Description
This buffalo chicken pasta is a creamy, flavorful pasta that the whole family will love! Made with gluten free pasta, a spicy cashew cream buffalo sauce, bell peppers, and a variety of delicious spices. A light and easy to make meal that’s perfect for any weeknight dinner! Gluten free, dairy free, easily adapted to be vegan.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 12 ounces gluten free pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- About 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (leftover baked chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, or grilled chicken from the grocery store deli are all good options)
- 1 1/2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable broth both work well
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce, depending on desired spiciness (you can always add more to taste before serving)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- Green onions, fresh herbs, and dairy free ranch for serving
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Before you start cooking – in a heat proof bowl, cover raw cashews with just boiled water for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. If you’re in a hurry you can simmer the cashews on the stove top for about 10 minutes until they are pale and plump.
- Cook the pasta. Start a large pot of lightly salted water to boil for the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve about 3/4 cup cooking water. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the veggies. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add diced onion, bell peppers, and chopped garlic. Sauté veggies for about 6-7 minutes, until tender and starting to caramelize. Add shredded chicken and toss to combine. Remove from heat while you make the buffalo cashew cream sauce.
- Make the buffalo cashew cream sauce. Drain soaked cashews and add to the blender with broth, Frank’s Red Hot, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Blend on high for at least at minute, until entirely smooth and creamy.
- Finish assembling the pasta. Return skillet to the stove top over medium low heat. Add cooked pasta and the buffalo cashew sauce. Stir to combine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a bare simmer. Allow to simmer for a minute or two, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and pasta is warmed through. Add reserved pasta water a little bit at a time to thin the sauce if needed.
- Season and serve! Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with thinly sliced green onions, fresh herbs, and dairy free ranch dressing if desired.
Notes
See notes in above blog post for how to make vegan / vegetarian.
Don’t rinse your pasta. Rinsing your pasta directly after cooking washes a way a lot of the starch, and makes it harder to the sauce to stick to the noodles. That starchiness will also help thicken your sauce!
Season the sauce to taste with hot sauce. Some like it *extra* hot, and some don’t! Which is why I’ve included a measurement range for the hot sauce in the recipe. If you’re not sure how much to add, start on the lesser end and season to taste with more once the pasta is fully assembled.
To reheat: This pasta can easily be re-heated in the microwave or in a small skillet over low heat on the stove top. If you’re reheating on the stove top I recommend adding a few tablespoons of water or broth to the skillet, covering it, and stirring occasionally until warmed through.
To store in the refrigerator: Allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to an air tight container before moving to the fridge. It should keep for 5-6 days.
Generally speaking I do not recommend freezing pasta dishes. The noodles tend to lose their integrity and will be overly soft once thawed. On the other hand, the buffalo cashew cream sauce can easily be frozen until ready to make a batch of this pasta. It should keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. If it separates once thawed, simply re-blend until combined again.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American