I became a Dreena Burton fan through her cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, and have remained loyal to her wonderful recipes ever since. Something about the way she cooks fits so perfectly with the ingredients I love to use and the cuisine I crave. Plus, her recipes always work – plain and simple. So I was elated when she offered to share this creamy vegan fettuccine recipe from her brand new book, Plant-Powered Families: Over 100 Kid-Tested, Whole Foods Vegan Recipes.
And yes, this creamy vegan fettuccine with all of its alfredo-like luxury is a great representation of the deliciousness in Plant-Powered Families …
Dreena offers a nice introduction, and then jumps us right into the day with a hefty Healthy Mornings recipe section. Salad Dressings, Sauces, and Toppers are sandwiched between Lunch Fixes and Dinnertime. And of course, what better way to wrap up the recipes than with some (okay, many) Sweet Treats?
Recipes that I immediately dogeared (trust me, there will be more on my second pass), included: Cinnamon French Toast, Apple-Spice Hemp Muffins, Pumpkin Snackles, Artichoke-Spinach Dip, Cheesy Caesar Dressing, Seasoned Polenta Croutons, Umami Sun-Dried Tomato and Almond Burgers, Creamy Vegan Fettuccine (yes, recipe below!), Tofu in Cashew Ginger Sauce, Nut-Free “Frosted Brawnies”, and Vanilla Bean Almond Butter Fudge.
But don’t be tempted to stop perusing and enjoying after the recipes. Plant-Powered Families ends with info-packed chapters on DIY Staples and Cookie Guides, Meal Plans and Plant-Powered FAQs.
Special Diet Notes: Creamy Vegan Fettuccine
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, peanut-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
For soy-free, creamy vegan fettuccine, be sure to pick a soy-free nondairy milk and pick up some chickpea or brown rice miso that is made without soy.
- ¾ to 1 lb whole-grain fettuccine (can use gluten-free)
- ½ cup soaked and drained raw cashews
- ½ cup soaked and drained raw almonds
- 3 to 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, divided
- ½ tablespoon mild miso (see post above for soy-free)
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup + 1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (see note below)
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Few pinches freshly grated nutmeg and/or black pepper
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pasta sauce. In a blender, puree the cashews, almonds, 1 tablespoon of the pine nuts, miso, garlic, sea salt, Dijon, onion powder, water, ½ cup milk beverage, and lemon juice until very smooth.
- Drain pasta (don’t rinse) and return it to the cooking pot. Add the sauce (scrape it all out of the blender) and adjust heat to medium-low. Let the sauce thicken; this will take just 2 to 3 minutes. If needed, stir in the additional milk beverage (see note below).
- Stir in the lemon zest, nutmeg, and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts.
Milk Beverage Note: Once the pasta has sat for a minute or two after serving, it will continue to thicken. Add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk beverage or more if needed to thin, and stir through over low heat.
Idea: Greens are delicious wilted into this pasta! Try adding a few handfuls of baby spinach just before serving (the heat of the pasta will wilt the spinach without overcooking). If you’d like to use a hardier green like chopped kale, add it to the pasta cooking water just before draining the pasta. Proceed with the recipe and serve immediately so the greens do not overcook.
27 Comments
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I just made this and it was delicious. My entire family loved it. I made no changes. It turned out creamy and delicious.
Marvelous! Thanks for sharing Gail!
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I found out last week that I have to eliminate dairy, I’m in the OMG I can’t eat anything phase and looking for food ideas. I love alfredo type sauces rather than tomato sauces as they hurt my tummy and was excited to see this recipe and then saw all the nuts! My boyfriend is extremely allergic to nuts! Have you come across a version of this that has no nuts of any kind? Thanks! Very glad to have found your website!
Hi Helen, in my book I have a version of a creamy sauce made with a roux, instead. That is always an easy option for creaminess. If you can do soy, pureed organic silken tofu also offers a nice base. There are many recipes out there for cauliflower-based cream sauce. I find that it is lacking in some of those recipes, but pretty good when combined with other rich ingredients.
Can I somehow use cashew milk instead?
For the milk beverage, yes, but not in place of the nuts in the recipe, it won’t thicken.
I love fettuccine alfredo and this version looks super healthy.
Wow, with all that delicious nuts in the sauce, I can imagine how yummy this must be! Pinned.
It really is 🙂
WOW- this looks SOO good, I’ve been craving fettuccine for a few WEEKS now. I love that vegans can enjoy this too! I actually have some cooked fettuccine sitting in my fridge, I tried to eat some with a creamy tomato sauce, but the sauce ended up being a flopl. Now I know what to do with it! 🙂
I’m intrigued by the mix of nuts and the addition of miso, mustard, and lemon juice for added flavor. So going to try this as my family loves a good “alfredo”. Thanks for sharing Alisa and Dreena!
I know, I’ve been wanting to experiment more with miso myself!
What a great idea!
This recipe is just pretty amazing to me! I love using different nuts for making sauces and your presentation is absolutely beautiful! The vintage silverware is just a stunner!
I recently discovered Dreena Burton and working my way through her extensive collection. So far, it is absolutely impressive. Your take on her recipe is equally amazing. I have so much love for anything pasta, so, this will be fun to devour.
I know! Once you discover Dreena’s cookbooks, you’re hooked! Sample this pasta and then you’ll HAVE to get the new one 🙂
Dreena’s recipes are amazing!! They’ve brought a smile back to my lactose intolerant son’s face with recipes like these… He’s home from college in about a month and this will be our first dinner!!
That’s so awesome Kim! I hope you and your son LOVE the recipe!
Such a fantastic twist on fettuccine! I love all of the different ingredients used to make it creamy!
this is one of my favorite things – back in college (when I was working as a pastry maker in the morning and then spending the rest of my free time on the tennis court!) I would eat this often at work. it has been a while – I am definitely looking forward to making this soon!
This looks like a really nice cookbook, and a great resource for families that are vegetarian and vegan!
We’re actually not a vegan/vegetarian family and we love it! Dreena’s recipes have good universal appeal. Thanks for stopping in Jessica!
O that sauce is beautiful! I love the combo of multiple nuts! I used to love this dish as a kiddo!
Me too! Thanks Rebecca.