Spaghetti With (No Cheese) White Sauce

Hello and welcome to my blog :) For those of you who dont know me, I am Varsha. I am a budding Doctor and I absolutely love cooking, amongst other things.

As a kid, apart from being the only vegetarian in my family, I was also a very finicky eater. My mum is an amazing cook and yet, everytime she made something, I used to always think of how I would have made that particular dish. That's probably when my fascination for cooking started. Cooking for me is very therapeutic and I hope I can get a lot of you into it, because most of the things I make are pretty uncomplicated. Although, you should know that I cook according to my taste buds, which is why a lot of ingredients/techniques may be intriguing to you.

That brings us to today's main. I've never been able to finish up my pasta if it's Alfredo. Somehow, the excessive cheese and flour doesn't sit well with me. So after racking my brain(and going through pinterest) I finally whipped up my own version of a White Sauce. You will also notice that I have refrained from using terms such as Alfredo/ Béchamel, because it's really not any of those things. So if you're like me and want a guilt free(yet yummy creamy) version of a white sauce pasta, read on and get cooking :)

I would also like to quickly thank you for dropping by and reading my blogpost, I really hope you will find it helpful. Also, let me know if you make this, and feel free to tag me in your pictures/ use the hashtag #thatgoodlifethough if you do. I would love to see your versions. Do leave in any suggestions/questions/comments you have for me and go ahead and follow me on my Instagram:@varshabhashykarla for more such content, it would mean a lot.

Serves: 1 person

You will need:

Spaghetti(preferably durum wheat)- 15-20 sticks (read on to find how I measure how much I need)

Water: 2 cups(or enough to cover your pasta by an extra 2 in)

1 cup vegetables of your choice( I used broccoli and onions.You can add peppers, zucchini; more the merrier)

Cashews- 10-12

Garlic 5 large pods

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Olive oil- 3 1/2 tbsp(preferably 2-extra virgin; 1 tbsp-pomace)

Greek yogurt- 1 tbsp

Milk- A dash

Italian Seasoning- 2 tsp

Chilli Flakes- 1 tsp

Salt and pepper to taste, according to your preference


POA:

Take the spaghetti add it into a pot of boiling water, add enough so thats its 2 inches above the pasta to ensure adequate cooking(TIP: If you have one of those pasta ladles, you can take the spaghetti and pass it through the hole in the middle- that would be ONE serving size).

Picture: POPSUGAR

                                     
Simmer this and add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil into this. Check after 5 minutes(your spaghetti should be cooked all the way to the inside). Once done, drain and leave aside(Do not wash under water)

Meanwhile get cracking at your sauce. Take a small food processor(a magic bullet would do too), first add in the lemon juice, milk and 2 tbsp of olive oil(extra virgin) and then the greek yogurt. To that, add in 3 cloves of garlic, the cashews, 1 tsp of italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and blend it all up till smooth. (TIP: while blending, always add liquid components first, followed by solid ones). The sauce you end up with should be of pouring consistency- kind of like dosa/pancake batter (adjust by adding milk to make it more runny/ cashews if it becomes too runny)

In a pan on a low fire, add 1 tbsp of olive oil(pomace) and add the remaining garlic. While this is simmering, add your vegetables and give it a quick stir for around 2 mins ( you do not want squishy veggies). Add salt, pepper, italian seasoning and chilli flakes. Add in the pasta, mix it all up and turn off the heat. Fold in the sauce and make sure every part is coated with the sauce. Garnish with more italian seasoning and chilli flakes- more the better ( You may garnish with cheese and parsley, although I kept it very simple).

Maybe toast some garlic bread with olive oil and find a good wine &/or tv show to pair with this.

P.S. I am just getting a hang of this whole blogging thing right now, so I hope I did okay. But otherwise, have a great day you! :)