You can either soak the cashews overnight OR quickly soften them by boiling the cashews in water for 20 minutes. To do this, simply place the cashews in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil lightly for 20 minutes. Drain the water and let cool.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and once hot, add in the bell pepper and zucchini. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the veggies begin to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes. Place the veggies on a plate and set aside.

Make the sauce by combining soaked and drained cashews, diced tomatoes, herbs, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until completely smooth which can take a few minutes.

Without bothering to wipe the skillet clean, add in the water and tomato/ cashew sauce and bring to a simmer. Add in the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the veggies back into the skillet as well as the sun dried tomatoes. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed and cook another couple of minutes. Serve and enjoy!

*You can make the whole meal a little bit quicker if you cook the veggies in a separate skillet at the same time that you’re cooking the pasta in the sauce. Then you can combine into the same skillet when the recipe indicates.

*If desired, you can also leave out the fresh veggies and instead stir in about 2 cups of frozen veggies. This makes this recipe a little cheaper (depending on the time of year) AND easier to throw together :)