Yes, that’s right…vegan cheese. Nut cheese sauce! Ever since I learned how to make cheesy cashew nut sauce, I’ve been addicted. After a trip to Leafy Greens Cafe and taste of their raw chipotle Zucchini pasta, I wanted to make my own a variation with vegan pesto and a new veggie meat product from Elianni. The result: wonderfully light but satiating meal that would normally be considered to some as a carb-overload.
Ingredients $18.00 (4 Servings)
- Basil 1 cup
- Garlic minced 2 tbsps
- Raw Cashews (soaked in water for 3-4 hours) 3/4 cups
- Nutritional yeast 2 tbsps
- Lemon juice 2 tbsps
- Sea salt 1 tsp
- Olive Oil (use more if you want pesto sauce to be thinner) 1/2 cup
- Zucchini Try to find evenly straight produce, at least 1.5-2 inches thick in diameter. 2 units
- Elianni Mediterranean Veggie Roll diced (optional) 1/2 unit
- Balsamic Vinegar (optional) 2 tbsps
- Cherry Tomatoes sliced 1/2 cup
For Pesto Nut Sauce:
- In a food processor, combine the basil leaves, garlic, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and sea salt, pulsing until finely chopped.
- With the machine still running, drizzle the olive oil in a steady stream until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Store pesto in a covered dish in the refrigerator until ready to use.
NOTE: Pesto will keep for 2-3 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
For Zucchini Spaghetti:
I finally buckled and after previous meals and teaser videos, decided to grab a handy spiral vegetable slicer from Amazon (often referred to as a ‘Spirooli‘). I wasn’t sure how much spaghetti one zucchini would yield, so actually used two. The results were amazing and took less time it would normally take to boil water for traditional spaghetti. I could have opted to peel the zucchini for more of a ‘true’ spaghetti but kept the skin on more color and texture. Using the smallest 3mm blade provided by vegetable slicer, I followed quick technique in YouTube video I found online (see demo below skipping ahead to 5:24 mark…and no, that’s not me in vid).
For Protein:

Pasta mixed with Elianni Veggie Roll
- Rather than traditional meatballs, decided to try out the Mediterranean Veggie Roll by Elianni. Used about half the roll, dicing into cubes.
- Add to stovetop cooking pan over moderate heat for 5-8 minutes. Optionally, you may add some balsamic vinegar and toss to glaze evenly.
NOTE: For additional Elianni products, visit their website at http://www.toeatwell.com »
(I personally cannot wait to try the Veggie cutlets in a new recipe, perhaps a thai dish?
For Serve:
- Combine sliced cherry tomatoes with pasta in big bowl, adding your cubed veggie protein.
- Slowly add pesto nut cheese sauce into bowl (may decide to warm the pesto or leave at room temperature before adding to pasta).
- Feel free to season with salt/pepper and garnish with leftover fresh basil leaf.
- Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti (pictured with Raw Quinoa Salad)
- Spirooli Maker
- Pesto Cashew Nut Cheese
- Pasta mixed with Elianni Mediterranean Veggie Roll
- Creamy Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti (pictured with Raw Quinoa Salad)
- Vegan Pesto Pasta
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