Yum, creamy and filling. Easy to make with little prep required.
Baked Pasta Florentine (Serves 6-8)
Casserole:
- 1 11-ounce tub of spinach
- 6 ounces pasta, penne is nice for this dish
- 1 1/2 cups cooked farro, brown rice, quinoa or your favorite grain
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red or orange pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or regular tomato, cubed
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen broccoli
- Breadcrumbs to top
Sauce:
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place onion and ¼ cup vegetable broth in a non-stick frying pan. Cook, until onion softens, about 5 minutes and set aside.
Add cashews to blender with 1¾ cups veggie stock, onion, beans, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard and red pepper flakes. Process until very smooth, approximately 45 seconds.
In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, add half to three quarters of a tub of spinach. Top with pasta, grain, red pepper, tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli.
Carefully pour the sauce over top of casserole.
Now sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking 15 minutes to let breadcrumbs toast.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.