Hi guys, welcome back to another Strictly Seasonal. Today’s seasonal vegetables are parsnips and cauliflower. You may remember from my What’s in Season in Winter? post that cauliflower is an all year vegetable depending on the variety, so that’s a semi-cheat. And yes, I’m talking about pasta again and of course, I’m using lentil pasta.
Lentil Pasta…Again?!
After I did my lash growth update post, I really got thinking about how many times I must have eaten the same bowl of lentil pasta (for breakfast) over the last few months. Then, I thought I should attempt mixing things up a bit and have pasta for dinner like a normal person one night. So, here we are and in the interest of full disclosure, I actually missed my breakfast pasta this day. It’s a way of life now.
While we’re on the subject of lentil pasta, I got heaps of questions on my lash post about how I was eating it and why it’s good for my lashes. I’m going to address that in my what I eat in a day for hair growth post (Feb 7th) as it seems to be a common question.
The Recipe
Moving on to today’s recipe, the idea for a pasta bake came from a couple of places. We’ve already discussed my desire to eat pasta for a meal that isn’t breakfast as reason number one. But when I was thinking of alternative dishes I could make, I realised I don’t think I’ve attempted a pasta bake in the entire time I’ve been eating a vegan diet. I could be wrong about that, but I thought it was something I should have a go at nonetheless.
Now, most pasta bakes contain cheese as their topping. We all know I like to make a dish as healthy as possible. And I don’t eat vegan cheese anyway, so it was time to find an alternative. Enter the cauliflower. I saw some recipes that use breadcrumbs and had a crust rather than cheese. While I liked this idea, the cheese element still seemed important to me, so I made a cauliflower and nutritional yeast (cheesy) crust. Healthy, still has a hint of cheesiness, still gets crispy – the idea in my head was a proud moment, as long as it worked. And you’re obviously reading this, so it did. Yay for kitchen success stories.
I wanted to include the parsnip to a. make this a strictly seasonal post and b. I liked the idea of using a hearty vegetable. You could switch it out for something like butternut squash (follow the recipe the same way) or aubergine (fry with the onion in the sauce) if you’d prefer.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegan, soy free and nut free.
Vegan, Gluten Free Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium parsnips cut into cubes
- 3 whole cloves garlic
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 fresh red chilli finely chopped
- 160 g lentil pasta
- ½ head medium cauliflower
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 190°c then place cubed parsnips and garlic cloves on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil then place in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, start the sauce. Add the onion to a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the fresh chilli and dried rosemary, cook for one further minute then add in the chopped tomatoes. Reduce to a low simmer and start prepping the cauliflower.
-
Add the cauliflower florets to a food processor and pulse until you get cauliflower rice. Transfer the cauliflower to a non-stick frying pan, then stir in the nutritional yeast. Make sure the nutritional yeast has fully combined with the cauliflower. You may need to add a small amount of water or non-dairy milk if the nutritional yeast isn’t dissolving. Add the black pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the cauliflower is cooked, but not sticking or burning. Set aside once done.
-
Start cooking your pasta to be ready for when the parsnips are due out of the oven. Lentil pasta takes 7-8 minutes but cook as per packet instructions for other varieties.
-
When the pasta and parsnips are both ready, drain pasta and add it to the sauce pan. Reduce the oven to 180°c ready for the bake. Transfer half of the parsnips to the bottom of your baking dish and add the other half to the sauce pan. Spoon out the centre of the roasted garlic cloves, stir into the sauce pan.
Time to assemble
-
Pour the sauce pan mixture over the parsnips, then spoon the cauliflower mixture over the top. Make sure you fully cover all of the edges so the pasta doesn’t dry out in the oven.
-
Place in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cauliflower is golden.
-
If you can manage to dish this up in neat slices, you’re my hero. If you leave it to cool slightly before serving it remains whole. I don’t have that level of patience... Serve and enjoy!
What do you guys think of the cauliflower crust idea? Have you ever had a vegan pasta bake before? Tell me your favourite kind of pasta down below, mine’s fusilli!
Until next time,
Sophie
The cauliflower crust sounds amazing, I love using cauliflower in all my dishes at the moment! I’m not a huge fan of parsnip but this sounds really good – I love your recipes!
Hels xx
http://www.thehelsproject.com
That looks great! I love a pasta bake a LOT, it’s such a warming and hearty dinner. Although I probably would swap the cauliflower for cheese… But I’d be happy to try Vegan cheese! <3
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
I’ve never actually tried lentil pasta bake but it sounds like a nice healthy meal. I like the cauliflower crust idea, that is really creative and it’s great it provided the cheesy and crispy effect you were aiming for. I actually had pasta for lunch, but your dish sounds way more flavorsome and nutritious (I used ketchup as my sauce, ha ha). Thank you for the inspiration Sophie, this has given me a great idea for the next time I cook pasta <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Wow Sophie, that’s quite innovative, finding an alternative to the traditional cheese topping on pasta. I am going to give it a try the next time I make pasta. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Love,
Anjali
http://www.laughingmirror.com
This look so yummy!
