Vegan Butternut Squash Coconut Cream Sauce

After an amazing long weekend in Brooklyn, NY and eating all different types of world cuisine  (Peruvian, Mexican, Thai, French, Brazilian, American, and Asian Fusion) all within a couple blocks of each other - it's nice to not put my credit card down for a meal for a while. I had bought these fall harvest shaped pasta before I had gone to New York and was inspired to create a vegan winter squash cream sauce. I think what I came up with was one of the easiest sauces ever, definitely exceeded expectation!

Ingredients:

• 1 c cubed butternut squash
• 1/2 c diced white onion
• 1/3 c coconut milk
• 2/3 c vegetable broth
• 1/8 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/4 t black pepper 
• 1 c fall harvest shaped pasta

1. To shorten the cooking time for the butternut squash, I opted to pick up a bag of freshly cubed squash that can be steamed in the microwave. If I had more time (and not getting home from work at 8:00pm) I would have bought a whole butternut squash, peeled, cubed, and then soften in a pot of boiling water or roasted. But in the essence of time, these steam-able versions are a great substitute. 

2. Measure out desired serving size of pasta. 1 cup is a serving. Look how awesome these fall harvest shapes are! The ingredients are all vegetable too. Beets, tomatoes, and spinach give the pasta their color. But I just love the pumpkins, oak, and maple leaves. Perfect for October.

3. Dice 1/2 cup white onion.

4. In a saucepan, bring vegetable broth to a boil. I use the "Better than Bouillon" to make my vegetable broth. Once it's at a boil. Remove from heat.

5. In a mini blender. Combine 1 cup of the butternut squash (I put the rest of the squash in the oven to roast), onion, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

6. Add 1/3 cup coconut milk.

7. Add 2/3 cup vegetable broth.

8. Blend until smooth and creamy. 

9. Pour into a mason jar. Store what you don't use in the fridge. I'll try and use the extra within three days.

10. Add pasta to a boiling pot of water. Follow instructions on packaging and cook until al dente.

11. With shape pasta, stir frequently so pasta does not stick to the bottom and break apart, losing their shape.

12. Drain pasta and pour back into sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup of sauce per serving and toss with pasta until evenly coated.

13. Transfer to a bowl and serve with roasted fall vegetables. Asparagus was finally on sale and in season! The perfect compliment to this creamy and sweet sauce.

This dish was completely inspired by the pasta shapes and I absolutely adore this sauce. The coconut and butternut squash add a smooth sweetness. The vegetable broth and salt and pepper bring out the savoriness and warmness that a cold rainy day in LA needs. The touch of cinnamon brings it all together. I have enough sauce leftover that I can have this for lunch for a day or two, and no complaints here.

Cheers,

Kate