Creamy Lentil Pasta (Vegan, Soy-free, Gluten-free)

Having a 5 year son who is going through a picky stage now, I have to be creative in the way I prepare his meals. My son Daevyd loves pasta in any shape or form, I guess children are intrigued by their fun shapes. Well I know for certain that Daevyd doesn’t like cauliflower but he loves creamy sauces. I decided to incorporate cauliflower in the sauce and I figured that he wouldn’t even notice the difference. I also decided to add lentil stew for a nice twist, Daevyd enjoyed the pasta very much and as usual he thanks me for his meal after he finishes.

Lentil Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed

2 cups Vegetable Broth

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

In a medium pot, heat oil and saute onions and garlic and saute. Stir in lentils, add vegetable broth, coconut milk and tomato paste, thyme, parsley, basil and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Stir in salt to taste when lentils are tender.

Cauliflower Sauce

2 teaspoons coconut oil or water

1 tablespoon onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 cups cauliflower florets

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup cashews, washed and soaked for about 4 hours

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

1 12 ounce package of brown rice pasta prepared according to package direction, drained

Steam cauliflower until tender and set aside. In a medium saucepan saute onions and garlic until tender, transfer to a blender along with the cashew, water, nutritional yeast flakes, salt and process until smooth and creamy. Add steamed cauliflower and blending until creamy. May need to add extra water. Pour sauce into prepared pasta and stir in lentil stew.