Cashew Cream Tomato Penne Pasta

This is a super quick and easy weeknight dinner that is so healthy and satisfying. It’s creamy and rich thanks to the nutritious cashew sauce yet tart and sweet. Cherry tomatoes burst in the oven alongside roasted garlic and mingle with fresh basil and miso for a sumptuous sauce that smothers hot, penne pasta.

Apparently I'm on a pasta kick?? #sorrynotsorry

This is life with a one year old... as a full-time working mom... who as of a couple of weeks ago was still pumping five times a day. Whew! Dinner must be quick and it must be easy. Quick enough that I'm not on my poor, tired feet for too long and easy enough to give that stay-at-home poppa a much needed break, while I can still keep my eye on said one year old. For some reason pasta seems to be just the ticket. Dinner has to be delicious and it better be filling: this family needs their energy.

Speaking of energy, Oliver's got a ton of it. We're loving getting outside every weekend for nordic skiing (praise be to the snow gods), where we pull the little one in the Chariot behind us. I'm thrilled that it's now light until about eight o'clock and we can get out after work for a family hike on the trails through the woods behind our house or go sledding down our ungodly long driveway (I knew it would show it's virtues eventually). 

How are you spending our weekends? Do you have tips for outdoorsing with littles? 

Cashew Cream Tomato Penne Pasta

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

This is a super quick and easy weeknight dinner that is so healthy and satisfying. It’s creamy and rich thanks to the nutritious cashew sauce yet tart and sweet. Cherry tomatoes burst in the oven alongside roasted garlic and mingle with fresh basil and miso for a sumptuous sauce that smothers hot, penne pasta.

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz container of fresh cherry tomatoes, yellow or red (I used yellow)
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1 lb penne pasta (we use whole wheat)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 2 tbsp miso (we use red)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F and arrange the cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet along with the garlic cloves, still in their skin. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and the garlic is roasted. Once cooled, remove the skin from the garlic.
2. While the cherry roast, bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta and cook according to package. Reserve about 1 ½ cups of the water, then drain and return to the pot.
3. Add the garlic and tomatoes to a blender along with the remaining ingredients except of course the pasta. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Stir well into drained pasta, adding additional water as needed to thin the sauce to your liking.
4. Serve hot and topped with vegan parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, if you like. If reheating leftovers stir a little water in for a creamier sauce.

Simple Vegan Lasagna with Beyond Burger & Miyoko's Mozzarella

The vegan lasagna to rule them all. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s incredibly easy. Best of all this lasagna is rich with the tastiest vegan hamburger and the creamiest vegan mozzarella. It really is amazing. 

You know that dinner that you're always making, and everyone is always asking for the recipe but since you make it all the time you never write down what you throw into it? Well, this is one of those recipes... and it might just be the best one ever. 

Vegan lasagna and not a veggie in sight. If you want a veggie loaded lasagna, you can find one in my cookbook. This beauty, however, is classic lasagna at it's finest. The best vegan meat and cheese has to offer: The Beyond Burger and Miyoko's Fresh VeganMozz. Now, I know what you're thinking; those are both pretty expensive. Maybe, but we only use one burger patty and about one quarter to one half of the ball of mozzarella. You can't afford not to make this! 

I hope you enjoy this one as much as we do. Perhaps the greatest part is that you'll find minimal cleanup is needed and that this recipe is so incredibly simple. The perfect lasagna for those that who are new to cooking or new to veganism! 

Simple Vegan Lasagna with Beyond Burger & Miyoko's Mozzarella

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

The vegan lasagna to rule them all. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s incredibly easy. Best of all this lasagna is rich with the tastiest vegan hamburger and the creamiest vegan mozzarella. It really is amazing. *Suggestions to make this even meatier, creamier, and more below.

