Shells and Cheeze

This vegan recipe for stovetop shells and cheeze is so creamy, you won’t believe it doesn’t contain any dairy. Instead, this recipe is made creamy with a secret ingredient – cashews! Coconut milk also adds additional creaminess to the sauce, butternut squash gives it its color,  nutritional yeast provides cheesy flavor and white miso gives it more umami flavor. This recipe makes a perfect, crowd-pleasing lunch or dinner.

This recipe comes to us from Sadhna Sheli of The Masala Girl.

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Ingredients:

For the Cheeze Sauce:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 4 to 6 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp. neutral tasting oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 4 cups (roughly 1 lb) diced fresh butternut squash
• 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
• 1 cup of light coconut milk (from can)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion granules
• Generous pinch of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp. mellow white miso paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of white pepper

For the pasta:

• 1 lb. shell pasta (small to medium)
• Vegan butter
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

For Cheeze Sauce:

1. In a medium bowl, soak the cashews in warm water for 3 to 4 hours to soften. Strain, reserving the cashews and discarding the liquid. Rinse with fresh water, strain. Set aside.

2. Heat a pan on low to medium heat and add the oil. Add the onions and sweat for at least 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, to bring out the flavor until translucent. Next add the garlic and sweat for an additional couple of minutes.

3. Transfer the cooked onions and garlic into the blender.

4. Meanwhile in a large pan bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add cubes of squash. Sprinkle squash with salt. Cover & cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until fork tender. Drain any remaining liquid, and transfer into the blender.

5. To finish the sauce, add the cashews, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, onion granules, garlic powder, dry mustard powder, miso paste, lemon juice, white pepper and salt (1 tsp. or to taste) to blender with sautéed onions, garlic, and butternut squash. Blend on high speed until smooth.

For pasta:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with at least one tbsp. of salt. Add shell pasta. Cook according to package directions. Strain.

2. Add 2 tbsp. of vegan butter to the empty pasta pot. Return strained pasta to pot and stir until coated with melted butter.

3. Add Cheeze Sauce to shells. Stir until shells are coated with sauce. If necessary, warm shells over low heat, or serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes:

*You can use pre-cut packages butternut squash to save time.

*Light canned coconut milk is best for the recipe. It does not leave a coconut taste. You can sub with oat milk, but results will not be the same.