Sneaky “Cheesy” Spaghetti

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Servings People

16 oz whole wheat or regular spaghetti
¼ cup olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced*
½ tsp red pepper flakes or 1 tsp black pepper (optional, for spice)
¾ tsp kosher salt divided
1 (12 oz) bag frozen rice cauliflower (about 3 cups)
½ cup hulled hemp seeds
¼ cup nutritional yeast*
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp mellow white miso paste*
Chopped parsley (optional)
Garlicky Breadcrumbs (optional)
*See substitutions section if you don’t have or want to buy these ingredients.
Note: this pairs extremely well with this week's kale salad. I loved combining the two - fill your bowl with pasta, add some of the kale salad to the bowl and sprinkle everything with breadcrumbs. So good!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (about 3-4 quarts water, 1-2 tbsp salt). Add the spaghetti and cook to al dente or your desired doneness. Reserve about 1 ½ cups of pasta water, then drain and transfer back to the pot.
In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium low heat. Add the shallot, red pepper flakes or black pepper (if using), and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the cauliflower and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the cauliflower and shallots to a high-speed blender along with the hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon, miso, and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Blend until totally smooth. If the sauce is too thick to blend, add a splash of pasta water or warm tap water to thin it out.
Pour the sauce into the pot (scrape every last bit) and toss with the pasta. As the pasta sits, it will soak up that sauce and get a little dry. It’s still delicious but you can pour in more pasta water or warm tap water and toss again to thin it out.
Serve right away topped with some black pepper and fresh parsley (if using). If you have extra bread crumbs from this week’s kale salad, those are delicious on top and add a nice crunch!

Substitutions:

To make gluten-free, use a gluten-free pasta alternative. Jovial Foods brown rice spaghetti is my favorite option!
If you’re not into shallots, substitute with 3 cloves garlic for a garlicky version (just sautee that for 1 minute before adding cauliflower) or use ¼ of a yellow onion or the white parts of a bunch of green onions.
Miso paste and nutritional yeast add that cheesy flavor, so if you want to substitute then I would substitute with a generous ½ cup parmesan cheese and be sure to taste and add more salt, if needed.

This pasta will absorb a lot of that sauce as it sits. Add in a splash of water when you reheat it, then toss it again. Keep adding splashes of warm or hot water until it becomes a bit more saucy.
Top with any toppings you want! Fried egg, fresh herbs, toasted pumpkin seeds, parmesan cheese, Pumpkin Seed Parmesan, black pepper, olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, etc…