Pasta Dishes

Mac 'n Cheez

{Tasha}  This cheez sauce is made from whole foods and really hits the spot! The recipe is very forgiving; I often don’t bother to measure the veggies or might change the ratio slightly. And you don’t necessarily have to serve the sauce with noodles. It’s great poured over some baked potatoes and steamed broccoli.

• Macaroni noodles
• 1 cup potatoes (yellow or russets)
• 1/4 cup carrots
• 1/3 cup onion
• 3/4 cup water (use liquid from boiled veggies)
• 1/2 cup cashews (OR more potatoes, although this will be less creamy)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk or other plant milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper or sriracha sauce (optional)
• 1 pinch smoked paprika

1. Cook macaroni according to package.
2. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a pot, and add chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion. Cook until you can stab the veggies easily.
3. Place rest of ingredients in a blender. When veggies are done, use cooking water and blend contents of blender. Once combined, add the veggies and blend until smooth. Be careful not to overblend!
4. Pour cheez over macaroni. Optionally add peas, broccoli or something else green.
5. Taste the creation – I often add more spices (noodles can tone down flavors).
6. Option: top with bread crumbs and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Eggplant Lasagna

I tried many different lasagna recipes before I perfected this one, which I like because it’s not runny and doesn’t slide around when you serve it! I think the secret is the tofu sauce and the fact that it uses a combination of eggplant and noodles.

Preparing the eggplant is critical. It must be peeled since you want the eggplant to be as soft as the noodles. If not cooked enough, the eggplant can be chewy which ruins the dish. It’s also better to use 2 small eggplants rather than 1 large, as they will be less bitter. I peel them and slice thinly lengthwise, then bake them to help dry them out (see instructions below).

• 2 small eggplants, peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
• 8 oz lasagna, cooked and drained (about 10 pieces)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (for spreading on bottom of pan)

For the tofu mixture:

• 14 oz extra firm tofu
• 1/4 almond milk
• Oregano, fresh basil, salt, or other spices
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

For the vegetable layer:

• 1 red pepper, julienned
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• Shredded carrots (I buy them pre-shredded to save effort)
• Zucchini, squash, black beans, or whatever vegetable and leftovers you desire
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce, spiced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or water)

1. Sprinkle the sliced eggplant with salt and lay in a baking dish (not aluminum as this will discolor the eggplant). Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.
2. Blend all the tofu mixture ingredients except the spinach. Fold in the spinach.
3. To prepare the vegetable layer, you can use oil to sauté the veggies. I just mix them and let them cook along with the lasagna dish.
4. Cover bottom of 9X13 pan with the 1/2 cup of tomato sauce.
5. Layer lasagna, 1/2 of the tofu mix, eggplant, 1/2 of the veggie mixture.
6. Repeat these layers.
7. Optionally sprinkle some breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese to brown the top.
8. Bake at 350° for about 30-35 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ onion, chopped
• Fresh basil
• ½ cup crumbled feta (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Cut off the end of the squash. Place on cut end and slice in half lengthwise.
3. Scoop out the seeds with a metal ice cream scoop.
4. Brush with oil. Lay cut-side down on parchment paper.
5. Roast for about 35-45 minutes, or until you can easily scrape strands from the squash. The outer yellow skin will also deepen in color. Baking time will vary depending on the size. A 5-pound squash will take about 40 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, flip over the halves, and cool for about 5-10 minutes.
7. While the squash is cooling, sauté the remaining ingredients except for the feta.
8. Using a fork, scrape the flesh of the squash to make spaghetti-like strands.
9. Mix the vegetables and feta with the spaghetti squash, and serve immediately.

Vegan Pad Thai

I'm not sure how authentic this Pad Thai recipe is, since I have a tendency to throw as many vegetables into a dish as I can. But it's tasty and my family likes it!

I've listed approximate amounts for the vegetables, but I don't bother measuring and you can add whatever you like. For a simple Pad Thai, just use tofu, 1-2 veggies, and some bean sprouts. I actually like to fry my tofu separately in my air fryer, since it makes it more crispy. Check out my crispy tofu recipe.

Note that you may not need all the sauce, so be careful to not just pour it all in!