This is a great light pasta recipe that is perfect for spring or summer! Despite being light, it packs a flavor and protein punch. Each spicy serving has about 44 grams of protein. Not to mention, this is a very easy recipe to make. Plus, when ignoring the soaking time of the cashews, it’s pretty quick too! You can always soak the cashews in advance while you’re doing other things, so you don’t even need to factor it into the recipe time. Whatever you choose to do, choose this recipe! It’s tastiness and ease will have you making it again and again.
Meal Prep
You can make this recipe for meal prep so you have 4 to 5 servings of this pasta for lunch throughout the week. However, I wouldn’t recommend doubling this recipe as when I’ve tried to double pasta recipes in the past, it just doesn’t come out the same. The sauce just isn’t as flavorful! Despite this, with making the exact amount of servings, this would be a delicious and easy lunch to bring to work, school, or wherever.
What Equipment Do I Need?
- Large Pasta Pot
- Cutting Board & Knife
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Spatula & Fry Pan
- Can Opener
- High Speed Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
Jalapeño Cheddar Sauce
- Raw Cashews
- Nutritional Yeast
- Ground Turmeric
- Smoked Paprika
- Chili Powder
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Pickled Jalapeño Brine
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Lime Juice
- Water
Pasta
- Chickpea Pasta
- Bell Peppers
- Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Red Onion
- Canned Black Beans
Substitutions
- Veggies – Feel free to add or take out any veggies. This pasta would also be great with some corn and tomatoes.
- Chickpea Pasta – If you’d prefer a different type of gluten free pasta, feel free to swap this out. Keep in mind, this will change the protein content.
- Black Beans – You could swap this out for pinto beans if you’d prefer those instead.
Recipe Tips
- If you want extra spice in the sauce, add an extra tablespoon or two of the pickled jalapeño brine and the pickled jalapeños themselves. Keep adding and tasting until you’ve reached your desired level of spiciness.
- To add even more flavor to this pasta – add toppings! You could top it with salsa, guacamole, and even dairy free sour cream.
Taco Pasta with Jalapeño Cheddar Sauce
Ingredients
Jalapeño Cheddar Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp pickled jalapeño brine
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup water
Pasta
- 16 oz chickpea pasta
- 2 bell peppers
- 1/2 red onion
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 2 15.5 oz cans black beans
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in hot water for 30 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Remove the seeds and stems from the bell peppers. Slice them into long strips and add them to a fry pan with preferred cooking oil. Slice the red onion into long strips and add it to the pan. Rinse the mushrooms and add them to the pan.
- Sauté the veggies on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Rinse and drain the cans of black beans and add them to the pan. Sauté for another two minutes.
- Add the beans and veggies to the cooked pasta.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Dairy Free Sour Cream
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