Magic Pasta

Let me tell you the story of the day I met homemade alfredo sauce. We were at the beach picking through leftovers in a desperately ill-equipped kitchen when Mom made the most INSANELY delicious shrimp alfredo out of seemingly nothing. I dubbed the meal "magic pasta" and started requesting it on every vacation, assuming that only Mom could work the magic, perhaps only in that grungy kitchen. I don't know.... when something that good shows up in your life, you don't ask too many questions about how it works!

Years later, I learned to make a reasonable approximation myself, but upon seeing how much half-and-half and butter was involved, I sort of understood why Mom considered this a vacation food. Then while I was eating a plant-based diet last January, the Minimalist Baker introduced me to a new kind of magic -- you can make alfredo sauce without dairy! I won't say it's as good as Mom's, but it is a pretty delicious dinner for anyone who wants to limit dairy or just wants to limit the amount of cream and butter they slam down on a weeknight.

There are endless possibilities for what to do with alfredo sauce (I assume you've seen an Olive Garden commercial), but this incarnation is based on Pasta Carraba, which is the best alfredo dish available in the strip mall near my home, and thus a meal I've ordered more times than I care to admit. Usually Adam says he doesn't like mushrooms, and I say I don't like green peas, but somehow we both love this combination. Magic.

A few notes about ingredients...

• Kroger sells nutritional yeast in a 4.5 oz spice container. Are you kidding me with that size?? I mean, you could buy 4.5 oz for this recipe if you're not sure you'll like it, but I put nutritional yeast in everything, so I go to Earth Fare where I can buy it in bulk. You can also get larger quantities on Amazon.
• I use Minimalist Baker's recipe for vegan parmesan. Honestly, it doesn't taste like parmesan to me, but it's yummy and you can sprinkle it in places where you might otherwise sprinkle parmesan. I usually keep some made up in my fridge, but on occasions where I don't have any, I just throw a handful of raw cashews into the blender with the rest of the sauce, and it seems to work fine. 
• Life is short, so don't be shy about the garlic and the salt. Serve with extra vegan parmesan on top or even Tony's or red pepper flakes if the spirit moves you. Enjoy!