My Measurements Tips
- T – is for Tablespoon
- t – is for teaspoon
- Yields: 6 servings
- Soak Cashews: overnight
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
MUST HAVES
- electric blender
Creamy Marsala Sauce
This is such an easy pasta to make. Other than soaking the cashews the night before, this meal only takes roughly 20 minutes start to finish. If you have a nut allergy, simply use 2 1/2 cups of cooked chic peas and follow the same recipe instructions as using the cashews.
I came across a similar tasting pasta at a place called Moxies many years ago. That Madeira Rigatoni at Moxies was a hard dish to say goodbye to when I became a vegan. I never thought I could replicate that pasta but with some years of playing with plant based foods I finally achieved that Madeira Rigatoni.
I swapped the Madeira wine with Marsala instead and established the super rich dairy like cream with pistachios and soy milk. The deep caramel, apricot, tamarind and vanilla flavours in the Marsala wine bring this rich flavoured recipe to life. To begin setting up that sharp rosemary and rich buttery stock, I chose fresh locally farmed rosemary sprigs and delicious vegan butter by earthbalancenatural.com. Yes I am still using that garlic clove by shamrockfarm.ca . Thanks Mike for the year supply of garlic as it also helped hit this pasta recipe right out of the park.
This beautiful creamy pasta dish is another vegan replication success story and thankfully I don’t have to miss out on that old nostalgic meal at Moxies anymore. Moxies has gratefully expanded their menu to have several excellent plant based options. Here is there juicy plant based menu; Vegan Fresh Smashed Guacamole, Roasted Tomatoes & Whipped Vegan Feta, Tofu Lettuce Wraps, Vegetarian Power Bowl, Vegan Black Bean Tacos, Beyond Meat Burger, Nacho Platter, Vegan Thai Curry.
Moxies, can adjust some other things on the menu to plant based upon request. The bun on the burger has dairy so my husband Dan swaps it out with a lettuce bun. Not the yummiest of choices so I hope they bring in a plant based bun and add a dessert to the menu too.
After the third attempt to get this recipe right, I almost cried when I took that taste and felt like I was digging into the one at Moxies. Our taste buds bring on memories/feelings or emotions, just like the day I finally achieved the perogi recipe I grew up with. Nostalgic is a strong one my friends.
WHAT TO GRAB
Ingredients
- 750g rigatoni pasta
- 2 1/2 cups of cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 T garlic clove, peeled, minced
- 1 1/2 T marmite
- 1/2 cup vegan butter + 2 T olive oil
- 2 T soy sauce
- 4 cups white or brown mushrooms, washed, thinly sliced
- 2 cups white onion, peeled, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup rosemary, de-stem, finely chopped
- 5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 3/4 cup Marsala wine
- 1 1/2 cups vegan soy milk
- 10 whole peppercorns + a few extra for topping
- 1 sprigs of rosemary for topping
Cooking Instructions
- Soak cashews overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning drain the water and pour the cashews and soy milk into an electric blender. Blend on high speed for 1 minute or to a creamy consistency.
- Cook the rigatoni according to package cooking instructions. Drain the water, rinse and pour the pasta into a bowl. Cover and set aside for when the sauce is ready.
- Prepare the mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme and sage.
- Begin adding the olive oil, rosemary, sage, butter, minced garlic, chopped onions and peppercorns to a medium sized cooking pot. Turn the burner to medium heat and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Add to the same pot, the peppercorns, Marsala wine, Marmite, soy sauce and give a good stir. Then add the mushrooms and give a good stir. Turner burner to simmer. Cook for 8 more minutes while occasionally stirring.
- While the items are cooking in the pot, add the cashew cream to the pot and give a good stir. Cook for 3 more minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Pour the vegan Creamy Marsala Sauce over your favorite rigatoni.
- Top with a few whole peppercorns and a sprig of thyme.
