Seeing how most of us have way too much free time on our hands and it's definitely comfort food season, I thought I'd share one of the most popular recipes from the blog. Seriously, I feel like today just NEEDS to have some pasta. I'm dying for the sun to come out because it's super gloomy. Ugh, but it's like every time I check the weather forecast it says the cold, rainy weather has been extended another 4283737 days. :(
--Creamy Kale & Spinach Chickpea Macaroni (Vegan+GF)--
Thought you couldn't make macaroni without the cheese? Omg, me too! But guess what? You can and it's so good!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
--Ingredients--
8 ounces elbow pasta I used Banza pasta
1 1/2 cups fresh kale stems trimmed and chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup 220g cooked chickpeas
3 medium red bell peppers stems and seeds removed
1 head garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil divided
1/4 cup (10g) nutritional yeast
1/4 cup 30g roasted salted cashews
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon coconut aminos can be replaced with tamari, or soy sauce if not gluten free
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup water
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C) and line a baking tray with foil. Lay out the peppers on the tray. Use a sharp knife to slice the top off of the garlic to reveal the cloves. Drizzle the peppers and garlic with olive oil and place a small square of foil over the garlic to avoid burning. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the peppers are beginning to brown a bit.
Once the veggies are roasted, allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves carefully from the peel and place them in a blender or food processor along with the chickpeas and peppers. Add the nutritional yeast, cashews, mustard, coconut aminos, paprika, thyme, and water. Pulse until completely smooth. Set aside for a moment.
Add a teaspoon of oil to a large, deep skillet and add the kale. Cook over medium high heat for about 3- 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the sauce mixture and reduce heat to medium low, stirring periodically until it begins to bubble. Add the fresh spinach and stir together over heat until wilted.
While you're heating the sauce, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, stir the pasta into the warm sauce and serve.