Cacio e Pepe - one of the most famous Roman pasta dishes alonside Carbonara, Arrabbiatta and Amatriciana, made vegan, good for you without oil and fail proof.
Soak the cashew pieces in hot boiling water for 20 minutes then drain. (If using a powerful blender such as a Vitamix you can skip the soaking process).
1 cup raw cashew pieces
Bring a medium large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season with salt generously, the water should taste like the sea. Boil the noodles until al dente, according to the instructions on the package. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water then drain.
1 lb spaghettini noodles
The Sauce
To a powerful blender add the soaked cashews, spices and 3/4 cups of the reserved pasta cooking water. Blend until silky smooth. Add a little bit more of the reserved water if needed.
1 cup raw cashew pieces, 1.5 Tbsp white miso paste, 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp onion powder, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 lemon, 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
Preheat a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the freshly cracked pepper. Toss around until fragrant, we are just looking to bloom the spice, about 30 seconds.
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
Pour the sauce over the toasty black pepper and mix well until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add 3/4 lb of the cooked spaghettini noodles and toss to coat well in the sauce. At this point if you are happy with the extra sauce coverage you can serve as it. Otherwise add all the remaining noodles, a little more reserved pasta water until the desired emulsion and sauce coverage is achieved.
Serve with extra freshly cracked black pepper and a grating of vegan parmesan cheese on top.
Optional: vegan parmesan wedge for grating
WFPB + Plantricous
The cashew cheese sauce is oil free and WFPB compliant, for full compliance make sure to choose a whole grain pasta to toss with.
Notes
The Cheese Sauce - Do not add any extra salt until after blending with the pasta water. Taste first and if you still feel you need to adjust the saltiness then this is the time to do so. The pasta water is already salty so it's important to not over salt.
About the Peppercorns - It’s important that it is freshly cracked on a medium coarse grind. It is then toasted in a dry skillet to bloom and release its floral peppery aroma, this is what creates the deep peppery layer of flavor.