This is a feast! Not to mention, oh-so-very tasty and satisfying!
Use this dish to feed a crowd. It’s also great leftover. We’ve made it on Sunday and enjoyed a serving every day for lunch.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash – Once roasted, this makes up the bulk of the sauce. Choose a squash weighing about 2 pounds. If yours is significantly bigger, only scoop ~2.5 cups of the roasted flesh and save the rest for another recipe – such as a soup!
- Cashews – You’ll get a nice creamy sauce because of the cashews! They also add fat to this recipe, making it filling. Be sure to choose raw, unsalted cashews (*affiliate link). Tip: Soaking the cashews in warm water for about 30 minutes will create an even smoother sauce (although this isn’t necessary if you’re strapped for time)
- Nutritional yeast – Learn more about one of our FAVORITE ingredients HERE. This adds a delish cheese-like flavor, not to mention lots of nutrients without the saturated fat!
- Chickpea noodles – Full of protein and fiber, we love all of the bean-based noodles on the market! To keep the noodles from sticking together while cooking, be sure to stir them regularly and don’t drain them until you’re ready to mix with the sauce. We’ve found chickpea noodles at Walmart, Kroger and Fresh Thyme, but you can also get them online.
- White mushrooms – We used white mushrooms since they’re easy to find, but feel free to swap in your mushroom of choice!
- Kale – As always, no recipe is complete without the healthiest food on the planet… leafy greens! The amount will seem like a LOT but it will cook down a TON!
Freezer Meal
This noodle bake is also a wonderful freezer meal. Simply prepare the recipe as-is without cooking it. Cover well and store in the freezer up to 1 month. When you’re ready to enjoy it, cover with foil and cook for 25 minutes, if thawed and 60 minutes if frozen. Remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes.
More Pasta Recipes
Looking for other plant-based noodle meals? Check out our Creamy Lemon Dill Pasta, One-Pot Pasta, Thai Peanut Pasta Salad, and Pesto Pasta Salad.
You’ll need a food processor, large mixing bowl and casserole dish (*affiliate links) to make this dish.
Plant-Based Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
A flavorful whole food, plant-based pasta dish filled with veggies and a creamy butternut squash sauce!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 374kcal
Equipment
- Food Processor
- 9x13 casserole dish
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 medium butternut squash OR 30oz frozen cubed butternut squash **See notes below for steamable butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
Noodles
- 16 oz rotini chickpea noodles
Filling
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1 lb white mushrooms chopped
- 2 packed cups kale stems removed and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
Instructions
- *Skin this step if using frozen cubed butternut squash* Preheat oven to 425 and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Slice squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Place squash cut-side down and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until knife inserted into squash comes out very easily.1 medium butternut squash OR 30oz frozen cubed butternut squash
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tablespoon water and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes. Add kale, salt and pepper and saute for another 3 minutes, or until kale is tender. Add water if needed, though mushrooms typically release enough water that additional water is not needed. Remove from heat.3/4 tsp salt, 1 large red onion, 1 lb white mushrooms, 2 packed cups kale, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions or until al dente. Stirring regularly will keep noodles from sticking to each other. Once cooked, remove from heat and let sit.16 oz rotini chickpea noodles
- Once squash is cooked, scoop out flesh and transfer to a food processor. Add garlic, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and water. Blend until smooth.2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 1/4 cup raw cashews, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt
- Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F.
- Drain noodles. Add noodles, sauce and filling to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Transfer to casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
**This dish can be made with frozen, steamable butternut squash to reduce cook time. To do so, steam 30oz of frozen butternut squash in the microwave (and skip step 1 above)
To make this into a freezer meal, prepare as instructed, but do not bake. Cover well and freeze up to 1 month. To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, if thawed, and 60 minutes, if frozen. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 754mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 11590IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 8mg
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