pantry pasta with vegan cream sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 cup walnuts
0.5 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for
drizzling
5 garlic cloves, 1 whole, 4 thinly sliced
0.5 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 15.5-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed
2 sprigs rosemary
12 oz. paccheri, rigatoni, or other large tubular pasta
Kosher salt
lemon
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
RECIPE PREPARATION
Heat ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium.
Add walnuts and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until nuts
are deeply golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and
grate in whole garlic clove; set aside.
Wipe out pot. Combine ¼ cup oil and remaining sliced garlic in pot
and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until oil around
garlic is bubbling vigorously and garlic is beginning to brown, about 5
minutes. Firmly crush rosemary in your hand to bruise; add to pot
along with beans and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium and cook,
stirring occasionally, until beans are just beginning to take on color,
about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring
occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package
directions.
When pasta is about 4 minutes away from being done, transfer 1 cup
pasta cooking liquid to pot with beans (make sure to keep heat on
medium so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly). Using a
wooden spoon, gently mash about three-quarters of beans into a
creamy sauce.
Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer pasta to pot with beans and
add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and 2 Tbsp. oil; mix well to combine.
Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring
gently with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sauce coats pasta, about
2 minutes. (Sauce might look soupy but will thicken as it sits so don’t
worry!) Finely grate in about one-quarter of zest from lemon, then cut
lemon in half. Squeeze in juice from 1 lemon half and add parsley; mix
well to combine.
Divide pasta among bowls. Drizzle with oil, season with black pepper,
and top with reserved nut mixture. Slice remaining lemon half into
wedges and serve alongside for squeezing over.
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