TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (VEGAN) / June 30, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

TOMATO CREAM SAUCE (VEGAN) | dolly and oatmeal

happy sunday! i hope you’re having a good weekend so far. it’s a relaxing but busy one here. we’re getting ready for baby (6 more weeks, until my due date!), but also trying to get in solo time with amesy on the weekends. and since it’s finally starting to feel like summer, we hit the beach yesterday, and today we are heading to a splash pad at a local park - all the water activities for this boy! it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be a family of 4, and that amesy will be a big brother. trying to not get too anxious, and let it be what it will be. but that’s very much easier said than done!

anywho! let’s talk about this sunday sauce! if you’ve been a reader here for a while then you might remember a similar recipe for a similar creamy tomato sauce a couple of years ago. while i whip out the other one when i have time to make the tomato sauce from scratch, the recipe today takes half the time, and zero “cooking” is involved. it is truly a busy person’s meal prep sauce! what we do is make a batch of garlicky cashew cream - yum! then we take a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, and add about 1/2 cup of the cream. from there, a little salt and pepper to punch up the flavor a bit, and some fresh thyme. of course we love this for an easy pasta night. but it can easily be used in place of tomato sauce for any dish you like. here are some of my favorite ways to use it throughout the week:

over zoodles, add your protein of choice, but turkey meatballs are great here, or your favorite plant-based protein.
take your pasta up a notch, and make a pasta bake (just replace the alfredo sauce for creamy tomato sauce, and go from there).
lasagna is one of my go=to’s as well. you could use it here in place of the pesto, or forget the noodles all together and use summer zucchini for a grain-free version (i personally love this recipe, i swap out the cheese for vegan mozzarella, and the yogurt for vegan ricotta).
of course pizza is another favorite. the creamy sauce takes it up a notch for sure.
and if you’re almost in the thick of winter where you are, over spaghetti squash, or as a creamy base for a minestrone soup would be my winter go-to’s!

whatever you make with it though, you won’t be disappointed. that bit of creaminess makes everything a bit more extra, but in the best way possible! i hope you get the chance to make it :)

xo!

tomato cream sauce | v

print the recipe

| makes roughly 3 1/2 cups sauce |

method

make the cashew cream. place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with filtered water. let the cashews soak 10-12 hours, or overnight until soft.
drain and rinse the cashews. place them in the container of high-speed upright blender. add the water, vinegar, garlic, a few big pinches of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. blend everything on high for a couple of minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container, as needed. blend until graininess has disappeared, and cashew sauce is silky smooth. taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. store in a lidded container for up to 1 week.
make the tomato cream sauce. add the tomato sauce to a large bowl, add 1/2 cup cashew cream and stir until combined. use as desired. leftovers can be stored in a lidded jar for up to 1 week.

ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup filtered water
2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
fine salt & fresh ground pepper
24 ounce jar tomato sauce

BROKEN LASAGNA W/ VEGAN WHITE PESTO & BROCCOLI RABE / June 27, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

BROKEN LASAGNA W/ VEGAN WHITE PESTO & BROCCOLI RABE | dolly and oatmeal

sorry for the radio silence the past 2 weeks. amesy’s school got completely overrun with the stomach virus, and we were all taken out by it. thankfully amesy was spared much of it and was only sick for a day. but frank and i were pretty much out of commission for a good 4-5 days. to be honest, i’m still not back to feeling 100%, apparently being 8 months pregnant and violently ill takes a way bigger toll on your body than i had initially thought. in any event, we’re back and functioning human beings. so yay for that!

there’s no way to really segue from that story to this incredibly delicious, incredibly easy weeknight dish. but here we go! we often lean on some sort of pasta dish for our dinner each week, and usually add a protein to the side to fill it out a bit. and i’ve always been intrigued by the “broken lasagna” or “rustic lasagna” recipes i’ve seen splashed all over pinterest. so i was excited to mix up pasta night, and use a thicker noodle than i typically do. while you could definitely use any pasta you like here, the lasagna noodles definitely took the fun factor up a notch.

