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Vegetarian Butternut Squash Carbonara

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When we think of classic Italian dishes, a creamy and flavorful carbonara is near the top of the list. In true Ancient Harvest form, we’ve taken this traditional recipe up a few nutritional notches with butternut squash, shiitake bacon, and our Protein Green Lentil Spaghetti with 25g of plant-based protein per serving.

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Carbonara

  • 1 small butternut squash
  • ¼ cup olive oil, divided
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 box Ancient Harvest Protein Green Lentil Spaghetti
  • ¾ cup almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or vegan butter substitute

Shiitake Bacon Ingredients:

  • 2½ cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon smoke salt
  • black pepper, to taste

Directions

Shiitake Bacon:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Toss sliced shiitakes in olive oil, salt, smoke salt, and black pepper, then arrange in a single layer on the pan.
  3. Bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping every 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
  4. Transfer to a paper towel, pat off excess oil and set aside.

Butternut Squash Carbonara:

    1. Peel the butternut squash and cut into ½-inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F, or until fork tender, flipping after 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in food processor.
    2. In a medium frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil and onions, cooking and stirring until fragrant and caramelized.
    3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
    4. Place the pasta water in the food processor with the squash, almond milk and vinegar and puree until very smooth and creamy. Toss with cooked pasta.
    5. Top with shiitake bacon and caramelized onions. Serve immediately.