Name: Recipe for Colorful Veggie-Pasta Casserole
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 (1¼ cup) servings
Ingredients: 2 carrots, sliced or julienned in 1-inch lengths; 1 onion, quartered and sliced; 1 medium-sized head of broccoli, cut into florets; 1 zucchini, sliced or julienned in 1-inch lengths (or 1 cup cauliflower florets); 1 1/2 whole wheat fusilli or pasta spirals; 1 1/2 multi-color fusilli or pasta spirals; 1 water; 1 raw cashews; 1 Chicken-Style Seasoning; 1 nutritional yeast flakes; 1 salt; 1/2 onion powder; 1/2 garlic powder; 1/4 celery salt; 2 hot water; 1/2 dried basil or 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Square of veggie-pasta casserole with zucchini garnish

Entrees

Chewy, Bright, and Fun

This creamy pasta dish will delight your friends and family. It can be made ahead and refrigerated, taking the rush out of your last-minute dinner preparations, or providing a simple option to bring to a potluck. It is also a beautiful, colorful way to eat cruciferous vegetables.

Colorful Veggie-Pasta Casserole

Recipe courtesy of

Heather Leno

Prep Instructions

Yield: 8 (1¼ cup) servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe Ingredients

2 carrots, sliced or julienned in 1-inch lengths
1 cup onion, quartered and sliced
1 medium-sized head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup zucchini, sliced or julienned in 1-inch lengths (or 1 cup cauliflower florets)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat fusilli or pasta spirals
1 1/2 cups multi-color fusilli or pasta spirals
1 cup water
1 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon Chicken-Style Seasoning
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 cups hot water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Layer veggies in steamer, carrots and onions first. Steam just until tender. Remove from heat, place in a strainer, and run under cold water to stop vegetables cooking so they will retain their bright colors; set aside.
Cook pasta. Boil whole wheat fusilli 2 minutes, then add multi-color fusilli and cook uncovered another 8 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a strainer, run under cold water, and drain.
When everything is cool, prepare a baking dish with a light coating of nonstick spray. Layer pasta and vegetables, leaving some vegetables on top. This should be about 2 inches deep. (At this point, if you want to serve the dish another day, you may cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days before serving.)
Combine all but the last two sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend until mixture is completely smooth with no grittiness at all. Pour into a saucepan.
Rinse blender with last 2 cups hot water and add to the saucepan, along with the basil. Cook to thicken.
If you want to serve this dish another day, cover and cool the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use; remove from fridge several hours before your meal.
To assemble, pour sauce evenly over vegetables and pasta in baking dish. Shake dish gently to disperse sauce throughout veggies.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until entrée is heated through and bubbly. Do not overcook, or vegetables will lose their vibrant colors.