One thing is true in our family, and that’s that pasta is always a win. When everything else fails, pasta will always, always work. And I mean, can you blame anyone? It’s just so comforting and delicious.
We do pasta every Sunday and then enjoy leftovers throughout the week. So, technically we don’t need another pasta night. But this one is just so good and easy and different.
Yeah, “cacio” means cheese. I get it. There is no cheese in it — it’s absolutely vegan. But as my vegetarian fiance (who eats plenty of cheese) says, “you’d really never be able to tell. There’s no way.”
Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
Vegan No-Cacio e Pepe
Cheesy, yet dairy-free. Super quick, perfect weeknight dinner that will impress.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup Tahini
- 1 tablespoon White miso paste
- ⅓ cup Vegan parmesan (shredded)
- 1 tablespoon Whole black peppercorns, crushed
- 16 ounces Dried spaghetti or bucatini
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 tablespoons Vegan butter I like Earth Balance
- ½ lemon, juiced
- to taste Grated parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- Start water for pasta.
- Crush peppercorns. I put them in a baggie and roll over them with a rolling pin.
- In a small bowl, whisk together nutritional yeast, tahini and white miso paste.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions but remove ~2 minutes before al dente. Reserve 1 ½ – 2 cups pasta water and drain noodles.
- Drizzle olive oil in a skillet and heat. Add crushed peppercorns to toast, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add butter.
- Add tahini/miso mix and 1½ cups pasta water. Whisk until smooth. Add shredded parmesan and whisk again. Add lemon juice.
- Add pasta to skillet and constantly toss with tongs for 2-3 minutes or until al dente.
- Divide among bowls and serve. Top with additional crushed pepper and grated vegan parmesan, if you desire.
Notes
- Vegan paremsan is optional
- Add extra pepper if you want more zing!
- I topped mine with green beans because I felt like we needed something green in our lives, but it’s optional! Tofu would be great too.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
