creamy vegan penne with pistachio gremolata

Thanksgiving is coming up and I couldn’t be more excited. Normally, I make everything on Thanksgiving from appetizers to sides to mains to desserts. I would spend days planning, scheduling, and prepping until my hearts’ content. I would get a crazy amount of joy from it especially the planning. It makes me feel powerful like when Monica Geller was planning Phoebe’s wedding. 

This year things are a bit different. My parents are headed to my cousins house to celebrate Thanksgiving and meet my cousins new baby girl! My brother is going to celebrate thanksgiving at his girlfriends’ family and I am having Thanksgiving with my other cousins. I got placed on sides and of course desserts which is obviously the best part. I decided to do three sides: vegan mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and a ground turkey gravy topped with herbed scones. Lastly, two desserts: pumpkin pie and a banana berry trifle. I mean it already sounds YUM and I’m not even making everything. I cannot wait for thanksgiving to come and I’m super excited to eat everything.

Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS:

Pistachio Gremolata 

¼ cup of roasted unsalted pistachios

¼ cup of parsley 

2 Large garlic cloves 

½ of a Lemon 

Pasta 

1 box of penne pasta 

1 cup of cashews 

1 cup of water 

2 tbsp. of nutritional yeast 

Sprinkle of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

In medium sized bowl, soak the cashews in some water for 45 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop together the pistachios, parsley, & garlic cloves in a food processor or by hand until you get a coarsely chopped mixture. 

Place mixture into a small bowl and squeeze ½ of a lemon in being careful not to add any lemon seeds. Mix to combine and set aside. 

Cook pasta, according to the directions on the box. 

Drain the cashews and add them to a food processor or blender along with 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp. of nutritional yeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Puree for about 5 minutes or until you get creamy white mixture. 

Drain the pasta, add it back to the pot, and mix in the cashew cream. 

Serve pasta in any desired bowl and topped with as much or as little pistachio gremolata as your heart desires. Enjoy hot!