Butternut Queso Shells ❤️💛 This dish may look (and sound) truly decadent, but looks can be deceiving!

The sauce for this pasta dish is 100% plant-based — made with butternut squash, Rotel tomatoes & diced green chiles, nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk & plenty of spices, it’s like your favorite Velveeta queso but totally healthy-fied. 

Plus, we used Banza shells (made with chickpeas) to increase the protein factor — no blood sugar crash with this veggie pasta dish! Top with your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce) and you’ll be good to go. ⬇️ Recipe below!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. cooked butternut squash

• 1 can of Rotel (diced tomatoes & green chiles)

• 1/2 red onion, diced

• 6 T. nutritional yeast

• 2 c. unsweetened almond milk or plant milk of choice

• 2 T. minced garlic

• 4 t. chili powder

• 1 T. ground cumin

• 4 t. freshly cracked black pepper

• Olive oil cooking spray

• 8 oz. box of shells (we used Banza)

• Hot sauce of choice

STEPS

1. Spray a bit of olive oil cooking spray into a pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and sauté until translucent. Set aside.

2. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend together the cooked buttoned squash, nutritional yeast, almond milk, garlic, chili powder, ground cumin and pepper. Season with a pinch of salt. Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat.

3. Stir in the Rotel and red onion and heat until warm.

4. While the sauce is cooking, boil your pasta.

5. There will be MUCH more sauce than you need, so when you’re ready to eat, spoon the pasta individually into each bowl, then top with sauce and toss. Finish with your favorite hot sauce.

Use the sauce within the next 3-5 on your favorite pasta, over rice & beans or even by itself as a soup (trust me, it’s delicious)!