Sub for pasta water
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Anonymous
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I have a vegan kid, and putting various pasta sauces on white beans is becoming a staple in our household.
We have been experimenting with new sauces. This one, made as written with pasta was a recent hit: https://rainbowplantlife.com/creamy-lemon-asparagus-pasta/ I'd like to make it again without the pasta (so, same sauce, increase the asparagus and beans, leave out the pasta), as a side dish. But I'm not sure what to substitute for the pasta water. To be clear, we aren't low carb or gluten free. Does anyone have ideas? I am wondering if I can maybe just blend a few of the beans up, and add that in, or if I can freeze pasta water from other times we make pasta and have it ready? Has anyone done this? |
Anonymous
| Veggie broth? |
Anonymous
I could try! I think the pasta water is for texture though, where as using veggie broth would improve the taste. The recipe I linked here says to use less water so the pasta is extra starchy, which makes me think the starch is what is key. |
Anonymous
| So pasta water is added starch for a slight thickener. What could could do is a cornstarch slurry. I wouldn't use a ton, have a little bit add it and see how it goes. |
Anonymous
| I think it needs the pasta (and pasta water) to bind…according to recipe. Maybe add some cashews with the walnuts and a splash of soy milk? |
Anonymous
| Or cannellini beans- they are creamy when blended |
Anonymous
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OP here:
I just found this: https://www.177milkstreet.com/stories/02-2019-pasta-water-substitute Which suggests boiling some water with a little corn starch and kosher salt. |
Anonymous
I was thinking maybe I could just blend some of the beans with the sauce. Glad to know you think it might work too. |
Anonymous
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You could also reserve some of the bean water from the cans or soak. I might add a veggie bullion to it to up the flavor but be careful as that could get salty fast.
I've adapted recipes before (I have a friend who is vegan and another with celiac) and it can be tricky. It's not realistically going to be a one to one thing so it's going to take some patience and experimentation. |
Anonymous
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Since you aren’t gluten free you can use flour, which is what pasta is made of. You can let the beans dry after taking them out of the can and toss them in a pan, add a little oil or butter and sauté for a minute. Then add a teaspoon of flour and sauté for another few minutes. Then add as much water as the pasta says called for, and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.
You could add the flour to the vegetables instead as you cook them, then add water, so the sauce ends up a true sauce on top of the beans, not as a melded dish. Basically, you want a roux to thicken - fat and flour cooked until a little browned and it smells nice and toasty, then liquid added to become a sauce of whatever thickness you want. |
Anonymous
| Since you are making pasta all the time anyway, you can freeze ice cubes with some leftover pasta water to add into your recipes later. Allrecipes Nicole Mclaughlin talked about this on one of her videos. |
Anonymous
| Aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) |
Anonymous
Thank you! I will do that next time I make pasta! I wasn't sure if it would freeze well. I think I'm going to try the cornstarch idea this time, since I don't have saved pasta water. Thank you everyone for the suggestions! |
Anonymous
Yes. I've never understood this pasta water thing. It's just a little starch. You can add flour or cornstarch yourself, OP. |
Anonymous
Because I don't know how to estimate how much flour or cornstarch is in a cup of pasta water. So, the "recipe" above is helpful. Also, in this case the starchy water is added at the end. The starch is cooked with the pasta, it's not cooked in the dish. I know that flour needs to be cooked, both for taste and safety. |