Best Vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta with 'Best' Garlic Bread

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-03 · Updated 2026-04-03

Creamy cashew-based mushroom sauce over al dente pasta, paired with toasted herb-infused garlic bread for a dish that's truly the best comfort food. This pasta recipe (vegan), ready in about 55 minutes, pairs fusilli pasta, cashews, water for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 620 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 12 oz fusilli pasta
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1 cup water
• 10 oz cremini mushrooms
• 1 medium shallot
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 loaf baguette slices
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

The pan we’d use for this → Best Nonstick Cookware for 2026: Top 5 Skillet Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Soak cashews in 1 cup boiling water for 20 minutes while preparing other ingredients.
2. Step 2: Finely chop mushrooms and shallot. Mince garlic. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté mushrooms until golden brown (8-10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
3. Step 3: Add minced garlic and thyme to the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Step 4: Drain soaked cashews and blend with 1/2 cup reserved soaking water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt until completely smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes).
5. Step 5: Pour cashew cream into mushroom skillet and stir until sauce thickens slightly (3-4 minutes), then remove from heat.
6. Step 6: Cook fusilli pasta in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
7. Step 7: Toss pasta with mushroom sauce, adding splashes of reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency. Stir in 1 tbsp chopped parsley.
8. Step 8: For garlic bread: Mix 1 tbsp melted butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Brush onto baguette slices and toast under broiler for 2-3 minutes until golden.