Description
This rich Creamy Spaghetti Pie is super tasty and filling. Spaghetti, peas, and mushrooms coated with a delightful cream sauce is comfort food your family is sure to love! This beautifully tasty dish is healthy, Whole Food Plant Based, oil free, refined sugar free, and gluten free.
Ingredients
Cream Base Ingredients:
- 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons GF flour (or flour of choice) *
- 1 ½ cups water (or broth)
- 1/8 cup vegetable broth *
- 2 cups unsweetened plain plant milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 lb. spaghetti *
Cream Base Herb/Spice Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 3 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
- ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (+/-)
- 1 to 3 teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Cashew Cream:
- ½ cup raw cashews *
- ¾ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
Optional Tomato Topping (Do NOT bake pie with tomatoes on top):
- 2 large tomatoes (cut into ¼ inch slices)
- Sprinkle of coarse sea salt ( fine sea salt will work as well)
- Fresh dill (optional)
Vegan “Parmesan” Cheese (makes approximately 1/2 cup)
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup blanched slivered almonds
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/- )
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Place the Cream Base Herb/Spice Ingredients into a small bowl, mix to combine, set aside.
- Fill a large stock pot full of water and bring to a boil. Add a dash of sea salt. Do not start cooking the spaghetti until later once the sauce is done.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Sauté the sliced button mushrooms in a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similarly large skillet over medium heat until all the moisture has been removed from them. Once the mushrooms stop giving off water, remove them from the pan and them set aside until later.
- Add the finely diced onion and grated carrot to the Dutch oven/skillet, sauté over medium heat until the onions and carrot are soft. Then add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the flour over top of the sautéed veggies and cook the flour for a few minutes. They will appear lumpy.
- Next add the water, vegetable broth and 2 cups unsweetened plain plant milk. Increase the heat to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
- Make the cashew cream by draining the water off the cashews (discard the water) and placing the soaked cashews in a high-speed blender. Add ¾ cup unsweetened plain plant milk into the high-speed blender; blend at a high speed for 1 or 2 minutes until smooth and creamy, then add the cashew cream to the Dutch oven/skillet mixture. Increase the heat until boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.
- Add all the remaining cream base ingredients except the frozen peas, sautéed mushrooms, and spaghetti. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the frozen peas and sautéed mushrooms. Simmer for a few minutes to thaw out the peas. Taste test the cream base and adjust seasonings as needed. This is the time you can adjust seasonings to suit your own personal preferences.
- In the meantime, start cooking the spaghetti. Once the spaghetti starts to bend, approx. 3-4 minutes, (the spaghetti will finish cooking in the casserole while in the oven), drain the spaghetti and then add the partially cooked spaghetti to the cream sauce. Stir well to coat all the spaghetti with the cream sauce. You may find it challenging to stir as the spaghetti is only partially cooked. Don’t worry.
- Pour the cream base with the spaghetti into a large casserole dish. Using a large spoon or spatula, push the spaghetti down into the cream sauce so it is completely covered in sauce. If any spaghetti sticks up, push it back down under the sauce. You want to see sauce on top of the casserole. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Optional Tomato Topping: Once you place the casserole in the oven, slice 2 large tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomato slices on the parchment paper, sprinkle with a small amount of coarse sea salt and a sprig of fresh dill. Place in the oven with the casserole. Bake the tomatoes for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes start to dehydrate and release all their water. When the casserole is done, you will gently lift the tomatoes off the parchment paper and place them on top of the baked casserole right before serving. Do not put them on the casserole to cook. They will release too much water into the casserole.
- After the casserole has baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, remove the foil, and allow to sit on the countertop for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the casserole to set and firm up. Again, if using the tomato topping, add the sliced tomatoes right before serving. The tomatoes tend to make the casserole soggy (even after the tomatoes have been oven baked) so we add them to individual servings rather than placing them on top of the casserole. However, they do make for a stunning presentation when all on top of the casserole so we added them just for the picture.
- To Serve: Cut individual wedges and top with baked tomatoes or Vegan Parmesan cheese. Both are optional.
- Vegan “Parmesan” Cheese Instructions: Add all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and pulse for one minute.
Notes
*Vegetable Broth/Water Ratio: We use Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients; however, this brand of vegetable broth does have a strong flavor so less broth is required when compared to the water ratio. We use a higher water to broth ratio because of this. If you use another brand of vegetable broth, then adjust the water/vegetable broth ratio accordingly. For example, if you are using a very mellow vegetable broth, you might consider 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth and 1/8 cup of water for this recipe. Please adjust the recipe (broth/water ratio) accordingly based upon the vegetable broth brand used if you are not using Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth.
*Spaghetti/Pasta: Gluten free spaghetti or choice of spaghetti. We used Tinkyada Brown Rice spaghetti)
*Cashew Substitutions: We have not tested this recipe for any substitutions. Silken tofu, cannellini beans (white beans) and sunflower seeds are typical substitutions; however, taking the cashews out will take the richness out of the dish. It will also change the texture and overall flavor of the dish. If making substitutions, you may have to adjust the seasonings, etc. accordingly. Again, we have not tried any substitutions.
*Flour: We used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour blend. You can use the flour of your choice.
*Sea Salt: Sea salt is based on personal preference and dietary needs.