Vegan pumpkin pasta with sage and coconut bacon

Step 1

Heat up the oven to 100° C / 210° F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.

Step 2

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, maple syrup, liquid smoke and soy sauce (or tamari) together.

Step 3

Coat coconut flakes in the marinade and marinate for 10-20 min, giving them a good stir now and then.

Step 4

Spread marinated coconut flakes on the prepared baking tray making sure individual pieces do not overlap or touch (as much as possible). The more room they have, the crispier they will turn out.

Step 5

Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned but not burnt. 'Bacon' flakes will get more crispy as they cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Step 6

Coat cubed butternut squash in 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Bake in a 225° C / 435° F oven for about 40 minutes, until butternut squash gets soft and caramelised. Give it a stir half way through the cooking time to make sure all the pieces caramelise at a similar pace.

Step 7

Place a medium pot of water on the stove and let the water come to the boil. Measure / weigh out your pasta.

Step 8

About 20 minutes in, heat up 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a small pan. Once the oil gets hot, add half of your sage leaves. Coat the leaves in oil and fry them for a few seconds until the sides curl up slightly but before the leaves lose their colour. Fish them out and place on a piece of kitchen towel and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Proceed to fry the remaining leaves in the same way.

Step 9

Once the water comes to the boil, cook your pasta for a minute shorter than you would normally.

Step 10

Transfer the oil you've fried sage in into a large frying pan and let it heat up on a low-medium heat. Once hot, add finely diced garlic and chilli (if using). Fry them both off gently, stirring frequently so that they don't burn.

Step 11

Mash half the butternut squash with a fork. You can also use a food processor or blender for a smoother texture, but I prefer the lazy way in this case both for texture and speed! Put mashed butternut squash into the pan with chilli and garlic and add a splash of pasta cooking water to loosen the 'sauce' up a bit.

Step 12

Add drained pasta and butternut squash cubes into the pan. Toss well. Taste and season with salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and additional chilli if needed.

Step 13

Serve immediately with toasted pine nuts, crushed fried sage leaves and coconut bacon on top.