This vegan broccoli pasta with mushrooms makes the perfect weeknight dinner for the whole family! It's super creamy, healthy, rich, and very easy to make. 15 minutes is all you need!
Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Set aside.
In the meantime, make the creamy cashew sauce. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. If you want to make it easier for your blender, you could soak the cashews overnight in cold water or 30 minutes in hot water. However, this step is not necessary if you use a Vitamix or a similar blender.
Divide the broccoli into small florets. Slice the mushrooms. Cook the broccoli either in a bit of water or in an Instant Pot. Heat some oil in a large pan and sauté the mushrooms for about 3 minutes on high heat.
Add the cashew sauce to the sautéed mushrooms.
Cook for about 2 minutes. The sauce with thicken up considerably.
Stir in the cooked pasta and the broccoli. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
I usually don't soak my cashews. If you want to make it easier for your blender, you could soak the cashews overnight in cold water or 30 minutes in hot water. However, this step is not necessary if you use a Vitamix or a similar blender.
Don't worry if the sauce appears to be very thin after blending. It will thicken up considerably when you heat it up.
You will need a good high speed blender to make the vegan cashew sauce. Otherwise it won’t get as creamy.
For a gluten-free version, I recommend using brown rice rotini. You could also use chickpea rotini, but brown rice pasta is definitely my favorite.