Description

A creamy zucchini pasta bake with spicy crispy topping! This buttery, garlicky, creamy penne pasta is a delicious end of summer recipe to use up that zucchini you bought last weekend! This recipe uses a skillet, see notes below for alternative!

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegan butter

2 zucchini, chopped

1 shallot, finely sliced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

2 cups dry penne pasta

Creamy Sauce:

1 cup cashews

3/4 cups water

2 cloves garlic

Generous pinch of salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Spicy Crispy Topping:

1/3 cup ground nuts (I used almonds and hazelnuts) or Panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp chili flakes

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Instructions

In a skillet on medium/high heat, add vegan butter, shallots and zucchini and cook about 10 minutes, until zucchini is softened, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot on the stove according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain the rest and set aside.
To make the sauce, in a high speed blender or food processor, add all sauce ingredients and blend for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
Preheat oven to Broil at 450 F.
Reduce skillet heat to low/medium and add the pasta water. Mash the zucchini lightly with a masher (mash completely if you have really picky eaters). I like to leave some chunks of zucchini whole for heartiness. Add the cooked pasta and sauce and stir to coat.
In a small bowl, combine the crispy spicy topping ingredients and mix to combine. Evenly sprinkle over pasta.
Place in the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, until topping is golden and crispy.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly before topping with basil and serving.

Notes

This recipe uses an oven-safe skillet that can be used stove top and then put in the oven at high temperatures. If you don’t have one, simply make the recipe in a frying pan, then transfer to a casserole dish to bake.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes