Those who have followed my blog for awhile, might have noticed that I love using chipotles in adobo sauce. I always have a few cans in the pantry and love finding new ways of using them. The canned chipotles in adobo are jalapeno peppers that have been ripened until they are red; after ripening the peppers are then smoked and pickled. The chipotle peppers can be used in a wide range of recipes, including pasta like the recipe that I am sharing with you today!
This Vegan Chipotle Spaghetti is a fun spin on classic spaghetti. Pasta is actually quite popular in Mexico. Typically you’ll find pasta cooked in a tomato sauce made from just tomatoes, a little white onion, and garlic. I used that as my inspiration for this recipe. This recipe uses the Mexican chipotles in adobo sauce to give the sauce a smoky, sweet, and spicy flavor. You can add as much as you like; I tend to use just 1 whole pepper and a tablespoon of the sauce; this is just the right amount of heat for me.
Since tomatoes aren’t in season right now in Michigan, I used canned fire-roasted tomatoes. Whenever I use canned tomatoes, I go for the fire-roasted ones because I find that they have lots of deep and rich tomatoes flavor.
Rather than using Mexican crema, which is traditionally used in many pasta dishes in Mexico, a vegan cashew cream is used. This adds a really nice richness to the sauce. I wanted to keep the pasta gluten-free, so I used a brown rice + quinoa spaghetti from Trader Joe’s. Sometimes gluten-free pasta doesn’t hold up too well, but Trader Joe’s brand had a really nice texture to it.
I like to serve the Vegan Chipotle Spaghetti with some avocado slices. I find this helps to balance out the flavors in the sauce. Plus, I just really love avocados. As the pasta sits, it will thicken up quite a bit. Simply add in a splash of vegetable stock or water to loosen up the pasta.
- ½ Cup Raw Cashews
- ½ Cup Water
- 2- 14.5 Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes, undrained
- ¼ of a Large White Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1-2 Whole Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, plus 1 Tablespoon of their sauce
- ¾ Tsp Salt
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ½ Tsp Oregano
- ½-1 Tsp Sugar
- 1 Pound Gluten-Free Spaghetti
- Chopped Cilantro
- Avocado Slices, optional
- Soak the cashews in water for at least two hours. Drain and transfer to a blender. Add in the ½ cup water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and rinse out the blender.
- In the rinsed blender jar, add in the canned fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper and sauce, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- In a large and wide skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully stir in the blended tomato sauce. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add the bay leaf, oregano, and sugar. I like to start with ½ tsp of sugar and add more if needed. The sugar helps to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes. Cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Stir in the reserved cashew cream and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt the water and cook pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta directly into the sauce.
- Cook the pasta with the sauce for 1-2 additional minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add in a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid.
- Serve immediately with the chopped cilantro and avocado slices if using.
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Happy Wednesday!
Jeni
This looks so yummy & comforting! I love chipotles in adobo!
Wow so creamy spaghetti with some avocado <3 Love it much!