Creamy Pasta, Roasted Butternut Squash and Dinosaur Kale
On the vegan path you’ll be exposed to many different fruits and vegetables, most of which you’ve probably never eaten before. Most black folks eat collard greens regularly, and many of us cook kale with them. But the kale we usually buy is the big green leafy type that looks a lot like mustard greens.
My preference for using in dishes or green smoothies is what is called “dinosaur” kale. It’s Latin name, Lacinto kale, is also commonly used. The difference in the two types of kale is that this one has smaller leaves, no curly edges, its a rich dark green, and the taste is milder. That is what makes it a great addition to green smoothies, and in a dish like this, it compliments vs. overpowers the dish.
Hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe as much as I did. Burp.
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced small (about 5-6 cups)
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 1 8 oz box of whole grain spaghetti or other pasta
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (paper thin)
- 6-7 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large bunch of Dinosaur kale (tough stems removed), chopped
- ½ cup Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼-1/2 tsp. dried sage
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Peel, remove seeds, and cut the butternut squash into ½ inch cubes.
- Drizzle 2 Tablespoons olive oil on rimmed baking sheet.
- Add the butternut squash cubes and mix them around to coat thoroughly with the olive oil.
- Sprinkle with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, and toss around to distribute evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until squash is tender when poked.
- While squash is baking, thin slice the onions and mince the garlic, and
- bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil for the pasta.
- Once boiling add the pasta, cook for about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Before draining scoop out 1 large mug full of pasta water (10-12 oz), and set aside.
- Heat the vegan butter in a large soup pot. Allow to slowly melt over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add in the onions and the garlic. Saute until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, de-stem and chop the kale, then add it to onions and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, cheese, nutritional yeast and sage and stir well to combine. Make sure there's no clumps of cheese.
- Add more salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add the squash and stir gently to combine.
- Serve hot with additional sage or nutritional yeast to garnish or even some ground pumpkin seeds.
Category: Entrees, Light Meals
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Ok I’m sorta behind the ball on leaving replies for the recipes I’ve tried so I’ll try to do better. Anywho…tried this one today and it is DELISH!!! Although I’m not vegan my daughter and son are so on Monday thru Thursday I’ve recently been cooking vegan meals for all of us. This one was a hit. Am definitely adding it into my new binder of “healthy meal recipes” that I am creating. Thanks for sharing :-)!I am getting ready to send the recipe to my sister so she can try it too!