If you are like me, you decided that any 'creamy' pasta went out with the word vegan. Not now! With a little prep, an amazingly filling, satisfying, and truly creamy pasta dish can be all yours. This is the ultimate in vegan comfort food, and is totally perfect for a cold night and sleepy time...not the 110 day that it is here now!
1 lb Farfalle or Garofalo pasta
3 TBSP Earth Balance
1 lb Cremini mushrooms, thick sliced
1 lb thin asparagus, sliced in 2" pieces
1 cup vegan mascarpone cheese (see below - prepared ahead)
1 cup walnut pieces
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Mascarpone Cheese:
8 oz tub of vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1/4 vegan creamer
About an hour prior to cooking, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and creamer together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Quickly remove the cheese mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for about an hour. The mixture will quickly thicken and become a perfect consistency.
Once the cheese has thickened for about an hour, bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook your pasta. When the water is boiling, salt the water well and add the pound of pasta. Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and reserve about a 1/2 cup of pasta water just in case you need to thin the mixture at the end.
Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in the Earth Balance for about 5 minutes, until tender and most of the juices have evaporated. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and mascarpone, grating some fresh nutmeg on top before folding all the ingredients together. If you feel the mixture is a little thick, add pasta water a little at a time. I found that it was the perfect consistency without any water. Add the walnuts and mix everything together well. Season the pasta well with salt and pepper and additional nutmeg if needed.
Enjoy! Mmm...
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