It’s deliciously creamy, it’s vegan and it’s pasta, this recipe works like a triple lucky charm. In fact it’s a veganised recipe of ricotta & pasta. Finished in the oven for some yummy crunchiness, this dish is rich in taste and all those delicious nutrients that are sooooo good for the body and mind.
I used aquafaba for this one, and if there’s anyone out there still wondering what that magical ingredient is, it’s a simple residue water of cooked chickpeas. So, the next time you cook chickpeas don’t throw away the water. Save it in a fridge in a glass container as it seriously works some miracles in the kitchen. Even if you’re not a vegan. It’s great for sauces, spreads, meringues, anything where you need egg or egg white substitute. Fantastic! And whoever was the first one to try to whisk a plain, dull, bean brim into a lush meringue, I applaud to you! Anyway, aquafaba, which is just a posh name for a bean brim, turns out to have an extremely similar protein consistency as the egg white, and as you may imagine, it’s fat free and almost calories free. Beautiful, right? Now, the best aquafaba is the one you make at home, though tinned one will do if you manage to find the sodium free one. And if you don’t have it, for this recipe, I suppose you can substitute it with some rice milk or clear mild veggie broth.
Ingredients you’ll need for 6 servings:
- vegan caneloni or other type of pasta that can be filled or cooked in layers, like lasagna
- 500g fresh spinach
- 250g cashews previously soaked in water overnight
- 300ml aquafaba
- 3 cloves of garlic
- salt, pepper, olive oil
Let’s cook:
Preheat oil in a pan, add roughly cut spinach, ground garlic and quickly stir fry it. Set aside.
Cook the pasta halfway through in a salted water. Cook it for a half of the recommended time or less, you want it to become slightly tender and keep the shape so it can be filled easily. Drain, drizzle with olive oil so it doesn’t stick and leave to cool a bit.
Turn the oven on 180 – 200C.
Blend the cashews into a thick paste and whisk in the aquafaba to get a nice creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Separate about one half of the mixture you will be using as a sauce and mix in the spinach with the remaining half for the pasta filling.
Fill the pasta, tuck it all nicely in a baking dish and cover it with the sauce. Bake for about 15 to 20minuts and enjoy!
