Soulfully Spiced is a new biweekly recipe column in which Supriya Raman, an LA-based vegan cook and blogger, uses her culinary expertise, cultural heritage, and cooking know-how to teach you how to make vegan food that is soulful, nourishing, and exceptionally tasty. In today’s column, she talks about her favorite comfort food and transitioning from vegetarian to vegan. Her spiced vegan parmesan penne is proof that comforting, indulgent, hearty, and delicious meals can be just as easily made vegan!
Before I went vegan, I was a lifelong vegetarian. That meant, when it came to my favorite comfort food, pasta – I used to rely heavily on cheese, butter, and milk to make them vegetarian. Since I learned about dairy industry practices and became vegan, I have been working on recreating my favorite meals and creating familiar flavors with fully plant-based ingredients.
This recipe today is special. It is proof that comforting, indulgent, hearty, and delicious meals can be just as easily made vegan. I can not wait for you to try it!
I made my own spiced vegan parmesan (cashew crumbs) that are fried in a delightfully savory simple garlic butter sauce! If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner, this spiced vegan parmesan penne is for you.
Ingredients
Spiced Vegan Parmesan (yields 1¼ cups):
- ¾ cup cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp red chili flakes
- 3 tsp dried cilantro
You’ll also need:
- 8 oz pasta of choice
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ cup homemade spiced vegan parmesan
- ½ tsp sea salt
- handful of green onions & parsley - chopped
Instructions
Spiced Vegan Parmesan:
- Add cashews, nutritional yeast, and all the remaining spices into a food processor or blender and pulse until they’re coarse. I find that blending makes it too fine and the cashew will start turning into butter. So pulse with gaps to make them into a powder, like coarse crumbs.
- Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. This vegan parmesan is great topped on anything, pasta, tacos, enchiladas, any stir fry, or even soups. Today, we’ll make pasta.
Pasta:
- Cook your pasta per package instructions and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add vegan butter.
- Once the butter melts, add red chili flakes, garlic, and salt. After a few seconds, add homemade spiced parmesan followed by cooked pasta. Mix and saute for 2 minutes. This will toast the spices and crisp the pasta a bit.
- Add green onions and parsley, and it’s done! Just before serving, sprinkle more spiced cashew crumbs and herbs, and enjoy.
Notes
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Recipe, text, and photography by Supriya Raman.
What a wonderful recipe! I LOVE pasta and this is such a creative way of eating my favorite food. As a vegan for the animals, I am always grateful for great food <3