"Kitchen Sink" Pasta with Sunflower Seed Alfredo
To make this "kitchen sink" pasta, you'll start by throwing fresh broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, and lacinato kale (a milder member of the kale family) into a pan with a bit of olive oil. Cook the mixture for about 20 minutes or until tender, and then stir in quartered artichoke hearts. While the veggies are sautéing, get your pasta cooking. I like to use brown rice rotini for this dish but you could also use fusilli, rigatoni, penne, etc. My absolute favorite part of this dish is the creamy vegan sunflower seed alfredo sauce. It comes together in a pinch and has a great balance of creamy and tangy flavors. To make it, you'll soak raw sunflower seeds in water for just 20 minutes and blend them with water, nutritional yeast, fresh lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. The result is similar to this hemp seed alfredo sauce except it's nut-free and relies solely on inexpensive, easy-to-find sunflower seeds for the base.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Sunflower Seed Alfredo Sauce
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pasta
- 10 ounces brown rice rotini, cooked according to instructions, ½ cup pasta water reserved
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 broccoli stalks, cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
- 1 head lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (14- ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
Sunflower Seed Alfredo Sauce
- Add the sunflower seeds to a small bowl, and pour hot water over them. Allow them to soak for 20 minutes. Drain.
- Add the sunflower seeds and all other alfredo ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
Pasta
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the kale, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the artichoke hearts at the end, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the sunflower seed alfredo over the pasta and toss to coat. Add in a small amount of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add the cooked vegetables, and gently stir to incorporate.
- Divide between bowls, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.