Butternut Pasta Bake

Source: Olive & Mango | Makes: 1 casserole | Time: 1 hr

Changes: used dried thyme and infused EVOs; skipped plant based milk aka forgot

Ingredients

Filling

1 lb red quinoa penne pasta

2 tbsp Tubby Olive basil infused EVO

1 cup sun dried #tomatoes packed in oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups diced peeled #ButternutSquash

1 cup tomato sauce

4 cups vegetable broth

¼ cup of chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried sage

¼ tsp of ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Red chili flakes to taste

Toppings

¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp kosher salt

3 tbsp Tubby Olive wild mushroom and sage EVO

1 tsp nutritional yeast

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, stopping 2 minutes short of the recommended cooking time so that the pasta is nice and al dente. Drain, return to pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium high heat, add the sun dried tomatoes, onion, and garlic and sauté until onions are soft and fragrant.

Add the butternut squash, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, basil, sage, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook until the squash is tender, approx 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your butternut squash pieces. Feel free to add more water or broth as needed.

Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender directly in the pot until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for heat.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pour the butternut sauce over the pasta in the pot. Stir gently to combine. Test again for seasoning. Pour into a 2 or 3 quart baking dish. My pasta expanded more than others I guess and I really should have used a 3 qt. It will seem seem a bit soupy, but it will thicken up when it bakes.

Make the breadcrumb topping. Add Panko breadcrumbs to a small bowl along with the sage, paprika, nutritional yeast and salt. Mix to combine. Drizzle the olive oil over the breadcrumb mix and stir until combined. Spoon over the top of the pasta.

Bake at 350°F until bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Journal

Food & Drink

8 glasses of water

2 cups of coffee

Egg and spinach sandwich

Leftover Thai veggie soup

Small apple

Small orange

5 reduced fat wheat things with reduced fat peanut butter

Tonight's recipe

Exercise

~2.6 mile walk

~1 and .6 mile walk

11,200+ total steps