Name: Penne With Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 medium (sized butternut squash); 2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil; 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 8oz package thinly sliced button mushrooms; 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (minced); ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake (optional); 2 cups chopped kale; Salt and black pepper (to taste); 8 ounces penne (such as red lentil or whole wheat); 1 cup plain unsweetened coconut or almond milk; 2 cups cooked butternut squash (from above); 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast; ¼ teaspoon ground sage; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; salt and pepper (to taste)

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Eat seasonally with this hearty, winter veggie-packed pasta dish. Think of it as a grown-up mac and cheese

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Duration50 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Prep Time40 mins

Servings

Ingredients

Pasta

1 medium sized butternut squash
2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 8oz package thinly sliced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flake optional
2 cups chopped kale
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 ounces penne such as red lentil or whole wheat

Sauce

1 cup plain unsweetened coconut or almond milk
2 cups cooked butternut squash from above
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon ground sage
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a lightly oiled roasting pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.
2. Place 2 cups of the cooked squash into a blender. Set the rest of the squash aside for the pasta.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, and red pepper flake (if using). Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir.
4. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Then mix in the kale and the cooked butternut squash that was set aside. Reduce the heat on the skillet to low.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the penne and cook according to package instructions, then drain (reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid) and add the penne to the skillet with the vegetables.
6. While the pasta is boiling, make the sauce: To the blender with the 2 cups of cooked butternut, add coconut milk, nutritional yeast, ground sage, garlic powder and another pinch of salt and black pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth, adding in some of the reserved pasta water or coconut milk if the sauce becomes too thick.
7. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and pasta in the skillet and heat through. Add more reserved pasta water if needed to achieve desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt to your liking.

This recipe was republished from Carrie Weldy – as featured on Switch4Good. You can view all dairy-free recipes posted on Switch4Good here.