I’ve finally developed a dairy free alternative to my most popular recipe with this Creamy Cashew Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. I get so many questions about how to omit or swap out the goat cheese in my Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Noodles. So I knew it was time for a whole separate dairy free recipe! This sauce is just as easy to make as my original version. But it does require thinking ahead to pre-soak the cashews. I find it’s easiest to start soaking them in the morning. Then after work they’re ready to go to make this sauce for dinner. You can use this sauce in about as many ways as you can possibly think of. It’s great over zucchini noodles, butternut noodles, and pasta of any shape. But thinking outside the scope of pasta, it’s also great as a pizza sauce. We also like it over grilled chicken or steak, as well as steamed/sautéed veggies. Really, we’re talking pretty much everything because it’s one of those sauces that enhances everything it touches.
So let’s dive right into this Creamy Cashew Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
To make your own roasted peppers, place them on a baking sheet within 3″ of the broiler in the oven. Then watch them carefully, and turn them as the skin blisters and begins to turn black. When they’re roasted on all sides, take them out of the oven. Then place them in a container with a lid, and let them steam for 15-20 minutes. Once they’re done steaming, the skin peels away fairly easily. I don’t worry about any bits of skin that don’t come off right away. The blender will take care of a small amount of skin. Finally you cut out the stems, remove the seeds, and cut the peppers into quarters. From there, you place them in the blender with all the other ingredients… … which then turns into creamy magic, thanks to a high powered blender. And once you have your sauce made, your only problem is trying to figure out how you want to use it first!
More recipe inspiration for red peppers
Sweet Potato Noodles with Chorizo and Roasted Red Pepper Red Pepper Spinach Salad with Feta and Dill Vinaigrette Roasted Red Pepper Frittata with Feta and Spinach Pepperoni Pizza Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing Balsamic Glazed Green Beans with Red Pepper
I hope you’ll enjoy this sauce as much as we have! If you do make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here. Or over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos. 5 from 6 reviews 1 cup raw cashew pieces, 5 ounces, soaked in 3 cups water for at least 2 hours 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or to taste 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper Optional: 1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes Garnishes: toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley or basil, and red pepper flakes Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil, garlic, and thyme. Sauté briefly until fragrant, but not browned, 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic herb mixture to the blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend starting on low, and working up to medium high speed, using the tamper to keep the mixture moving. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth. To serve this sauce with pasta, simmer the cooked pasta and sauce together until the sauce is heated through. If you’re using spiralized noodles like zucchini or butternut noodles, heat the sauce separately from the cooked noodles, and then serve them tossed together.
