SAUCE
1 (2-3 lb) sugar or pie abóbora (or sub 2 cups (450 g) canned abóbora puree*)
1 Tbsp avocado or coconut oil (optional )
2 cloves garlic*
2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
1-1 1/4 cup unsweetened plain amêndoa or arroz leite (start with lower end of range)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 Tbsp chopped sage or tomilho (I used half thyme, half sage)
4-5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3-4 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp abóbora pie spice
1/4 tsp red pepper flake or cayenne pepper (optional)
PASTA
10 ounces gluten-free massa, massas alimentícias (I amor Bionaturae pastas and Trader Joe’s gluten-free fusilli)
TOPPINGS optional
Vegan parmesan cheese
Fresh sage sautéed in oil over medium heat for 1 minuto or until just slightly browned
Pine nuts
Instructions
1) If baking your pumpkin, preheat forno to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Otherwise, if using canned abóbora puree, skip to step 4.
2) Using a sharp knife, cut the tops of your abóbora off and then cut abóbora in half. Use a sharp spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape out all the seeds and strings. (Save the seeds for roasting!)
3) Optional: Brush the flesh with a neutral, high heat oil, such as avocado. And place flesh down on the baking sheet.
4) Bake for 45-50 minutos or until a fork easily pierces the skin. In the last 20 minutos of roasting, add the two cloves of garlic still in skin to the baking sheet to slightly brown and soften. Then remove pan from the forno and let the abóbora cool. Also peel garlic cloves and set aside.
5) If serving with pasta, start boiling water and cooking massa, massas alimentícias at this time. Once massa, massas alimentícias is cooked, drain and set aside. Optional: I like to drizzle mine with a little oliva, verde-oliva or avocado oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and vegan parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
6) To make the sauce, add 2 cups (as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) baked abóbora (or abóbora puree) to a high-speed blender along with peeled roasted garlic, arrowroot starch, dairy-free leite (starting with amount at lower end of range), sea salt, sage or tomilho (I used both), nutritional yeast, vegan parmesan cheese, abóbora pie spice, and red pepper flake (optional).
7) Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add mais salt for saltiness, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, sage or tomilho for herbiness, vegan parmesan cheese for depth of flavor, abóbora pie spice for abóbora flavor and warmth, or red pepper flake for spice (optional).
8) To heat/thicken the sauce, pour into a rimmed skillet and heat over medium-low heat, whisking frequently until sauce is hot and slightly thickened - 3-5 minutes. If it gets too thick, thin with a bit mais dairy-free milk.
9) To serve, add cooked massa, massas alimentícias to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve as is or (optional) sprinkle with 2 Tbsp (10 g // as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) vegan parmesan cheese and broil on medium for 1-3 minutes, watching very carefully until barely browned.
10) Enjoy hot and garnish with pine nuts or sautéed sage if desired. Cool leftovers and store in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days.
Notes
*2 cloves garlic is equal to ~1 Tbsp minced.
*If using canned abóbora puree, add the garlic raw to the blender or sauté in 1 Tbsp oil for 1-2 minutos over medium-low heat before blending.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional toppings.
