Gluten-Free Vegan Vegetable Rigatoni With Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
This Vegetable Rigatoni with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce is an easy and healthy recipe. It's the perfect plant-based meal that's ready in about 15 minutes and is a kid-friendly dish!{ Plant-Based | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Soy-Free | Oil-Free }
Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Prepare the sauce:
While the pasta is boiling, add all ingredients for the sauce to a Vitamix and blend until creamy and smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
For the Sauce
Put all ingredients for the sauce in a blender and blend until well combined and creamy.
Taste and if needed, make adjustments with pink Himalayan salt, cayenne pepper, turmeric and nutritional yeast.
To Assemble
Strain the pasta and return it back to your pot.
Add the cauliflower sauce, peas and carrots and stir until well combined.
Warm on low heat just long enough to warm the sauce up and serve immediately.
Best when served hot.
Notes
Rigatoni: Feel free to use your favorite gluten-free pasta shape as a substitution. For example, shells, elbow noodles, and penne all work well.Peas + Carrot Mixture: I use a 1-pound bag of frozen peas + carrots to save time.Cauliflower: You will need raw cauliflower that has been cut into bite-size floret pieces which will make it easier to blend in your Vitamix. I've used a 1-pound bag of frozen organic cauliflower florets, as well as fresh, and they both work fine.Almond Milk: This can be substituted with your favorite non-dairy milk with the exception of sweetened milk since this is a savory recipe. Homemade almond milk is my favorite but another great option is Joi Organic Almond Milk which is made with 100% organic almonds.Cashews: Make sure you use "raw" cashews and not "roasted + salted". In addition, if you have a little extra time, an optional step is to soak the cashews before adding them to your Vitamix. Simply add the cashews to a bowl filled with filtered/purified water and let them soak for about 30 minutes, then rinse and drain. This will make the cashews soft and the sauce extra smooth.Zucchini: Peel the zucchini and cut into smaller pieces before adding to your Vitamix.Turmeric: I added this to give the sauce a "golden" color, but it can be omitted if you prefer.Cayenne Pepper: This was added to give the sauce a little spicy flavor, but it can be adjusted or omitted.Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, however, it can always be substituted with sea salt.Serving Size: This recipe will make (8) servings of pasta. Nutritional information is calculated for 2/3 cup which is (1) serving.