Rigatoni with Mushrooms and Vegan Sausage

This is a wonderfully quick and delicious meal that’s hearty and packed full of healthy protein. A comfort meal of pasta, cremini mushrooms, and vegan sausage that’s nutritious, simple, and fast; I think your entire family will absolutely love the creamy goodness in this dinner! We hope you’ll add this dish to your weeknight rotation.

*sigh* I aim for one recipe per week and wind up making it to about one per month! It’s not ideal, I know, but it’s hard work, with a wee man running around, to get the adequate time needed to recipe develop, create and make a recipe, do the photography, then write up a post. It seems simple enough, and it is (albeit there is a lot of toil that goes into making a post) but it just takes so much darn time.

It’s a great joy to be able to cook and write and share it all with you. However, now that Todd and I have a little family, I prioritize my free time with them; whether it’s skiing on the weekend with friends or just simply chillin’ inside by the fire reading and playing with stuffed animals. We actually cook and bake a lot, but Oliver loves to help and there isn’t a lot of measuring happening and we really just wing things together. Messily and quickly. It’s not super kosher for sharing recipes here on Produce On Parade.

While I try to navigate dedicating time to this space but not sacrificing time with family and friends, I want to thank you for being so patient. You’re all so wonderful; I love hearing from you, especially those of you who have been here since the beginning six years ago. It blows my mind it’s been six years already. Thank you guys! Happy Valentine’s Day to your loves, your friends, your family <3 Love makes you want to stay. Love is a day full of hugs. Love is cheers when you get home.

Bear with me today, I’m on Tamiflu (I don’t have the flu, but opted to take it prophylactically due to work exposure) and it really makes it difficult to concentrate. I think I’ve spent about 20 minutes trying to write one paragraph!

Rigatoni with Mushrooms and Vegan Sausage

By Kathleen Henry - Produce On Parade

This is a wonderfully quick and delicious meal that’s hearty and packed full of healthy protein. A comfort meal of pasta, cremini mushrooms, and vegan sausage that’s nutritious, simple, and fast; I think your entire family will absolutely love the creamy goodness in this dinner! We hope you’ll add this dish to your weeknight rotation.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry rigatoni pasta (or pasta of choice)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 3 whole garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 oz) package of Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
• 12 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 ¾ cup unsweetened, plain soymilk
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp salt, to taste
• Dash of white pepper (black pepper will work)
• Dash of shiitake mushroom powder (optional)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions


1. Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook according to package until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large rimmed frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes then add the sausage, breaking it into bite size pieces with a wooden spatula. Add the mushrooms; saute an additional 5-8 minutes, until the mushrooms have darkened and shrunk.
3. Whisk the nutritional yeast through the mushroom powder into the soymilk and stir into the mushroom mixture over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes; while deglazing the pan. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in cooked pasta. Serve hot, topped with fresh parsley.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 5 servings

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

I’ve made a lot of vegan mac and cheese. All kinds. If you can think it, I’ve probably made it: some good, some bad but this one is my absolute favorite. It also happens to be exceptionally easy. A staple in our house, I hope it will become one in your house as well. This vegan version is oil-free and oh so creamy and delicious.

Noticed some changes? Produce On Parade got a bit of a makeover! What do you think of it? I hope you like it; we felt we needed a bit more of a modern feel. Something clean and shiny, eh. If you have any comments please let me know through the brand new contact page at the top right on the screen. I'd love to hear what you're thinking.

Anywho, what I am thinking is... comfort food. A teething Oliver is getting up every two hours to nurse #whatdidwedo and then with me working full-time, this is one dead momma. I literally ran into a wall today, in front of a patient. That's what three intermittent hours of sleep get you. I need food that is fast and filling and yummy. Last night I was really craving mac and cheese, so we whipped this up in no time. I thought it was about time I shared this recipe. It's always the staples that I have yet to share for some reason.

Not only is this dish killer but it happens to be the only vegan mac and cheese recipe that is Todd approved. He doesn't like the sweet potato or butternut squash mac and cheeses. Nope, this is the only one. Oh well, makes my life easier!

Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

I’ve made a lot of vegan mac and cheese. All kinds. If you can think it, I’ve probably made it: some good, some bad but this one is my absolute favorite. It also happens to be exceptionally easy. A staple in our house, I hope it will become one in your house as well. This vegan version is oil-free and oh so creamy and delicious. Inspired by BuzzFeed *A high powered blender works best. If you don’t have one just soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes prior to use.

