Creamy Baked Red Pepper Penne Pasta
Fool your friends with this delicious creamy baked red pepper penne pasta - they'll never guess it is dairy free! The secret is the pureed cashew cream.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Entree, Main Dish
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 348kcal
For the Pasta:
- 1/2 lbs penne pasta
- 2 cups pasta sauce
- 16 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced minced
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Add the penne pasta to the boiling water and stir gently. Return to a rapid boil and cook, uncovered, for 8 minutes. (You want to undercook it a couple minutes since you bake it as well.) Drain the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta boils, add the pasta sauce and red peppers to a food processor and puree until smooth.
Rinse the food processor (or use a single serving blender cup) to puree with cashews and broth together until smooth.
In a skillet, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Stir in the pureed cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt.
Combine the pasta, cashew cream, tomato sauce, and spinach leaves together in a large bowl (or the same pot used to cook the pasta) and transfer to an 8"x8" baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the pasta and bake for 25-30 minutes or until breadcrumbs have started to brown and sauce is bubbling.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1677mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2243IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4mg