Recipe: Creamy Cauli Mac n' Peas by Jennah Jensen

Getting our children to eat their veggies is no easy feat but what if we present those veggies in the form of creamy, delicious pasta?! Enter the Creamy Cauli Mac n’ Peas, please! Reminiscent of alfredo sauce, this recipe uses nutritious cauliflower and wholesome cashews as the base, accompanied by protein packed pasta noodles and colorful peas for topping. Cauliflower is an amazing source of vitamins C and K, ideal for keeping little immune systems mighty! Cashews are a great source of healthy fats, crucial for brain and nervous system development and even help the body absorb key nutrients. Cashews are also high in protein and together with the peas and pasta, this dish packs a solid source. This recipe is easy to make and parents can feel good about serving knowing that the family is eating something not only delicious but nutritious too! 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 16oz chickpea pasta or your favorite pasta

• 2 cups frozen peas

• 1/2 head med-large cauliflower

• 1 cup cashews

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons onion powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup hot water (reserved from boiling cauliflower)

Cooking Method:

• Start by cutting your cauliflower in half. Then cut into florets and boil until very tender, about 20-25 minutes.

• While cauliflower is boiling, add cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and salt into a high-speed blender - wait to blend.

            (Note: If you’re not using a high-speed blender you may want to soak cashews in boiling water for a few hours prior or overnight.)

• Next, cook peas and pasta separately according to package instructions and set aside for later. I recommend not rinsing pasta regardless of instructions! In my experience, I always end up with cold, mushy noodles!

• When cauliflower is well cooked, drain the water reserving 1 cup of the “cauli broth”. Add the cup of hot water and cauliflower to the blender and blend until smooth.

• Lastly combine cauliflower sauce with the pasta, plate and garnish with cooked peas on top!

Please Caution: Depending on how much sodium your pasta contains and if your cashews are salted or unsalted, you may want to add a touch more salt at the end. After you’ve combined the sauce with the pasta, give it a taste to determine if you’d like more salt. You can always add it but you can’t take it away! 

Jennah Jensen is a vegan, blogger and recipe extraordinaire! You can follow along her adventures, find her recipes and be inspired by her musings here and follow along on Instagram @jennahjensen