Creamy Vegetable Casserole

Kristi Whitley

This casserole is a hardy entree. Lentil pasta, mushrooms and a creamy cashew and chickpea sauce make it very comforting. Add a tossed salad and you have dinner for 8! It is delicious leftover and reheated. I'm taking this to my next pot luck.

8 servings

289 calories each

Ingredients

12oz Gluten free pasta, I used chickpea and lentil

1 Large zucchini, chopped

8oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 large sweet onion

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

10oz frozen spinach

1/2 cup raw cashews

1 1/2 T Italian seasoning

1 t garlic powder

1 1/2 t salt

1 t pepper

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup chickpeas, drained

1 T Apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice

3 T nutritional yeast

1 cup Live G Free french fried onions, Aldi's

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Put pasta water on to boil.

Saute veggies in a few tablespoons of water in an extra-large lidded skillet, using the lid as needed to retain most of the liquid from the vegetables and prevent sticking.

Boil pasta in salted water until aldente. While pasta is boiling, add frozen spinach and seasonings to the veggies. Continue sautéing until pasta is ready.

While veggies are sautéing and pasta is boiling, place cashews, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, vinegar or lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups of water into the pitcher of a high-speed blender and puree until smooth.

Drain 2-3 cups of pasta water into a bowl and reserve for later use. Drain pasta completely. Add pasta to veggies and stir. Add cashew cream to veggies and pasta and stir. Add reserved pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pour the mixture into a 9x11x3.5 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle the French fried onions on top then bake for 25 minutes.

Notes:

Don't have a high-speed blender? Soak the cashews in warm water for about an hour. Drain and blend in a regular blender. Leave the blender running for at least a minute to get the cashews and chickpeas nice and smooth. Add more water as needed to get them moving.

Replace the spinach with kale or even finally chopped broccoli.

Healthy Living