Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store downstairs to grab some spinach for my morning smoothie....

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store downstairs to grab some spinach for my morning smoothie. Near the spinach, there is a basket full of carrots.

Sometimes, these carrots are your average skinny carrots. Yesterday, however, it was as if a farmer had said “let’s make a carrot perfect for spiralizing.”

I bought the two carrots, of course, even though I was not sure what I would make.

In the morning, I posted up this Instagram picture:

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While I was cooking the recipe I had decided on, my phone kept lighting up with the most hilarious comments. You guys really got a kick out of this monstrous carrot! As I was making the recipe, I kept reloading the comments because they made me laugh.

That carrot definitely provides a shock value. It is truly spiralizable! It’s tough to find carrots that large and it’s essential that the vegetable is at least 1.5″ in diameter for optimum spiralizing.

Anyway, I was really in the mood for a cashew cream sauce. I’ve made alfredo-like sauces using cauliflower and cashews before and I wanted to make one that offered an even balance of flavors. This sauce is definitely a go-to – bookmark it!

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

The only bummer? For best results, you need to pre-soak the cashews for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. I mean, if you have a Vitamix (lucky!), then you can put them in raw and that blender will do its job. If not, and you’re using a Nutribullet like me, it’s crucial to presoak the cashews.

If you decide you want to make this dish for dinner, just fill a bowl with the cashews and top with water to cover the nuts. Leave out on the countertop and when you get home, you’ll have presoaked cashews for this sauce.

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

The mushrooms and sweet Italian sausage go together like peanut butter and jelly and combined with the nutty flavor of this cream sauce, the combination works savory wonders.

If you’re a vegetarian, add in some chickpeas, spinach or tofu to add extra protein. The cashew cream sauce will still taste deliciously velvety, even without the warmth of the sausage.

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

Now, if you can’t find carrots large enough, try using sweet potatoes, butternut squash or even zucchini here. They’ll all work well.

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Carrot Noodles with Mushrooms and Sausage in a Cashew Cream Sauce

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • For the pasta:
  • 2 large carrots peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 sweet Italian sausage links sliced into ½” thick rounds
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley to garnish
  • For the sauce:
  • ¼ cup diced sweet Vidalia onion
  • ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours and then drained
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of low-sodium vegetable broth + more for thinning as needed
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place a medium saucepan filled halfway with water and a pinch of salt over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the carrot noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Once cooked, drain into a colander and set aside.
  • While the carrots are cooking, place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the onions and cook until onions softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside, keeping the skillet over medium heat.
  • In the skillet, add in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until wilted. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add in the sausage and cook 5-7 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to the plate with the mushrooms and set aside. Wipe down the skillet and keep off heat on the stovetop, for later use.
  • Place the cooked onions into a high-speed blender along with the cashews, garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, broth and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust to your preference or thin out with more broth, if too thick.
  • Place the same large skillet back over medium heat and add in the mushrooms and sausage, carrot noodles and toss. Pour in the cashew cream sauce. Toss to combine thoroughly until the cashew sauce is heated through. Portion into bowls and garnish with parsley.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • This looks amazing! Excited to try this out!
  • Looks awesome Ali. Please explain again the reasoning for soaking the cashews & does soaking leach out any nutritional value?
  • What's nutritional yeast and do I need it in the recipe? I don't have it and don't necessarily want to make a special trip to find it for just one recipe.
    • Nutritional yeast gives it a cheesy flavor. It's also great on salads and popcorn! I think once you try it, you'll find yourself using it more than you'd think! :)
  • I am green with envy that you can find big carrots. When I lived in California my local grocery carried large, bulk carrots. I used them to make carrot/raisin salad. Alas, I'll have to use sweet potatoes to do this… Fortunately I like them. I am grateful to finally have a recipe for a cashew sauce that lands with in the nutritional range that I need.
  • Thanks for another great recipe!
  • I've been wanting to try a cashew sauce!
  • I understand that nutritional yeast is a vegan replacement for grated cheese (like parmesan).
  • That carrot!!! And those wine glasses look so awesome!
  • I thought the picture of the carrot was ridiculous until I went to my farmers market this morning! Will be making tonight with my own ginormous carrots!
  • This sauce was amazing. I wish I could have found bigger carrots. My dish turned out more like shredded carrots. I even had to buy non-organic to get them big enough for the Spiralizer. My husband wanted more spice. What would you suggest spicing it up with? I loved this and will definitely make it again.
    • What would you think about using a spicier Italian sausage to spice up the dish a bit? They come in a spicy hot flavor at Whole Foods I think. .
  • I thought my carols were large enough but they won't spiralize
  • I love your recipes. Something that would be helpful would be to include the weight of the item to be spiralized and that would give us an idea of what to shoot for. Also in this recipes, 4 Italian sausages would also be nice to have a weight. I am sub ground sausage and am guessing around a lb? Is that close?? Thanks. Becky
  • My boyfriend and I were soooo excited to try this recipe! Everything was great until we got to the cashew cream sauce part... I don't know what I did wrong, but it smelled awful! It had a really sour smell to it. I've tried one cashew cream sauce recipe about 6 months ago (different cashews obvi lol) and the same thing happened. I guess we were not meant to be. We made a thai curry sauce instead and it was really good! I love the mix of the carrots, mushrooms, and sausage - delicious! :)
  • I have made this often and we love just love it! Tonight I wanted to make sure I had enough to pack a little for my lunch tomorrow, so I thought about increasing the number of carrots used but, alas, mine were skinny minnies. So I spiralized what I could of them, inventoried the fridge, and (ta da!) added one spiralized beet to the works. Amazing!! The beets were a bit "toothier" than the carrots adding just a hint of crunch to the dish. Definitely a go-to recipe in our house! Thanks Ali!!
  • I can usually add all your recipes to Pepperplate, but this one doesn't work. Any ideas?