Recipe developers Sam & Phil. the duo behind @thecookandhim, have shared their deliciously creamy Mushroom sauce. It pairs perfectly with pasta and topped with a (generous) helping of parmesan. It’s all vegan too!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (145g) cashew nuts
• drizzle of oil (olive, coconut, avocado or whatever your preferred oil is)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red onion
• 2-3 cups (250g) chestnut mushroom (see note)
• few sprigs fresh thyme – leaves only, stalks discarded (or sub 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• 1 cup (250ml) vegetable stock (or 1 cup water + 1 veg stock cube)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper
• Vegan parmesan (optional) – we used @violife_foods
• Blender – we used this Magimix

Method

1. At least an hour (and up to 24 hours) before you want to make the sauce put the cashews into a heat proof bowl or jug and cover with boiling water. Set aside until you’re ready to use them
2. When you’re ready to make the sauce peel the onion and dice finely. If you’re cooking the garlic with the onion, peel the cloves and crush in a garlic press. Add both the onions and garlic to a medium pan along with a drizzle of olive oil and saute for 1-2 minutes until softened
3. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves and cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes until cooked through
4. While the mushrooms are cooking drain off and discard the water from the cashews and put the nuts into a blender cup
5. Add the veg stock and nutritional yeast and whizz everything together until blended and creamy
6. When the mushrooms are cooked pour in the cashew sauce and warm through. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed
7. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until required
8. When stirring this sauce through cooked pasta I add a little bit of the pasta water to the sauce to thin slightly but if using as a ‘gravy’ I prefer to keep it thicker

Notes

• You can sub the chestnut mushrooms for normal closed cup mushrooms or even portobello mushrooms. I used the chestnut as they have a slightly firmer texture once cooked and a lovely earthy flavour!

For more tasty recipe ideas, check out their blog here.