CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA

This creamy vegan squash pasta is the ultimate comfort food. An incredibly creamy sauce made of roasted butternut squash and cashew cream gets tossed with your favourite short pasta, for a delicious, comforting plant-based dish.

Makes 4-6 servings

- 1 small butternut squash
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, with skins on
- 2 tbsp Cashew Butter Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp white (shiro) miso paste
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp onion flakes or 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 454 g. rigatoni pasta (or macaroni, fusilli, or other pasta of your choice)

- Grated parmesan 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the ends of the butternut squash, then cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside of the squash with about one tablespoon of the olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper. Place the halves cut side down on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat (or parchment paper).
2. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The squash is ready when you can easily pierce the flesh with a knife. In the last 15 minutes of roasting, add the cloves of garlic (skins still on) to roast as well. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. In the meantime, make the cashew cream. Add to a blender the Cashew Butter Sea Salt and ½ cup of water and blend on high until you get a cream. Transfer to a pouring cup and set aside.
4. When the roasted butternut squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of flesh (reserve the rest for another use), and add to the same blender (no need to clean it). Remove the skins from the garlic cloves and add to the blender along with the miso, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, thyme, onion flakes, nutmeg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust flavours by adding more salt as needed, or more vinegar for more acidity.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente (don’t overcook - the pasta will finish up cooking with the sauce). Just before cooking time is up, reserve about ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.
6. Place the saucepan back on medium heat and add the butternut squash mixture. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the sauce is warm, then reduce the heat to low and slowly stir in the cashew cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
7. Add the cooked pasta back to the pan and stir to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta water, one spoonful at a time, until you get the desired consistency.
8. Serve hot with crispy sage leaves, grated parmesan and more black pepper, if desired.

PRODUCT USED IN THIS RECIPE

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