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• ¼ medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup raw cashews*
• scant ¼ cup large-flake nutritional yeast
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• dash of freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz dry pasta shells

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil for the vegetables. Boil the potatoes and garlic clove for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and boil for 5 additional minutes. Add the onion and boil for 7 additional minutes.
2. While the vegetables are boiling, add the remaining ingredients except the pasta to a blender. Drain the veggies saving the water (1 ½ cups), add them to a blender along with the saved water; blend on high until smooth and creamy. It makes about 4 cups of sauce.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta and cook according to the package. Drain and return to the pot. Stir 3 cups of the sauce into the cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup for stirring in later if all the mac and cheese won’t be all eaten immediately. Serve hot.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here where it’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb at our local grocery store, Fred Meyer.

More Mac and Cheese Recipe and Cauliflower Recipes

Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

Creamy Fettuccine Miso Alfredo

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Creamy Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Veggie Kale Soup w/ ‘Sausage’

The cinnamon and smoked paprika really give this hearty veggie soup a delicious, deep, and satisfying flavor. Cannellini beans and vegan sausage lend protein to help keep you full, while kale and an assortment of fresh vegetables make this a nutrient-dense meal. It’s a perfect weekday dinner and terrific, clean-eating comfort food.

It's been raining nonstop up here in our little nook of Alaska. I absolutely love it. The drizzle, the dumping, the fog and mist, the hugging darkness; everything. I've always loved the rain though. Our newly implemented lawn is loving it too and we just got gutters on the house last week, so huzzah, just in the knick of time. I wish I could say it helped me sleep a little better; listening to the pitter patter of fat raindrops as they fall on the roof above me. Along with the sun setting earlier too, about 11:40 pm (which I know... seems really late, but it's not 2 am so I'll take it), sleep should be coming easier but it still often eludes me.  

Speaking of 2 am... Oliver is starting to sleep in his crib better, at least until waking at 2 to 5 am, which lets me sleep in ANY POSITION I WANT TO!! Nursing mommas (especially any co-sleepers) know exactly what I am talking about. It's pretty much the most amazing thing I've ever felt; stretching out in bed however I like. Normally I'm wedged laying on one side, almost falling off the bed because Oliver keeps sliding into my body divot in the Tempurpedic mattress, thus I keep scooching backwards closer to the edge. One bleary peeper is permanently cracked to ensure the covers haven't covered Oliver's face or that he hasn't rolled onto his tummy or that he is still breathing, let's be real (the checking breathing thing is no joke). 

It's important to keep this sleep-deprived body filled with loads of yummy veggies and our CSA is fantastic, I am so glad we are able to get such wonderful produce. I confess, however, it can be a bit of struggle to finish a full share between just myself and that veggie ambivalent love of mine. I vacillate between making a super healthy dish (think roasted radishes) mostly for myself and one that I know Todd will love too, like this soup! Or a spinach quesadilla, etc. This is hands down my favorite kale soup ever and believe me, I've made many renditions. It's great comfort food and perfect, cozy, rainy-weather eats. Not to mention a great way to use that scrummy CSA kale. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Veggie Kale Soup w/ ‘Sausage’

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 07/03/2017

The cinnamon and smoked paprika really give this hearty veggie soup a delicious, deep, and satisfying flavor. Cannellini beans and vegan sausage lend protein to help keep you full, while kale and an assortment of fresh vegetables make this a nutrient-dense meal. It’s a perfect weekday dinner and terrific, clean-eating comfort food.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium red potatoes (about 215 g), diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 Field Roast Italian sausage link, diced
• 1 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausage link, diced (or another Italian link for no spiciness)
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
• 1 large bunch of kale (about 10 oz), destemmed and chopped

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the cinnamon and paprika. Add the onions and garlic; saute about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add the potatoes, carrot, and celery as you chop them. Saute for about 5 minutes after they are all in the pot, adding vegetable broth as needed to keep the pan from getting too dry. Pour in all the broth, tomatoes, and beans. Increase heat to high, bringing to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
3. Stir in the sausage and thyme. Simmer about 10 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Stir in the kale and simmer about 2 minutes until wilted.
4. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste; serve hot.

Yield: 6