Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta with Veggie Sausage & Fried Sage

Step 1

Set a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Once the oil is hot, add the sage leaves and fry until crispy, about 10 seconds. Remove the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

Step 2

To the skillet, add the diced veggie sausages. Stir and sauté until sausage pieces are cooked through and a bit brown on the edges. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Step 3

In a separate pot, cook your rigatoni pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and setting it aside.

Step 4

To the skillet, add the diced onion. Sauté the onion until very soft and translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the diced butternut squash and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir it up. Add the walnuts, cashews, and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer, covered, until the squash is tender and breaking apart, about 12-15 minutes.

Step 5

Transfer everything in the skillet (squash, nuts, stock and all) to an upright blender. To the blender, add the miso and lemon juice. Blend on high until creamy and completely smooth. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary (more salt, pepper, lemon etc).

Step 6

Combine the cooked veggie sausage, cooked pasta, and butternut squash sauce in the deep skillet over low heat. Keep stirring until everything is hot. If you find that the sauce needs to be loosened up slightly, add splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water. Check the pasta for seasoning (more salt, lemon etc) and adjust if necessary.

Step 7

Serve the pasta hot with fried sage leaves on top!