Cashew Pesto Pasta Bake

Vegetarian | Gluten free

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

This Cashew Pesto Pasta Bake is one of those great recipes you can cook in bulk and freeze in portions for a lazy day. This recipe is also a great way to incorporate a small amount of raw cruciferous vegetables into your diet. Why is this important you ask? You may have heard about the potential benefits of consuming foods containing sulforaphane such as improved heart health, lowered inflammation, and likely anti-cancer benefits.

Uncooked cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower are known to be higher in sulforaphane, so why not have a crack at this delicious family-friendly dish that is the perfect excuse to sprinkle across some raw cruciferous goodness.

Ingredients:

• 200-240ml pesto paste, we love Roza’s Gourmet DF pesto.
• 2 x 250g packets of gluten free pasta, we love Buon Appetito gluten and wheat free spirals.
• 2 cups OWN organic raw cashews
• 1 cup OWN savoury yeast flakes
• ½ cup lemon juice (approximately 3 x medium lemons squeezed)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• ¼ cup filtered water
• 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large handfuls of fresh organic spinach, chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

To serve:

• ½ cup cauliflower VERY finely chopped to serve
• ½ cup broccoli VERY finely chopped to serve
• 1 large avocado, thinly sliced to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Fill the kettle to maximum and boil.
3. In a medium heat-proof bowl, pour boiled water over cashews. Allow to soak for 15 minutes.
4. In a medium-large pot, place your gluten free pasta on to boil. Follow cooking times on packet.
5. In another medium bowl, add your savoury yeast, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Add the soaked cashews, pesto paste and a small splash of water. Blitz with a hand blender or food processer until creamy.
6. Once the pasta is cooked, strain and pour into a large oven proof dish.
7. Add the pasta sauce, onions, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes. Stir until all ingredients are combined nicely.
8. Place pasta in oven and cook for 30 minutes (lid on).
9. Serve your pasta bake with a sprinkle of finely chopped cauliflower and broccoli, and top with sliced avocado.
10. Enjoy!

Recipe by Lauren Clayton-Smith
@claydo_