Comfort food recipe to hit the spot!
The other day Lacy and I made one of our classic comfort foods. We almost forgot how good it was, so we needed to re-share it with you!
This recipe has 8 simple ingredients and takes an hour to make. It is easy enough to make and provides a great opportunity to spend family time together making a great meal!
While we do not eat this every day, it definitely hits the spot and makes you feel so happy! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 head roasted garlic (see instructions below for method)
- 10-12 ounces gluten-free penne or other pasta
- 4 Tbsp olive or other oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (this should be about 2 Tbsp)
- 4 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 2 cups unsweetened plain almond or other milk
- ~1/4 tsp each sea salt and pepper (to taste)
- 5 Tbsp nutritional yeast (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese (find at grocery store or make your own!)
Directions:
- To roast garlic, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and cut off the very top of a head of garlic. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil, a sprinkle of salt and loosely wrap in foil.
- Place directly on the oven rack and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on the size of garlic. You'll know it's done when the garlic is very fragrant and the bulb is golden brown. Remove from the oven, slightly unwrap, and let cool.
- At the 40-minute mark, bring roughly 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot and salt generously. Once boiling, add pasta and stir to prevent noodles from sticking. Cook according to the package instructions (usually about 8-10 minutes). Once fully cooked, drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, begin preparing sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and minced fresh garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Immediately add arrowroot starch and whisk - cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add almond milk while whisking, then cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. The sauce will likely look a little clumpy - that’s OK! We’re going to blend it.
- Transfer mixture to a blender, along with the roasted garlic. To extract garlic, simply push up from the base and the softened cloves should come right out.
- Next add salt and pepper, nutritional yeast, and vegan Parmesan cheese and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed - you want it pretty well salted + cheesy, so don't be shy with the nutritional yeast, salt, and vegan Parmesan cheese.
- Return sauce back to skillet from earlier and cook over low heat until warmed and slightly thickened - about 2-3 minutes - whisking occasionally. As it warms back up, it will thicken and get super cheesy. For a thicker sauce, leave it as is. To thin slightly, add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Turn off heat if it starts bubbling too aggressively.
- Add cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Then top with 1 more Tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese
- Serve immediately. You can top with an extra pinch of vegan Parmesan cheese if you like...yummy!
- Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though best when fresh.
Enjoy this delicious meal and the time spent making it with your family!