Roast courgette, leek and garlic pasta bake with a deliciously creamy basil cashew cream. This is a high protein, high greens packed dish, giving you all the nutrients in a delicious bowl of comforting goodness.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 courgettes, halved and roughly chopped
1 leek, roughly chopped
½ head of garlic
¼ tsp chilli flakes
5 tbsp olive oil
300g penne pasta
Cashew cream:
200g cashews
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 lemon, zest and juice
½ tsp salt
200g silken tofu
100ml nut milk
Small bunch of basil leaves, reserving a few to garnish
Handful of spinach leaves
Sourdough breadcrumbs or panko
Plant based or regular parmesan, grated
METHOD
1. Soak the cashews for 15 mins in boiling water.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the leek, courgette and garlic head in a oven-proof casserole dish, toss with the olive oil, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 mins, giving it a mix half way, until the veg are soft and caramelised.
3. Squeeze out the garlic cloves and place in a blender with the drained cashews and the rest of the cashew cream ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the pan of veggies along with the cashew cream and give it a good stir to coat. Scatter over the nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs and cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes to crisp up until golden. Garnish with extra basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.