Vegan Pasta Bake

A pan of creamy, hearty comfort food - this Vegan Pasta Bake is an exciting twist on baked pasta. It has mushrooms, kale, a creamy butternut squash sauce, no cheese, is gluten free and of course vegan!

Ingredients

• 1 small onion slices
• 5 cloves garlic divided (2 sliced, 3 minced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided (more for drizzling)
• 1 small butternut squash about 4 cups cubed
• 8 cups (2L) salted water
• 8 ounces Chickapea pasta I used shells
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups (250g) sliced mixed mushrooms
• 5 cups (100g) curly kale, loosely packed bite sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons coarse gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon basil ribbons

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and garlic slices and sauté covered on low heat until caramelized (about 20 minutes).
2. In the meantime bring a large saucepan with at least 2 liters (8 cups) of salted water to a boil. Add the butternut squash cubes until fork-tender (7-10 minutes). Transfer the butternut squash to a blender with a slotted spoon while reserving the water.
3. Bring the salted water back to a boil and add the Chickapea pasta. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes until just starting to soften. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.
4. By now the onion and garlic should be caramelized. Transfer them to the blender with the butternut squash cubes. Add almond milk, vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Blend until smooth and set aside.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Heat the other tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Sauté the sliced mushrooms until they start to brown and release water.
6. Add the minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a minute. Add the kale, close with a lid and steam on low for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and take the pan off the heat. Add the cooked pasta and blended sauce. Stir to combine.
8. Combine the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Sprinkle the mixture over the pasta bake, then drizzle a little olive oil over top.
9. Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Top with basil ribbons after baking.

Recipe Notes
I used an oven safe 10-inch cast iron pan for this stove-to-oven recipe. Alternatively, you can also combine all ingredients in a casserole dish at the end

Share this post