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Butternut Pumpkin Pasta Bake

Added 28/Mar/2022

Creamy Vegan Butternut Pumpkin Pasta Bake

via Jessye

https://www.kitchentreaty.com/butternut-pasta-bake/

Ingredients

For the pasta:

• 250g whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large chopped brown onion
• 4 medium cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 heaped teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce (to taste)
• 4 cups diced peeled butternut squash (about 1/2 medium squash)
• 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the breadcrumb topping:

NOTE: topping should be scaled based on the surface area of your dish. My terracotta baker requires 1.5x this quantity at least.

• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, stopping 1 to 2 minutes short of the recommended cooking time so that the pasta is nice and al dente. Drain, return to pot, and set aside.

• While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce. Set a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and turning brown, 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute.

• Add broth, stirring to loosen up the bits of cooked onion at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the dry mustard, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and Tamari. Add the butternut squash. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook until the squash is tender, 7-8 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

• Remove veggies from heat, remove lid, and let sit until cool enough to handle. Transfer to the pitcher of a blender. Add coconut milk and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if desired. If the sauce is too thick to move around in the blender, thin it with a little more vegetable broth.

• Pour the butternut sauce over the pasta in the pot. Stir gently to combine. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish (approx. 8-inch by 8-inch should be fine). It will seem seem soupy, but it will thicken up when it bakes!

• Make the breadcrumb topping. Add Panko breadcrumbs to a small bowl along with the thyme, paprika, and salt. Mix to combine. Drizzle the olive oil over the breadcrumb mix and stir until combined. Spoon over the top of the pasta.

  NOTE: breadcrumbs should be at least 0.5cm thick across the entire surface.

• Bake at 180 deg C until bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

  NOTE: This could take considerably longer, Jessye recommends doubling it if the breadcrumbs are thick (which you definitely want because it’s great)

• Let cool for a few minutes before serving