Creamy, full of flavor and incredibly healthy? I kid you not, it is possible. And with a little bit of prep work ahead of time, this recipe is EASY. I love the way the cashews add some good fats, the squash adds the flavor and the nutritional yeast makes the whole thing taste cheesy!
WHAT YOU NEED
- 1 roasted butternut squash (medium)
- ¾ cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened is best!)
- 1 cup soaked cashews (see below)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- I used one 500 gram bag of rice pasta (elbows, macaroni, fusili). You could use any kind of pasta but I’ve found the rice pasta works best:)
- Salt and pepper
- Smoked Paprika (don’t skip this!)
- I used 1tbsp of miso paste (optional) because it adds to that salty, creamy texture.
Prep ahead of time.
Pre-heat the over to 400. Cut your squash in half and roast it! (place on a baking sheet skin side up with a little olive oil and stick in the oven for an hour). Then soak your cashews in a bowl of water for one hour at a minimum.
When it’s go-time.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Saute your onion in a skillet until soft.
- Boil your pasta until cooked in a large pot and drain.
- Scrape the roasted squash into a blender (I use my Vitamix) with the cashews (make sure to drain the water first!), almond milk, nutritional yeast and miso paste.
- Blend on a low setting until everything mixes together and is a smooth, uniform texture.
- Now it’s time to put it all together. After draining the pasta, transfer it back to the pot, add the squash mixture and the onion and stir everything together. It should seem pretty thick. Transfer to a large casserole dish and sprinkle generously with smoked paprika.
- Bake for 30 mins at 375. Makes 8 small serving or 6 large servings.
- I like to serve this meal with an earthy salad. In this picture, I served up an arugula, kale, fennel beet salad with a light vinaigrette dressing.
- You will love this!
xoxo
Rebecca