Squash Penne Al Forno Mac & Cheese Style
Autumnal pasta bake - creamy, indulging yet nutritious filled with good stuff like squash and tofu.A perfect option for a midweek meal. Feel free to use any small pasta shapes you have available.
Ingredients
- 300 g whole-grain penne or other small pasta (macaroni, farfalle etc)
- half of roasted medium-sized Hokkaido squash (about 300-400g flash)
- 200 g silken tofu
- 250 ml Soy cream (or other unsweetened plant-based cooking cream)
- 100 ml soy milk, unsweetened (or unsweetened oat.almond milk)
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 4-5 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder optional, for color
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs or more to taste
- fresh or dried herbs (thyme, sage, provence herbs) optional, to taste
- 30-40 g Melty Vegan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Boil the water for pasta.
- Cook the pasta in salted water till al dente (slightly undercooked).
- In the meantime prepare the sauce - with a food processor or immersion blender mix the rest of the ingredients except breadcrumbs and cheese till creamy and well combined. If too thick add a bit more milk. Check for seasoning and adjust to taste. Fell free to add herbs and spices you like.
- Drain the pasta and put into a casserole dish. Toss the sauce with the pasta, spread evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the cheese (optional) and breadcrumbs over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and edges slightly crispy. Can use a broiler/grill function of you oven for the last 3-5 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes out of the oven and serve.
Notes
If you don't have the cream use the same amount of milk but add an extra tablespoon of oil and 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Feel free to use other varieties of squash or sweet potato instead of Hokkaido, however, its taste and starchiness are perfect for this recipe.
If you have really big casserole dish double the portion.
Together with breadcrumbs and cheese great topping for this pasta are fresh sage leaves.