From The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook
Serves 4 to 6
½ cup roasted cashews
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons white miso
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1. Process cashews in blender on low speed until consistency of fine gravel mixed with sand, 10 to 15 seconds. Add 1½ cups water, nutritional yeast, miso, and salt and process on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Scrape down sides of blender jar and let mixture sit for 15 minutes.
2. Process on low speed until all ingredients are well blended, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of blender jar, then process on high speed until sauce is completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook until deep golden brown and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in garlic and pepper and cook using residual heat of skillet until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
5. Add sauce, mushroom mixture, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss until sauce is thickened slightly and pasta is well coated, about 1 minute. Before serving, adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste.
