Vegan Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
- About 1/2 butternut squash or pumpkin (300g)
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Few sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup or more plant milk (soy or oat)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
- Pasta of your choice to serve
Miso mushrooms
- About 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon brown rice miso paste mixed with 2 teaspoons boiling water
Preparation
Peel and chop the butternut squash into bite-size pieces.
Steam the butternut squash pieces for 15-20 minutes until soft and drain them, then set aside.
While the butternut squash is cooking, peel and finely chop the onion, add it to a small frying pan with a touch of oil, and fry on low to medium heat for 5 minutes until it starts to caramelize.
Add the crushed garlic cloves and thyme leaves and cook for another minute.
Add the cooked butternut squash to a blender along with the onion, garlic, soaked cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, plant milk, salt, and pepper, then blend until completely smooth and silky, adding more plant milk if needed.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
While the pasta cooks, add the sliced mushrooms to a pan with the oil, pour over the miso paste mixed with water, and cook on fairly high heat for 10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated.
Drain the pasta, return it to the pan, pour in the butternut squash sauce, mix everything together, and fold in the miso mushrooms.
