This vegan version of the comfort-food favorite is made with a cashew “cheese” sauce and gluten-free noodles. Plan for leftovers—it’s just as delicious reheated the next day.
Ingredients
- 16 oz package of gluten-free pasta of choice, cooked al dente
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach
- Spiced Nut & Seed Topping:
- ¼ cup walnuts, finely chopped
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- Cheese Sauce:
- 1½ cup raw cashews, soaked for two hours (or overnight)
- 1¾ cups water
- ¼ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp miso paste
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne
Preparation
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
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Add pasta, cherry tomatoes and spinach into a large bowl, set aside.
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Mix together all the topping ingredients. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. Set aside.
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In blender, combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients except for ¾ cup of water and blend until creamy. Add remaining water and blend again. Taste and adjust flavor as desired.
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Add cheese sauce to pasta, cherry tomatoes and spinach. Mix well.
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In a large baking dish, pour pasta mixture and cover with topping. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, check after 15 minutes if topping is darkening too much for your liking, cover with foil. If using individual baking dishes, bake for 10 – 15 minutes less.
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When done, let cool about 10 minutes and serve.
