Gluten free wifie and I are dairy free at the moment as well, and I was craving a cheesy pasta sauce. Without cheese this presented somewhat of a challenge, but I reckon the end result was pretty successful. It’s also a great way of getting green stuff into kids.
It’s a bit of a weird one, because as the recipe stands, it requires a chicken to be roasted alongside making the pasta sauce, but you could simply reduce chicken stock instead of using the juices from the roasting tin.
Gluten free, dairy free, ‘cheesy’ pasta sauce
1 clove garlic, sliced
Olive oil
50g pine nuts, toasted on a dry pan until golden brown then blended until a smooth paste
Small pinch ground nutmeg
Juice 1/2 lemon
200g fresh spinach, blended to a smooth paste
Handful fresh basil, finely chopped
100ml roast chicken juice, or reduced chicken stock
250g gluten free pasta (spirals hold onto the sauce best)
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Gently fry the garlic in a little olive oil until soft, then add the blended spinach and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 more minutes, seasoning to taste before stirring into your cooked gluten free pasta.
The seasoning adjustment is key here – you want enough oomph in the flavour to stand out against the pasta so add salt, pepper and lemon juice as required to boost it up. The finished result gives a satisfyingly cheesy effect in a gluten free, dairy free way.