#Sweet potato cashew cheese sauce plus

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon).

2 heaping cups diced peeled sweet potato (from 1 medium).

3 cups cooked green or du Puy lentils (from 1 cup dry lentils).

¼ teaspoon chili flakes or cayenne (optional).

#Sweet potato cashew cheese sauce plus

1 teaspoon dried basil, plus more to taste.1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste.6 cups sliced cremini or white mushrooms (approximately 1 ¼ pounds).A couple pinches each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag and #upbeetkitchen. I hope that you love this vegan lentil mushroom pasta bake! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below. Cheesy Vegan Butternut Squash and White Bean Pasta.If you don’t have time to cook lentils, you can use 2 14-oz cans instead.Because leftover pasta bake tends to be drier than fresh, I recommend adding a bit more pasta sauce before reheating. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.If you need a nut-free cheese sauce, you can use ¼ cup of tahini or ⅓ cup of soaked and drained raw sunflower seeds instead.If you or your children are mushroom-averse, you can use other vegetables in their place, such as finely chopped broccoli or kale.Bake for 18 minutes, remove from the oven, and wait five minutes for it to set slightly before enjoying.Scoop the pasta into the dish and pour the sweet potato cheese sauce over top. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly oil a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with olive oil.Ladle all of the lentil mushroom sauce into the pasta pot and stir to combine. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.Blend until ultra smooth and velvety, adding up to ⅓ cup more milk if needed, to achieve a cheese sauce texture. Pour the almond milk into an upright blender, followed by the sweet potato, soaked cashews, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Transfer into a bowl to let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, make the sweet potato cashew cheese sauce: Steam the sweet potato in a pot fitted with a steamer basket for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender.Bring to a simmer, then turn down heat to medium-low and continue simmering for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, pasta sauce, lentils, and wine or broth. Mix in the oregano, basil, chili flakes, and another pinch of sea salt plus freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and cook until all of the water has evaporated off of them and they are lightly browned. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add the diced onion, garlic, and a small pinch of salt. Make the lentil mushroom pasta sauce: Warm the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.FOR THE SWEET POTATO CASHEW CHEESE SAUCE: Sweet potato, unsweetened non-dairy milk, soaked raw cashews, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, and pepper.FOR THE LENTIL MUSHROOM PASTA SAUCE: Extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, sea salt, pepper, cremini or white mushrooms, oregano, basil, chili flakes or cayenne, tomato paste, pasta sauce, cooked lentils, and red wine or vegetable broth.Ingredients you’ll need for this lentil mushroom pasta bake (I just use celery and grated carrot in place of the roasted squash and beets.) It’s a very satisfying vegan dinner that I love to serve with my avocado kale Caesar salad. In this recipe, a lentil mushroom pasta sauce is mixed into rotini and baked with a vegan sweet potato-cashew “cheese” sauce on top. It incorporates elements from a couple of my recipes from 2020: this Lentil Walnut Bolognese and the sweet potato cheese sauce from these Vegan Nachos Supreme. Hands up if you love pasta bakes! I’m a big fan, and I love this most recent creation of mine.

This Lentil Mushroom Pasta Bake with Sweet Potato “Cheese” Sauce is a hearty, comforting vegan dinner.