Cashew Cream Mushroom and Kale Pasta {dairy free + vegan option + gluten free}

Cashew cream mushroom and kale pasta is the ultra comforting dairy free pasta recipe that you’ve been waiting for! Made with your favorite gluten free pasta, flavorful mushrooms, hearty greens, ground turkey, and cashew cream for a super luxe creamy dairy free pasta sauce. Leave out the turkey or substitute it with chopped walnuts or your favorite plant based “meat” for a vegan option!

Something about the past few weeks has us eating all of the comfort foods. And what is more comforting than a creamy bowl of pasta?

I don’t know about you, but pasta is prettttty high up on my list of foods that make me feel good, and this cashew cream pasta with mushrooms and kale is for sure winning that position right now!

It’s the perfect casual + easy-to-make weeknight dinner recipe.

Key points?

• It’s PACKED with flavor
• Make with good for you ingredients like gluten free pasta, mushrooms, kale, and healthy fats from the cashew cream
• Dairy free thanks to the super easy and umami loaded cashew cream sauce that is NEXT LEVEL DELICIOUS
• Versatile to the max. This pasta recipe can be made with almost any type of protein that you have on hand, or left out completely for an entirely plant based creamy bowl of mushrooms studded pasta. The greens can be substituted with a variety of options, or swapped for another veggie entirely!

What is this cashew cream pasta with mushrooms and kale made with?

Okay, so I know this pasta recipe might sound / look fancy, but I promise you it’s made with just a few staple ingredients and and easy-to-follow steps so you can dish yourself up a bowl of this creamy goodness ASAP.

This creamy pasta recipe is made with:

• Gluten free pasta – I used Bionaturae gluten free rigatoni, but you could use whatever type of pasta you have on hand. I’m sharing a little section below with some of my other personals favorites!
• Olive oil – or another type of cooking oil of choice. Coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee would all work!
• Mushrooms – I use crimini for their big flavor, inexpensive cost, and availability. If you want to go big you could use a variety of gourmet mushrooms to fancy up this pasta!
• Onion – thinly sliced
• Garlic – PLENTY of finely garlic to boost the flavors of this creamy pasta
• Ground turkey – Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, ground beef, or even some sliced pre-cooked chicken sausage could all be used. Or leave the meat out altogether or substitute with some chopped walnuts or a plant based protein to make the recipe vegan!
• Small bunch of kale – or really any hearty green – chard or collard greens would both be delicious substitutes. You could also use spinach or arugula, but you’ll want to add it fresh at the end of cooking since they are both tender quick-cooking greens
• All purpose or poultry seasoning – I usually stock my pantry with the Simply Organic all purpose seasoning or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. Poultry seasoning also works. If you don’t have any of those on hand make a mixture of equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried parsley.
• A pinch of chili flakes – totally optional if you’re not into spicy foods!
• Raw cashews – This is the main ingredient in the sauce. When blended, soaked raw cashews turn into the dreamiest creamiest sauce that provides the perfect base for a recipe like this. The raw part is really important. Raw cashews surrender into a smooth sauce when blended much more easily than roasted cashews. If you only have roasted cashews on hand you CAN use them but you may want to let them soak a little bit longer before blending.
• Hot water for blending with the cashews
• Nutritional yeast – This is where most of the umami flavor really comes from in this pasta. Commonly used in a lot of vegan recipes for it’s flavor boosting super powers. Nutritional yeast has a savory, nutty, and slightly “cheesy” flavor profile.
• Good tasting broth – Whether store bought or homemade, using the best tasting broth you can find will really add a lot to this pasta. One of my favorite storebought brands of bone broth is Kettle & Fire, and Pacific Foods makes an excellent veggie broth.

The best healthy pasta alternatives and where to buy them

Because I eat 100% gluten free, we always use gluten free pasta. These days there’s a TON of options out there, but these are some of our favorites!

• Cappello’s grain free pasta – This pasta is not only gluten free but also grain free! You can purchase their pasta on their website or in the freezer section at most natural grocery stores.
• Jovial organic brown rice pasta – This is by far the best gluten free pasta that I’ve had that’s made from brown rice. So good you would never even know it’s gluten free if you hadn’t made it yourself. Can be bought on Amazon or at most natural grocery stores.
• Banza chickpea pasta – Of all of the chickpea pastas that I’ve tried, Banza is my favorite! Their pasta is made with just a few real food ingredients, full of protein, and tastes deeee-licious.

How to make this cashew cream pasta with mushrooms and kale

Here’s the step-by-step details

First step: Soak the cashews

• Soak the raw cashews in just boiled water for at least about an hour before you start cooking. Alternatively, if you know you’re making this pasta in advance you can soak them in cold water overnight.

Second step: Boil water for the pasta

• Start a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta and greens. When water is boiling add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Have kale ready – 1 minute before you drain the pasta you will add it to the boiling water to cook briefly. Meanwhile, start making the pasta sauce.

Third step: Saute the mushrooms & turkey

• Saute mushrooms and thinly sliced onions with olive oil over medium high heat until tender and caramelized – about 5-8 minutes. 
• Make a space in the center of the pan and add ground turkey (if using) and season with about 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plenty of black pepper, chili flakes, and 2 teaspoons all purpose seasoning. If not using turkey, add the salt, pepper, chili flakes, and all purpose seasoning to the mushrooms and onions. 
• Cook turkey, breaking up with spatula or spoon until nicely browned and cooked through. Add chopped garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so, until fragrant.
• Reduce heat to low and move on to making the cashew cream.

Fourth step: Make the cashew cream sauce

• Drain soaked cashews and add to the blender with broth and nutritional yeast. Blend on high until smooth and creamy – with no pieces of cashew remaining. The sauce may seem a bit thin, but it will thicken once added to the mushroom mixture. 
• Pour blended cashew mixture into skillet with mushrooms and turkey and stir to combine and warm. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Fifth step: Finish the dish

• About 1 minute before pasta is done cooking add kale to the boiling water to cook briefly. Drain pasta and kale and add to the skillet with the all the other ingredients. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Is cashew cream healthy?

Made with only raw cashews and a blending liquid of choice, cashew cream is an incredibly healthy dairy free / vegan alternative. When fully blended it has a wonderful silky smooth texture and mild flavor that pairs any flavors added to it.

If you’ve never made cashew cream before, you can check out this tutorial that I have on NK for how to make it 🙌🏼

To get the best texture, it’s helpful to soak the cashews for a minimum of 1 hour. Soaking in just boiled water helps to speed up the soaking process. Using a high speed blender will also help yield the smoothest result. If you don’t have a vitamix or another high speed blender you may want to soak your cashews a little longer to soften them a little extra.

A few notes on this cashew cream pasta recipe

• To make this recipe vegan, leave out the meat altogether, or substitute with your favorite plant based meat or about 1 cup of chopped walnuts. You could even whip up a batch of this tofu chorizo to add!
• For a paleo option, find a grain free pasta or gnocchi to serve it with, or substitute sweet potato or zucchini noodles.
• If you don’t have ground turkey, feel free to substitute with ground chicken, beef, pork, or even sliced chicken sausage. 
• Any hearty greens can be substituted for the kale – chard or collard greens would both be delicious substitutes. You could also use spinach or arugula, but you’ll want to add it fresh at the end of cooking since they are both tender quick-cooking greens
• This gluten free pasta will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days.

Cashew Cream Mushroom and Kale Pasta {dairy free + vegan option + gluten free}

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Nyssa Tanner
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Cashew cream mushroom and kale pasta is the ultra comforting dairy free pasta recipe that you’ve been waiting for! Made with your favorite gluten free pasta, flavorful mushrooms, hearty greens, ground turkey, and cashew cream for a super luxe creamy dairy free pasta sauce. Leave out the turkey or substitute it with chopped walnuts or your favorite plant based “meat” for a vegan option!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup raw cashews 
• enough just boiled water to soak cashews
• 12 ounces gluten free pasta
• 1 small bunch of kale or another hearty green, cut into bites sized pieces and washed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• about 12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound of ground turkey (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• big pinch of chili flakes (optional)
• 2 teaspoons all purpose or poultry seasoning
• 4–6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 cups broth
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Soak cashews in just boiled water for about an hour before starting to cook. 
2. Start a large pot of water with about 2 tablespoons sea salt to boil for the pasta. When water is boiling add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Have kale ready – 1 minute before you drain the pasta you will add the kale to the boiling water. Meanwhile, start making the pasta sauce.
3. Heat olive oil over medium high heat and add sliced mushrooms and onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender and caramelized – about 5-8 minutes. 
4. Make a space in the center of the pan and add ground turkey (if using) and season with about 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plenty of black pepper, chili flakes, and 2 teaspoons all purpose seasoning. If not using turkey, add the salt, pepper, chili flakes, and all purpose seasoning to the mushrooms and onions. 
5. Cook turkey, breaking up with spatula or spoon until nicely browned and cooked through. Add chopped garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so. 
6. Reduce heat to low and move on to making the cashew cream. 
7. Drain soaked cashews and add to the blender with broth and nutritional yeast. Blend on high until smooth and creamy – with no pieces of cashew remaining. The sauce may seem a bit thin, but it will thicken once added to the mushroom mixture. 
8. Pour blended cashew mixture into pan with mushrooms and turkey and stir to combine and warm. 
9. About 1 minute before pasta is done cooking add the thinly sliced kale to the boiling water to cook briefly. Drain pasta and kale and add to the skillet with the sauce. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Equipment

large skillet

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Soup Pot

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kitchen tongs

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set of measuring cups

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set of measuring spoons

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wooden mixing spoon

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Notes

• To make this recipe vegan, leave out the meat altogether, or substitute with your favorite plant based meat or about 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
• For a paleo option, find a grain free pasta or gnocchi to serve it with, or substitute sweet potato or zucchini noodles.
• If you don’t have ground turkey, feel free to substitute with ground chicken, beef, pork, or even sliced chicken sausage. 
• Any hearty greens can be substituted for the kale – chard or collard greens would both be delicious substitutes. You could also use spinach or arugula, but you’ll want to add it fresh at the end of cooking since they are both tender quick-cooking greens
• This gluten free pasta will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: pasta
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: american

Keywords: pasta, dairy free, vegan, plant based, mushrooms, weeknight friendly, dinner, healthy, easy, noodles, kale, greens