A lot of people I speak to about veganism say they could never live without cheese. And a lot of those who make the move to vegan say they miss cheese, but there are so many ways to make your own, or of course buy some there’s plenty of really tasty ones becoming available lately!
The trouble is sometimes you can’t get to a health store to buy some vegan cheese, or the ingredients to make your own can be pricey (most recipes online use cashew or almond nuts), not to mention fattening. So while eating plant fats is hugely better for your body, a vegan diet heavy in fats, even plant fats is not ideal.
So for this ‘healthy alternative’ recipe I used root veggies, wholegrain brown rice pasta and a few other simple ingredients to make a delicious, creamy, cheesy pasta bake. This recipe is total comfort food that anyone will love, it’s also jam packed with vegetables, fibre, it’s practically fat free, and really simple to make! It’s another vegan recipe that is totally accessible for everyone to make.
This recipe will serve 4 people.
Ingredients
155g white onion
255g carrot
300g potato
300g pasta (I used whole rice pasta to keep it gluten free, but any pasta will work)
250g brocolli
50g baby leaf spinach
1tbs & 1tsp miso paste
30g nutritional yeast
125ml rice/ soy/ any DF unsweetened milk
250ml of hot water (keep from boiling vegetables)
1.5 tsp garlic powder
Juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
A slice of GF/ bread of your choice, blitzed into breadcrumbs
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200*C or Gas 6
Peel the carrot, potato and onion- cut into chunks and boil for 15 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile cook the pasta as per packet instruction, when it’s cooked strain it and keep the water.
When the vegetables are cooked strain off the cooking liquid and keep it! And add the vegetables to your blender.
Add the milk, lemon juice, 250ml of cooking liquid, garlic and miso to the blender and blitz til smooth.
Season to taste.
Cut the brocolli into small florets, and blanch in the hot water from the pasta for 3 minutes, then rinse under cold water.
Put the pasta, brocolli and spinach into a baking dish, pour over the sauce.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the foil and sprinkle on some breadcrumbs (I used GF bread ) bake for a further 10 minutes until crispy on top.
Dig in!