I’ve cut out pasta entirely for my Veganuary because of the eggs and I wasn’t sure about finding egg-free in Spain. They’re keen on lentils here though so maybe I just need to spend longer scouring the ingredients list. At least I now know that lentil pasta is orangey coloured!
I plan to continue being vegan so this recipe is getting bookmarked for as soon as I get back to my oven. Have you already written a post about nutritional yeast? This is a new-to-me ingredient that I don’t really understand.
I LOVE pasta bakes! I’m not the greatest at cooking so they’re brilliant for me as they’re so easy to make. The crust sounds great, I’m a huge sucker for both breadcrumbs and cheese on any sort of pasta/bake dish so I’m definitely intrigued to try this cauliflower creation!? I must admit, I’m not a parsnip fan so it’s definitely something I’d try with butternut squash or especially aubergine as I’m a big lover of it!
Alice Xx
Pasta bake is one of my favourite things to eat especially in the summer as it’s such a nice warming meal. I’ve never tried lentil pasta before but it actually looks really tasty! Loved this recipe will be trying it out xx
I’m not a fan of cauliflower so I’ll just cut it out of the recipe but I’m looking forward to trying this one out. Looks declious! I need to start taking photos of my recreations of your recipes!
Fran
I’ve never had vegan or gluten free pasta bake before but you make it sound easy and look totally delicious. I like linguine the best – its great for creamy pastas.
This looks delicious and I’m always on the search for good veggie friendly recipes that my omni husband will also love lol Thanks for sharing! We’ll definitely give it a try
Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca
I love cauliflower cheese (although I know it’s not vegan) and I love pasta so this looks like a match made in heaven 🙂 The addition of rosemary and chilli sounds tasty too. Another delicious recipe, Sophie, thank you for sharing 🙂 xx
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
This looks super yummy & perfect for when it’s cold outside!
Charlotte | charlotterick.com x
Oh my gosh, I need this in my life. I may make this for my lunch this afternoon – thank you for sharing, looks so yummy!
With love, Alisha Valerie x | http://www.alishavalerie.com
I have lentil pasta in the cupboard but I don’t know what to do with it – I’ll try this x
http://www.ofbeautyandnothingness.co.uk
The cauliflower crust is an amazing idea!! I will definitely be trying this out. Also I have the same thing for breakfast basically every day so should probably mix it up a abit too x
Jenny
Looks delicious! I’m not vegan but always looking for new healthy recipe ideas.
My household has been obsessed with cauliflower this year!
I really need to get around to trying lentil pasta and nutritional yeast.
Sophie! This looks amazing 🙂 I’ve actually never had lentil pasta before but it’s definitely something I’d love to try! Can they be brought in general grocery stores?
Emma | http://www.lifeofemmax.co.uk
I absolutely love pasta bake, it is literally one of my favourite foods!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
I’m not vegan myself but the family I work for (I’m an aupair) is and I sometimes struggle to find new recipes so I’m super glad to have come accross that post!!! It seems delicious, thanks for sharing, I’ll surely give it a try!
Anaïs |
Great looking website! Love this recipe. I am not the greatest book but love pasta bakes and this looks delicious xx
This looks like the ideal winter warming meal. I need to try out lentil pasta- it’ll be a nice upgrade from regular pasta (which is basically all I eat as a uni student haha)
Dalal
dalaltahira.com
This sounds simply wonderful! I wish I’d be experiencing more with pasta, so this will definitely go to our to-try list 🙂
✖️Jasmin
// overdosedoncaffeine.com
Yum! I love that you find so many ways to make delicious recipes. Glad lentils are still helping you with the lash growth. I like how your pasta bake came out. Oooh, the cauliflower makes it looks really cool. I like that this doesn’t take too much time to make! Thanks for sharing!!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Wow this really does look delicious and relatively easy to make too xx
Gemma Etc. ❤️
I feel terrible but I think I’d have to convert this to just a veggie pasta bake and not a vegan one – I just can’t eat pasta without cheese! Everything else about this recipe I love, though. I also don’t think I’ve had lentil pasta? Definitely need to try making this myself!
http://www.whatevawears.co.uk
Pasta bake is my favourite meal! This look so delicious xx
Violethollow.com
This looks delicious. I haven’t had a pasta bake in a good while, but I usually love them a lot. Looks like an ideal Winter meal, and also something that’s simple to make too!
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
This looks so good! My dad is the cook in our house so i’ll be passing this onto him!
I’m definitely adding this to my recipe list! I really struggle with meal ideas so I’ll be trying this tomorrow! THANK YOU!!
Daisy xoxo |
Another I haven’t had in a long time, will have to make it. Looks yummy 🙂 xx
This looks absolutely delicious. I love pasta bakes but have struggled to find a vegan cheese that actually melts well! This seems like the perfect alternative. Pinning for later.