I lovveeee butternut squash. It truly is one of my favorite things to eat. Its savory, slightly sweet, creamy, and heavy. This is a recipe which takes a classic recipe filled with dairy, and sneaks in a ton of vegetables without compromising flavor. The creaminess of the butternut squash and cashews mixed with the nutritional yeast creates an amazing cheese flavor (without the cheese of course). It’s thick and rich and tastes great mixed together with the noodles.
Benefits
Good for those who have high blood pressure: one cup of butternut squash contains almost 500 mg of potassium, which can help decrease your blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium in your diet.
Promotes regularity: One cup of butternut squash contains almost 7 grams of fiber, which can help prevent constipation and maintain a healthy digestive tract by supporting healthy bacteria in the gut.
Great for eyes: Butternut squash is literally loaded with vitamin A—one cup of squash has over 350 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which is important for healthy eyesight. It's a great source of zeaxanthin and lutein, two powerful antioxidants that can also protect your vision.
Butternut squash is literally loaded with vitamin A—one cup of squash has over 350 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which is uber-important for healthy eyesight. It's a great source of zeaxanthin and lutein, two powerful antioxidants that can also protect your vision.
Stronger bones: Butternuts quash contains 17% of the RDA of manganese! This helps the body maintain strong bones. It is loaded with other essential minerals like iron, zinc, and folate to protect you against onsteoperosis.
Electrolytes:Electrolytes are none other than minerals, which break into molecules. They carry electrical charges via body fluids. They stimulate nerve impulses and muscle contractions. You will be surprised to know that butternut squash provides three imperative electrolytes: magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
Now....
For the recipe!
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes / Cook time 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 box gluten free pasta
1 butternut squash, cut in half and de-seeded
½ cup raw cashews (boiled for 10 minutes before, and drained)
1/4cups vegetable broth
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Pinch of Himalayan salt and black pepper.
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. Place your butternut squash halves in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the squash is brown and soft. Remove from oven.
3. Scoop out half of the butternut squash into a food processor, along with the boiled cashews, veggie broth, nutritional yeast, yellow mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
4. In a separate pot bring 2 cups of water to a boil and cook your noodles. When they're done, drain them and do not rinse them. When noodles boil, they release a starch which in turn is on the noodles. This starch helps sauce stick to the noodles better. Rinsing noodles removes this starch.
6. Drain your noodles and put them back in the pot with olive oil. Pour the butternut squash mixture over the noodles and stir until all the noodles are saturated. Serve immediately.
