Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash, halved lengthways, seeds removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 14oz whole wheat pasta
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 small red chilli
- 4 sun-dried tomatoes
- 6 fresh sage leaves
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, finely sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
To garnish:
- Crispy sage leaves (optional)
- 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Vegan cheese
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the two halves of squash, cut side up onto a baking tray. Drizzle over a touch of oil and sprinkle over some seasoning then roast for about 55 minutes or until the squash is soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Get your pasta cooking in a pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Scoop out the cooled butternut squash flesh and place it in a bowl.
Add the onion, garlic, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes and sage to a blender and blitz until finely chopped. Alternatively, just finely slice everything by hand (blitzing is just that little bit faster!).
Place a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a touch of olive oil, followed by the onion mixture. Sauté with a sprinkling of salt for 3–4 minutes. This is where the sauce will develop a great base flavour.
Add the shiitake mushroom, and cook for another 3–4 minutes, getting them lovely and golden and crisp… there’s nothing worse than soggy mushrooms!
Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar, then add the squash flesh and one teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for four minutes, letting the flavours mingle and getting some lovely colour on the squash. Add a small ladleful of pasta cooking water to make it slightly saucier, then add the cooked drained pasta. Mix everything together making sure your pasta is coated nicely.
To make crispy sage leaves for the garnish, simply fry them in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes until crispy.
To serve the pasta, sprinkle over some pumpkin seeds and add the crispy sage leaves to garnish. Top with some grated vegan cheese.
Kcal: 652 / Fat: 16.1g / Carbs: 115.7g Protein: 19.9g
Plants Only Kitchen by Author & Chef Gaz Oakley (Quadrille, available in Hardback and eBook) Photography: Simon Smith. Follow Gaz on socials: @AvantGardeVegan
