Looking for a super healthy dinner that rolls over into tasty left-overs? This homemade sauce turns an otherwise “normal” vegetarian pasta recipe into a savoury bowl that won’t leave you disappointed. It’s a much healthier alternative to mac and cheese and the sauce is comprised solely of highly nutritious, plant-based ingredients.

This recipe was originally created when a good friend of mine, Sarah, was over for a cooking weekend. One thing Tim and I love to do is cook with friends. Why?

BEST LIFE TIP EVER:

1. It takes the pressure off having to “perform”. If it doesn’t taste super, it was a joint effort and you’re not to blame!
2. You do not need to have food made ahead and ready to go. It’s perfect for mid-week get-togethers.
3. It’s plain old fun.
4. Having more cooks in the kitchen is efficient. Each person can be in charge of their own cooking “task”, which makes dinner prep faster and LOW-stress.
5. When multiple people put their creative juices together in one pot, the best recipes are created! We love sharing our cooking knowledge with others. I, personally, have a secret hope that it might inspire others to do more in-house cooking and boost the nutritional content in their meals. It’s even better when people share their tips and tricks with me!

Vegetarian Pasta Sauce

Veggie-haters will never guess what they’re eating. The sauce in this vegetarian pasta recipe is primarily carrots and mushrooms. When puréed and seasoned perfectly… oooh, yes!

It is made of whole-foods and is plant-based. A win-win for your health!

Nutritional yeast gives the sauce a cheesy flavour (for the dairy lovers, no, it’s not real cheese and so don’t expect the *exact* same taste, please!). It is fortified with B12, which is a very important thing for vegetarian and vegan diets to be intentional about eating. The most common sources of B12 are from animal products (fish, meat, cheese & eggs).

Harvard Health published a very informative article on B12. We encourage you to give it a read if you have B12 deficiency symptoms or just want to know more:

• fatigue
• weakness
• constipation
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• low red blood cell count
• numbness and tingling in the hands and feet

Pasta

We recommend eating whole grain pasta, either whole wheat or in this case a gluten-free rice and quinoa pasta. When eating whole grains the fibre helps to prevent blood sugar spikes, which carbs can cause. These sugar spikes contribute to many health diseases, including various inflammatory conditions and type II diabetes.

Savoury Veggie Pasta Recipe

Hide an additional serving of vegetables in this DELICIOUS pasta sauce made of puréed vegetables, then topped with even more grilled veggies!

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Prep and Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Grilled Veggies

• 2 cups carrots chopped into large chunks
• 2 zucchinis sliced in thick slices then halved
• 2 cups red onion sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin, cold-pressed. Sauté/grill with water if WF diet
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black peppper

Optional:

• Black beans or chickpeas

Sauce

• 5 cups water
• 2 carrots large, sliced on an angle
• 2 cups mushrooms quartered
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup coconut milk canned
• 2 tbsp olive oil substitute with canned coconut milk if WF diet
• ½ tbsp garlic minced
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Pasta

• 3 cups pasta whole grain, GF if needed
• 1 pinch sea salt

Equipment

• Standup or immersion blender
• BBQ or saucepan

Method

 

1. Peel carrots for both the veggies and sauce, approx 6 large carrots. Chop half into 1″ length chunks. Slice the other half on an angle and put them in a separate bowl.
2. Chop zucchinis into thick slices and then into half-moons. Add to the angled carrots in a bowl.
3. Chop the red onion in half, and then slice lengthwise to create long, thin strips. Add to the carrot and zucchini mixture with oil, salt and pepper. Grill or sautée until they begin to brown, approx 20 minutes.
4. Bring water to a boil in a pot.
5. Clean and quarter mushrooms. Add to boiled water along with the chopped carrots. Boil until soft. *Do not discard the water*
6. Use a skimming spoon (one with holes in it) to remove the carrots and mushrooms from the hot water. Place them in either a blender or an immersion blender canister. Purée mushrooms and carrots into a paste.
7. Reboil the water, add salt if desired, and cook pasta according to instructions.
8. Add remaining sauce ingredients to the carrot and mushroom purée and continue to blend until thoroughly mixed. If you prefer a less viscous sauce, add more coconut milk a tablespoon at a time.
9. Strain pasta and stir the sauce and pasta together. Place in individual bowls and top with the grilled vegetables.

Bon appétit!