjust if needed but... The sauce is done!! that's really it!!! (You can increase the ingredient amounts if making more servings and heat it on the stovetop (on low heat) too if you want.)

All that's left is to add to hot pasta...

(I normally start with boiling the water for the pasta before doing anything else, and make this easy sauce while the pasta is cooking. Make sure you salt the water!! I add about a tsp of salt and make several servings of pasta at once (saving any leftover pasta in the fridge). I make the sauce right before eating because it's easy, but you can also make a bigger batch and save in the fridge for later too.)

AAAND IT'S DONE!!! YAAAY