Pumpkin season is here! Well, in New Zealand it is! Here is a delicious cozy pasta bake that will steal your hearts. The smooth and creamy pasta is topped with an earthy and crunchy mix of sautéed mushrooms, lentils, and walnuts, making this dish so exciting and a must try!
🍽 Serves 3-4 🕘 30-35 minutes Difficulty: Beginner
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp tomato paste
½ pumpkin (approx. 4 cups of chopped pumpkin)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ cups of marinara sauce/ passata
1 ½ cups of vegetable stock
½ cup of cashews, soaked
¼ cup of nutritional yeast
Topping:
1 cup of chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp vegan butter
½ Tbsp Italian herbs
1 can of lentils/ 1 ½ cups of cooked brown or puy lentils
200g of mushrooms, sliced
Salt, pepper to taste
400g of pasta
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180’C.
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add chopped pumpkin, dried oregano, marinara sauce/passata, and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
In a blender, combine the soaked cashews with the pumpkin sauce from the saucepan. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add the cashew cream back into the saucepan with the pumpkin sauce, mix well.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add it to the pumpkin sauce, mix well to coat the pasta.
In a separate pan, dry roast the chopped walnuts over medium heat for a few minutes until they are browned and fragrant. Then, add vegan butter and Italian herbs. Once the butter has melted, add in sliced mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are cooked. Add cooked lentils to the pan and mix well.
Transfer the pumpkin pasta mixture into a baking dish. Top with the lentil, mushroom, and walnut mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.
Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Enjoy your delicious cozy pumpkin pasta bake!
