Ingredients

Ingredients

• 8 oz whole wheat fusilli (or other short pasta shape)
• 1 1/2 cups of cashews, soaked overnight and drained (or boiled for 15 minutes and drained)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 lb fresh tomatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
• 1 summer squash sliced into half moons
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup of basil, chopped, plus extra for garnish

Directions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend together the cashews, water, cornstarch and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
4. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook the onions until they are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the carrots, tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash and cook an additional 7-10 minutes. The carrots should be starting to be soft.  Add the basil and a dash of salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.
5. Add the pasta to the skillet. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, at this point transfer the vegetables and pasta to an oven-safe baking dish.) Pour the cashew cream over the pasta.
6. Bake the pasta for 30 minutes, the cashew cream will thicken as it bakes and begin to brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.