You asked for more clean and delicious recipes from me, and it’s just in time for Fall… Because my mouthwatering Pumpkin Sage Mac & Cheese (Vegan, Gluten Free, & Refined Sugar Free) I whipped up in 20 minutes for lunch today is my best kept secret. Banza (the amazing chickpea pasta brand) has been sending me goodies for a few years now because I am pretty obsessed, and you all know when I become obsessed, I share… A LOT.
When I first got lab testing done and realized I had gluten sensitivities, it was extremely tough to find options that worked for me when I was still looking to indulge a bit. Basically, Banza saved my life hehe. They launched a new bowtie pasta formulation and sent me a few boxes, but I ate them before I could whip up this recipe (and clearly our Whole Foods didn’t get the bowtie memo yet when I tried to stock up today).
Along with the bowties they sent me bowties and pumpkin alfredo recipe, but there was butter, heavy cream, and parmesan in there. All things I love but don’t typically eat (because I am also sensitive to dairy AND my hormones are not a fan either). I stay away from dairy to limit excess estrogens in my body.
Tomorrow I start a little quarterly juice cleanse, so in honor of my vanilla meal plan for tomorrow, I wanted to go ALL OUT today. I created this recipe somewhat on a whim. I didn’t expect it to be this dang good. I almost didn’t save my honey, Chad, any. But I did muster up the strength to save him some and I did remember to recite the measurements to be able to share it with YOU.
Ingredients:
- 1 box Bonza pasta of your choice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 handful of fresh sage leaves
- 1.5 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 cups coconut cream or full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Whip up a batch of Banza’s chickpea pasta according to the directions. Reserve 1 cup of starchy cooking liquid to thin out the sauce if needed (I didn’t need to this time around).
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and 3/4 of the sage, sautéing until soft and fragrant. Add pumpkin and coconut cream. Simmer until slightly thickened.
- Toss pasta in sauce and thin as needed using reserved pasta water. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with reserved sage for garnish.
This recipe is incredibly easy. My only regret is I decided to whip this up immediately after my life-saving cleaning crew left (love you Melinda and Jeremy)… Not my brightest idea, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Cooking from scratch again regularly is lighting me up!
More healthier, Fall recipes comin’ in hot!
