We’re welcoming fall today with our Creamy Kabocha Pasta topped with fresh pesto. Delightfully thick and cheesy, our recipe starts with Tinkyada gluten-free rice pasta with an inventive mix of baked kabocha squash and soaked cashews to create an incredibly scrumptious familiar comfort food without the downside of dairy.
Creamy Vegan Kabocha Pasta
I ran across a nice article on Sophie Uliano’s “A Gorgeously Green Life” this week, explaining why she no longer consumes dairy products. I thought you might like to read it HERE.
End-of-Summer Garden Basil
Fall happens to be my absolute favorite time of the year. The heat of summer begins to wane and the stress of the holidays has not begun to attach it’s sticky web to my schedule. I love the cool, crisp air in the evenings and early mornings here in San Diego. Some folks living in the east may laugh at that statement, however, it’s all about perspective my friends. 🙂
“The Goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With leaves are bending down.”
-Helen Hunt Jackson, September
Creamy Vegan Kabocha Pasta
Benefits of Kabocha:
Excellent source of beta-carotene.
High in fiber, especially when consuming the skin. (Remember to purchase organic kabocha if you would like to include the skins in your recipe)
Kabocha is lower in calories than butternut squash, yet offers the same sweetness.
Rich in vitamin A, kabocha is particularly good for the skin.
Kabocha Squash
Ingredient Transparency:
Tinkyada Pasta: Whole Foods
Organic Kabocha Squash, organic onion, organic garlic, nutritional yeast, organic gluten-free white miso, organic olive oil, organic hemp seeds, Himalayan sea salt, organic coconut milk: Jimbo’s Naturally
Organic Raw Cashews: Costco
Fresh Basil: My own organic backyard herb garden. 🙂
- 1 package Tinkyada pasta, cooked according to package directions.
- 1 medium-size organic kabocha squash, baked (you will only use 1 cup of the baked squash)
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free white miso
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup light coconut milk (Note: start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed for desired consistency,)
- 1 cup raw pine nuts
- 1/2 cup organic hemp seeds
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- Juice of 1/2 medium-size lemon (Note: I enjoy a lemony pesto on occassion, if you do as well, feel free to increase to juice from 1 whole lemon.)
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wash organic kabocha. Cut in half and scoop out seeds.
- Place cut-side down in a large baking dish.
- Add 1/2 inch water.
- Place in hot oven and bake 35-45 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare pasta according to package direction, drain and set aside.
- Sauté onion in 1 Tablespoon coconut oil until translucent. Add minced garlic and stir. Continue cooking another minute. Don't allow the garlic to burn.
- Using a food processor, combine 1 cup baked kabocha squash, soaked cashews, cooked onion & garlic, white miso, nutritional yeast flakes, sea salt and 1/4 cup coconut milk. Begin to pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Feel free to add another 1/4 cup of coconut milk as needed for desired consistency.
- Using a food processor, combine pine nuts and hemp seeds. Pulse to begin breaking down. Add nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, sea salt and basil leaves. Pulse.
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil as the machine is running. Stop and scrape down sides. Continue running machine until desired consistency is achieved.
- Combine warm pasta and Kabocha Cheese. Stir until well combined.
- Serve warm and top with a large dollop of pesto.
- ENJOY!
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free
- All recipes and images are protected under copyright laws and owned by Kris Kelly and Goofy Foot Foods.