noodles and pasta aside, this vegan white pesto is really where all the flavor is at! the original (dairy-based) recipe is from bon appetit, and it sounded so good, i thought i would try a plant-based version. while you could make your own vegan ricotta here, kite hill makes one that has a wonderful flavor and texture (plus, i’m all for one less step in a weeknight dinner recipe). from there, we add a few pantry items, some garlic, chopped fresh thyme, lemon zest to offer the ultimate flavor. but the best part about this dish (aside from it not taking very long to make) is that the lasagna noodles and broccoli rabe are cooked together in one pot, essentially making this meal a 2-pot deal, which can be so key on a busy weeknight.

i hope this recipe makes it into your dinner rotation, and could even be a great side or plant-friendly, and crowd-pleasing meal option if you’re celebrating july 4th next week. i hope you love it as much as my family does ❤️

xo!

broken lasagna w/ vegan white pesto & broccoli rabe | gf

| serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side |

white pesto (adapted from bon appetit)

8oz vegan ricotta (i like this one)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, grated over a microplane
leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
zest from half lemon
fine salt & fresh pepper, to taste
1 cup pasta cooking liquid

lasagna

10oz gluten-free lasagna noodles (i use tinkyada)
2 cups broccoli rabe, woody ends trimmed and roughly chopped
salt & fresh pepper
toasted pine nuts, for garnish
thyme leaves, for garnish

method

make the pesto. in a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, olive oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest. season with salt and pepper. set aside.
cook the lasagna sheets according to the instructions on the box until al dente. in the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli rabe and continue cooking. before draining the pasta and broccoli, carefully collect 1 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside. drain the lasagna sheets and broccoli rabe.
moving quickly, whisk in half the pasta cooking water into the white pesto, adding more if needed to get a creamy consistency. taste and adjust any seasonings, if necessary. then, toss in the lasagna sheets and broccoli rabe until everything is evenly covered in the pesto, taste once more and add more salt and pepper, if needed. serve, and garnish with toasted pine nuts and thyme leaves.

similar recipes:

creamy garlicky pasta w/ charred broccoli & figs

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GARLIC, HERB & SHALLOT CONFIT / June 16, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

GARLIC, HERB & SHALLOT CONFIT | dolly and oatmeal

happy sunday, friends! popping in here quick to share this favorite way to preserve any and all vegetables. while making a confit is a wonderful technique to use in the later summer months with the bounty of fresh tomatoes that are surely on their way, i love to make a very allium-forward confit. and it couldn’t be more simple. we essentially take a few ingredients: shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and olive oil - that’s it! from there, they get tossed in a cooking pot, plopped in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, and the result is tender morsels, that are rich and jammy in texture. plus, you’re left with the most fragrant garlic-herb-shallot oil. i’m sure you’re saying…that’s great, now what do i do with confit? my answer is: what can you not do with it! here are a few of my favorite ways to utilize it:

pizza! i make a white pizza and use schmear about 4-5 cloves of jammy garlic into the crust, then cheese and herbs, then chopped up shallot confit. you literally couldn’t have a tastier pie!
roast up some crispy chickpeas in the preserved oil.
smash some onto an open-faced sandwich situation (pictured below, but you can find the recipe here).
in pasta or pasta salad with whatever additions you like.
smash the shallot and garlic into mashed potatoes, or for a more summer-friendly dish, add them to potato salad.
use the infused oil for the base of any salad dressing that calls for olive oil.
chop up the garlic and shallot confit and add to any grilled or roasted vegetables.
and my ultimate favorite: hummus. start with about 3 cloves garlic and 1-2 shallots (depending on how big they are), and go from there. i promise, you will have the most flavorful hummus of your life - and don’t forget to drizzle some of that infused oil on top ;)

i know this isn’t a sauce per se, but it lasts so long in your fridge and can be used in so many key dishes, that i think you will agree that it can be just the workhorse that any sauce or dressing is!

xo!

garlic, herb & shallot confit | v/gf

print the recipe

| makes just over 4 cups |

method

preheat oven to 350°F.
place the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and kosher salt in a large lidded pot (i generally use a 5 1/2 qt. dutch oven). pour over the 2 cups of olive oil, making sure everything is covered with oil (add more oil if needed to fully submerge the shallots and garlic).
place in the center of the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the shallots and garlic are soft when pierced with a sharp knife.
let cool completely, then store in an airtight jar. confit will last up to 2 months in your refrigerator.

ingredients