This is one of my all time favorite dishes to make. By using nutritional yeast instead of cheese, it not only makes it vegan, but gives it a nice, creamy texture minus the fatty feeling you may get from dairy. It is easy to prep and can get all done within 45 minutes. Recipe adapted from Pela and you can watch their video on how they do their take on the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Package of pasta of your choice, I personally prefer fettuccine
• 1 squash, any kind, I find that acorn and butternut squash are the best
• 1 or 2 zucchinis depending on if you want more or less vegetables
• 2 cups of grape tomatoes
• Two cloves of garlic
• One bunch of basil
• Quarter cup of pine nuts or walnuts or almonds* (optional)
• Quarter cup of hemp seeds*
• Quarter cup of nutritional yeast*
• Half of a lemon
• Quarter cup of olive oil
• salt and pepper (optional)

How to Make it Zero Waste:

Most of the produce you can get plastic free or at the farmers market. The ingredients with the asterisk can be found in bulk food stores but I find that pine nuts, hemp seeds, and nutritional yeast can be harder to find. The nuts are not required but can give a nice nutty flavor.

Tools Needed:

• Cutting knife for vegetables
• Blender/Food Processor
• Large pan to saute
• Large pot to boil pasta in
• Spatula
• Pasta spoon
• Colander to strain the pasta

Instructions:

Preparing the Pesto:

• De-stem the basil and only put the leaves in the blender or food processor.
• Add the nuts, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and olive oil.
• Squeeze half a lemon into the mix, making sure to capture any seeds so it does not get into the sauce.
• Blend until it is made into a puree. Taste and see if there is anything extra needed. If you want more creaminess, add more nutritional yeast. If you find it is bland, you can add more lemon or salt and pepper.

Vegetables:

• 

• 

• While preparing the vegetables, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta when it has come to a boil and follow the package’s instructions for how long to boil the pasta for.
• Squash: Cut off the skin from the squash and cut them into cubes. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the large pan and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the squash to the pan and have it cook until soft, about 15-20 minutes
• Zucchini: Cut the zucchini(s) in half then cut the halves into quarters. Slice the quarters and then add to the squash in the pan. You can add the zucchini at the same time as the squash or wait till a few minutes after.
• Garlic: Mince the garlic and add it to the pan to cook.
• Grape Tomatoes: Cut the grape tomatoes in half then add it to the zucchini and squash. After 5 minutes, all vegetables should be soft enough.
• Don’t forget to compost all your scraps when complete!

Mixing It All Together

• When the pasta is done, strain the pasta. Remember you can collect the salt water and use it as a natural weed killer from Sustainable Tip 8.
• Pour the pasta back into the large pot and add the vegetables as well as the pesto. Mix them all together, and enjoy!

Like the recipe? Have your ideas on what could be added or changed to the recipe? Let me know in the comments!