I was sitting around with a can of tomatoes and I was thinking to myself, a big bowl of delicious guilt free pasta would really hit the spot. Let me tell you, this garlic “ricotta” cheese I made out of cashews is another complete game changer. Let’s just get right to it.
Vegan Creamy Zucchini Bolognese
For the sauce:
1 large zucchini, diced
1 cup of onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon of ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/4 cup of good red wine
To make the sauce, start by sauteing the zucchini, onion, and garlic in olive oil until tender. Then, add in the fennel, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook in the hot oil for a few minutes, then add in the tomato paste. Stir well and cook for about 2 minutes to develop the flavor of the tomato paste. Then, deglaze the pan by adding in the red wine. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup, but, if you pour a little extra, no one will notice. Lastly, add in the crushed tomatoes and sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes.
I just tossed some cooked pasta with the sauce and topped it with fresh basil and vegan garlic ricotta cheese. To make the ricotta, just soak a cup of cashews in water for about 30 minutes. Then, add the cashews to a blender along with a few spoonfuls of the water, the juice of half a lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. That’s it!
