Creamy Salmon Spaghetti Bake with Pesto (Real Food, Paleo, Whole30, Vegetarian Option)

Having a creamy dish while remaining dairy-free is not as difficult as it sounds, especially when you have a few tricks up your sleeves, like I do! This creamy dish uses a flavorful cashew cream sauce as a base. Cashew cream is adored in the vegetarian and vegan world (and by me!) for its velvety texture and I love to use that technique whenever I need something to mimic cream in a dish.

I like dinners like this bake because they are easy to put together on a weekend (or weeknight) and leftovers reheat really well.

I used spaghetti squash to replace the standard grain noodle normally used in casseroles. Spaghetti squash is extremely versatile and easily handles any flavor you throw at it. For this recipe, I cooked my halved, and seeded squash in a pressure cooker for 7 minutes, with a little water (my new favorite way to do so) but you can roast the halved and seeded squash in an oven (400 degrees, about 1 hour) or even microwave it (halved and seeded, too) for 7-8 minutes.

My recipe uses raw cashews, which are soaked overnight then drained before blending. Soaking nuts removes phytic acid and deactivates enzyme inhibitors, making them easier to digest. And as an added benefit, soaking the cashews makes them much easier to blend into a creamy consistency.

Creamy Salmon Spaghetti Bake with Pesto

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth (use vegetable broth or water for vegetarian option)
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fish sauce, optional (I use this one - omit for vegetarian option)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Magic Pesto
6 oz can wild-caught salmon, drained and flaked (omit for vegetarian option - substitute sliced and browned mushrooms)
2 lbs spaghetti squash, cooked and strands separated (see above for cooking tips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x11-inch dish (or casserole dish that holds 1 1/2 quarts) and set aside.

Prepare the cashew cream sauce:

In a blender jar, add the drained cashews, olive oil, broth or water, lemon juice, fish sauce, salt and peeled garlic. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with pesto, then add cashew cream and salmon and mix well. Finally, add the spaghetti squash and once more, mix well. Pour your mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 45 minutes or just until set.

Let the dish cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.

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