Butternut Squash Pasta Bake

Additional Information:

• Could be made oil-free by removing the vegan parm

Ingredients

• Pasta – I used Red Lentil pasta because it’s an easy way to add some extra protein. Feel free to use other pasta if you’d rather; just note that the calories/macros may be slightly different than what’s listed in the recipe card.
• Onion – I would recommend using either yellow, white or sweet onion for this recipe.
• Garlic – I prefer to use fresh garlic. You could use pre-minced garlic to save some time though.
• Butternut Squash – I used frozen butternut squash for this recipe, but fresh will work great too.
• Extra Firm Silken Tofu – make sure you use silken tofu for this recipe. If you use regular tofu (firm/extra firm/super firm), the consistency will be not amazing – think hummus. You can find silken tofu at most grocery stores, and you can even buy a shelf-stable variety online. I really like the brand Mori-Nu, and usually buy their Extra Firm Silken Tofu.
• Soy Milk – you could really use any plant-based milk for this recipe; it may slightly change the calories/macros.
• Vegan Parm – I prefer to top it with Follow Your Heart Parm because it browns in the oven really well.

• Nutritional Yeast – this is a shelf-stable ingredient used in a lot of plant-based cooking to add a cheesy flavor. You can buy it at most grocery stores and also online.
• Salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard seed, thyme, sage.
• White Wine Vinegar – you could also use Apple Cider Vinegar since this is just to add a little acidity to the cheese sauce.

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
• Peel and chop onions.
• Mince garlic.
• If you’re using fresh butternut squash, chop it.
• On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spread out your veggies. Sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, rubbed sage, thyme, and ground mustard on top.

• Throw in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork-tender.

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta per package instructions.
• Once the veggies are cooked, put them in the blender. Add the silken tofu, soy milk, nutritional yeast, and white wine vinegar. Blend until well-mixed and creamy. (You may want to wait 5 – 10 minutes until the veggies have cooled off a bit to blend).

• Once your sauce is nice and creamy, mix it with your cooked pasta.
• Scoop everything into a casserole dish. I usually spray a bit of oil to my casserole dish to make sure it doesn’t stick.

• Top with the vegan parmesan.

• Bake for ~15 – 20 minutes. I like to broil it for a few minutes at the end to get the parm to brown!

Silly Little Haiku

Love hidden veggies

Follow Your Heart Parm is best

It browns like real cheese