Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
This is a fun holiday. Ever since I was little I’ve loved the color green. Now that I am older, I still love it, but for different reasons. Green represents health, freshness, and it’s the color of many veggies, too! I wanted to re-create a classic recipe to not only be healthier, but to fit in with this green holiday.
Announcing… Green “Mac & Cheese”!
I created a made-from-stratch “cheese” sauce and used green lentil macaroni noodles to create a 100% vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and soy-free healthy mac & cheese! And it happens to be green also 🙂 But there’s zero food coloring in this recipe, it’s all about the spinach. If you have kids, pretend it’s green slime and it’s ‘monster pasta’. Who knows, it may work! The sauce is packed with veggies like butternut squash, onion, spinach, and more. It’s a great way to get more veggies into the diet.
The taste is fantastic.
I also made another pasta dish with their red lentil pasta: Red Lentil Pasta with Artichoke Ragu.
Lentils are packed with nutrients, so instead of processed white flour noodles, you’re getting protein, fiber, and vegetables in every serving! It’s great.
Alright, let’s get to the recipe!
- 12 oz. Tolerant Foods Organic Green Lentil Elbow Macaroni Pasta
- “Cheese” Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups butternut squash cubes
- ¼ yellow onion, cut into large pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
- ⅛ tsp. black pepper
- 2 cups spinach
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the butternut squash, onion, and garlic cloves to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well so everything is coated. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- When the veggies are roasting, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Once the veggies are done, add them to a blender along with the remaining “cheese” sauce ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and mix well!
Enjoy! Let me know how you like the recipe in the comments below.
With joy and health,