Ingredients

• 14 oz firm tofu, drained
• ¾ cup unsweetened, plain soy milk or vegan milk of choice
• ¼ cup large-flake nutritional yeast
• ½ tbsp miso paste (I use red)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 Beyond Meat Beyond Burger patty, defrosted if frozen
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce (or additional pasta sauce)
• 12 pieces of no-boil lasagna noodles (make sure they don’t contain eggs!)
• 1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
• ¼-½ of one 8 oz ball of Miyoko’s Creamery Fresh VeganMozz (or ½ cup vegan cheese of choice)
• Sprinkle of Italian seasoning and vegan parmesan, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium mixing bowl, mash together the tofu through the oregano until the tofu resembles a ricotta appearance. Crumble up or mash the raw burger patty and stir it (as well as it’s juices) into the tofu mixture until well combined. Set aside.
2. Evenly spread half the can of tomato sauce in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Arrange three of the noodles on top of the sauce ensuring they don’t overlap.
3. Evenly spread ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the noodles and cover with ⅓ of the pasta sauce. Continue this again, this time pinching off half of the cheese you’ll use and spreading it evenly over the tofu mixture.
4. Continue with another layer, but without the cheese. Finish with a layer of noodles covered with the remaining half of the tomato sauce. Top with remainder of cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
5. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with a nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot and topped with vegan parmesan if you like.
6. * Beyond Meat and Miyoko’s can be prohibitively expensive, however, if that’s not an issue for you you can make it meatier, by using two burger patties! To make it creamier, use as much cheese as your heart desires. You can use boiled, regular lasagna noodles in place of the no-boil ones but decrease the milk to ½ cup.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 00:40
Total time: 01:00
Yield: 6 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store!

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More “Lasagna-y” Recipes

Easy Mushroom Spaghetti

Vegan Lasagna Soup

Pizza Quinoa sith Summer Squash

Italian Summer Tomato Pasta

Looking for photos of Oliver or the pups? Head on over to my private Instagram account @katiecski to bask in the adorableness. Looking for book reviews? Go to my bookish Instagram account @dirtylittlebookworm to find out more. 

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

I’ve made a lot of vegan mac and cheese. All kinds. If you can think it, I’ve probably made it: some good, some bad but this one is my absolute favorite. It also happens to be exceptionally easy. A staple in our house, I hope it will become one in your house as well. This vegan version is oil-free and oh so creamy and delicious.

Noticed some changes? Produce On Parade got a bit of a makeover! What do you think of it? I hope you like it; we felt we needed a bit more of a modern feel. Something clean and shiny, eh. If you have any comments please let me know through the brand new contact page at the top right on the screen. I'd love to hear what you're thinking.

Anywho, what I am thinking is... comfort food. A teething Oliver is getting up every two hours to nurse #whatdidwedo and then with me working full-time, this is one dead momma. I literally ran into a wall today, in front of a patient. That's what three intermittent hours of sleep get you. I need food that is fast and filling and yummy. Last night I was really craving mac and cheese, so we whipped this up in no time. I thought it was about time I shared this recipe. It's always the staples that I have yet to share for some reason.

Not only is this dish killer but it happens to be the only vegan mac and cheese recipe that is Todd approved. He doesn't like the sweet potato or butternut squash mac and cheeses. Nope, this is the only one. Oh well, makes my life easier!

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

I’ve made a lot of vegan mac and cheese. All kinds. If you can think it, I’ve probably made it: some good, some bad but this one is my absolute favorite. It also happens to be exceptionally easy. A staple in our house, I hope it will become one in your house as well. This vegan version is oil-free and oh so creamy and delicious. Inspired by BuzzFeed *A high powered blender works best. If you don’t have one just soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes prior to use.

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• ¼ medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup raw cashews*
• scant ¼ cup large-flake nutritional yeast
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• dash of freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz dry pasta shells

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil for the vegetables. Boil the potatoes and garlic clove for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and boil for 5 additional minutes. Add the onion and boil for 7 additional minutes.
2. While the vegetables are boiling, add the remaining ingredients except the pasta to a blender. Drain the veggies saving the water (1 ½ cups), add them to a blender along with the saved water; blend on high until smooth and creamy. It makes about 4 cups of sauce.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta and cook according to the package. Drain and return to the pot. Stir 3 cups of the sauce into the cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup for stirring in later if all the mac and cheese won’t be all eaten immediately. Serve hot.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here where it’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb at our local grocery store, Fred Meyer.

More Mac and Cheese Recipe and Cauliflower Recipes

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

Creamy Fettuccine Miso Alfredo

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Creamy Spiced Cauliflower Soup