Happy New Year everyone! Like many of us, I’m trying to eat healthier and more mindfully in 2020 by including more plant based meals in my diet. This recipe caught my attention on Instagram and so I tweaked it a bit and made it my own. The sauce is creamy and tosses nicely with pasta. It’s not my typical go-to parmesan cream sauce but it’s a fabulous, flavorful alternative if your eating clean(ish) in the new year. Cheers!!

Ingredients: Feeds 4 – 6

• 3 cups roasted butternut squash
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbp olive oil (plus extra)
• 5oz (approx. 1 cup) raw cashews
• 2 cups unsweetened almond or cashew milk
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp salt (plus extra)
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toss cubed butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove, let cool.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook 12oz of your favorite pasta according to package directions. I used gluten free rigatoni for this recipe.
3. In a small sauté pan, cook onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant.
4. In a food processor or blender, pulse the cashews until ground. Add the roasted squash, sautéed onion and garlic, nut milk, and spices and blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. If too thick, add small amounts of nut milk to reach desired consistency.
5. Drain pasta and toss with cream sauce.

Add-ins:

• I sautéed an 8oz bag of spinach and pan fried a pound of cubed chicken breast tenders and folded everything into the pasta once it was dressed. By doing so, the dish is no longer vegan or completely plant based, but for me it rounds out the meal by adding an additional veggie and lean protein!

*Adapted from @sara.haven