Hi there! First of all I just want to say I hope you’re doing ok in these strange times! I never realised when I was doing this recipe for my demo at Thrive how important recipes like this were going to become in the weeks that followed. This recipe is easy, affordable, warm and comforting. Perfect for curling up under a blanket on the couch and enjoying with your favourite movie.

Feel free to sub out ingredients depending on what is available to you at the moment and your own personal preference! Ingredient measurements are pretty rough and ready as this is a super casual make-it-how-you-like-it dish so feel free to make it your own!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 handfuls small diced butternut squash (you can leave the skin on, carrot would probably work here too)
• 1 small white onion roughly chopped
• 1 tsp mustard – I like yellow dijon but use what you have (use much less if its strong mustard)
• 1/4 tsp grated or powdered nutmeg
• 2/3 cup unsalted cashews (could also use flaked almonds or blanched almonds)
• Nutritional yeast (I like the one thats fortified with B12, you can get this in most supermarkets now. Not to be confused with brewers yeast or bread yeast)
• Pasta of your choice (I like a GF penne made of corn, but use whatever is your favourite!)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Salted roasted cashews
• Garlic Powder

Method

1. Put cashews in a bowl and cover with water.
2. Put your chopped squash and onion in a pot. Cover with water and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat.
3. In another pot cook your pasta to your preference. Always read the pack, for example, GF variety can often take much less or much more time depending on what they’re made of. Add a little salt for flavour and a little oil to stop the pasta sticking.
4. While they’re simmering away let’s make the fake parmesan! In a food processor or even just a mortar and pestle, crush up the salted cashews to a crumb. Add a few teaspoons of nutritional yeast and a teaspoon of garlic powder and combine. Feel free to play with quantities here, I like to make a big batch of this and store it in the cupboard so I don’t have to make it each time I have a pasta dish.
5. Your squash is done when you can easily push a fork through it. Drain the water into a bowl, but keep as it handy for the sauce!
6. In a blender (or a jug if you’re using an immersion blender) add the squash, onion, drained soaked cashews, mustard, 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 1 tsp mustard, nutmeg and about a half cup of the water from the squash. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. You may need to add more water as you go. Stir this “cheesy’ sauce into the cooked pasta and top with the faux parmesan. Feel free to add some cooked petit poi if you’d like to add a bit of greens!