Mostly-veggie Baked Macaroni

Ingredients

• ¾ cups cashew cream
• ½ cup (uncooked) quinoa elbows (or any elbows)
• ½ cup chopped asparagus (tender parts only)
• ½ cup peas
• ½ cup mini mozzarella balls, halved
• handfuls of fresh chopped basil and sage
• ¼ cup grated comté (or parmesan) for the topping
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
• a generous drizzle of olive oil
• pinches of red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1.5 cups cashews, soak overnight & drain
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• ¼ cup water (more if necessary)
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use a high speed blender to blend all ingredients for the cashew cream. Taste and adjust seasonings, set aside.
3. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 (or similar) baking dish with a little olive oil.
4. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain.
5. Toss about ¾ cups of the cashew cream with the cooked pasta. (I did this right in my baking dish to dirty less dishes). Add the asparagus, peas, mozzarella, herbs, a few pinches of salt & pepper. Fold everything together so that all ingredients are coated and evenly disbursed, then gently press it into the pan to form an even layer.
6. Top with grated comté (or parmesan), panko bread crumbs, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper & a few pinches of red pepper flakes.
7. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.