Vegetable Penne Ragu

VEGETABLE PENNE RAGU WITH BEYOND MEAT AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

I’m a pasta girl. Carbs really, give me it all!

Usually I would go for a white cream sauce with a side of grilled chicken, but this go around, I gave Beyond Meat a try, and I loved it. Just to bring more flavor to the table, I added a cup of chopped bella mushrooms and butternut squash.

And there’s more! It really helps to make your own tomato sauce. Once you see how easy it is, you won’t go back to the jar stuff.

This meal has become a regular in our food rotation. It makes enough for a small family, which means left overs for us!

Make sure your pot is large enough, there’s a lot going on in here! This is a Le Creuset casserole pot.

VEGETABLE PENNE RAGU WITH BEYOND MEAT AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH RECIPE

Ingredients

• 16oz package penne pasta

• 28oz whole peeled plum tomatoes

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon of salt and cracked black pepper

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 8oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, cored and chopped

• 1 package of ground Beyond Meat

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon of salt and cracked black pepper

• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan, grated

Instructions

You’ll want to make the tomato sauce first. Get a deep sauce pan, set to medium, and sauté the onions with a little bit of olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. After 5 minutes, add in minced garlic and can of whole peeled plum tomatoes. Set to simmer for 30 minutes, add the 3 tablespoons of basil and remove from heat. If you have an immersion blender, here’s the time to use it. If not, put in a stand blender and blend until smooth. Set sauce aside and focus on the vegetables.

In a large casserole sized pot, sauté the butternut squash and cook for 10 minutes. Add in the mushrooms, and cook for another 15 minutes. Add in the Beyond Meat with Worcestershire sauce and the rest of the seasonings. Cook with lid for 10 more minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, Start boiling the penne noodles. After 10-12 minutes to al dente, drain and add a few glugs of olive oil and toss noodles a few times so they don’t stick.

Add the tomato sauce to the vegetables in the casserole pot. Begin to fold in the noodles and mix everything together. The only thing left are the toppings, so serve the pot on the table with chopped basil, parmesan and grape tomatoes!