The Healthy Librarian's "Enlightened" Take on Veganomicon Baked Pumpkin Penne Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping

Veganomicon's Caramelized Onion Pumpkin Penne Pasta--the "Enlightened" Version

Caramelized Onions, Crunchy Topping, Creamy Filling--Healthy Deliciousness

 

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Never in a million years would I have picked this recipe out of Veganomicon.  But my husband zeroed right in on it--he thought it sounded good.  And his instincts were right.  It's fantastic, and it works well--perhaps even better--when you cut out all the extra fat that's in the original recipe.

Delete olive oil.  Delete vegan margarine.  Delete full-fat tofu.  Substitute heart healthier walnuts for cashews, and cut the nuts in half.

Number one secret ingredient:  Get yourself a bag of Ian's Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs.  You'll never need to add oil or butter to get a crispy bread crumb topping again.  These crumbs are naturally brown and naturally crisp, without a drop of added fat.

 

Veganomicon's Pumpkin Baked Penne Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping

"This is a rich and creamy baked pasta casserole that blends the best flavors that Fall has to offer.  The pumpkin is subtle, but sweet caramelized onions and a hint of nutmeg complement it nicely."

-Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero, Veganomicon-

OK, I admit this is a bit of a pitchky patchky of a recipe, but it's worth the effort.  It's company fare, and it will provide you with dinner &/or lunch for at least a few days.  Plant-based casseroles really do stay fresher longer than meat dishes.  Besides, it's so creamy & delicious--and except for the walnuts (which I cut in half)--I've removed every speck of the added fat from the original recipe.  Over a 1/2 cup of olive oil and margarine!  Yes!!!

Click here to get the recipe on a single page for easier printing.

Serves 8-10

Time:  About an hour.  Just turn on NPR, or some music, relax, and enjoy the prep time.

Ingredients

3/4 pound uncooked whole wheat penne pasta or ziti  (I like Hodgson Mill Organic Whole Wheat Penne with Milled Flax, 12 ounce box)

2 large sweet onions, sliced very thinly

1 recipe of Walnut Ricotta (I subbed the cashews for healthier walnuts)  See below for the recipe

1 TBS. brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

White pepper and cayenne

2 cups pureed pumpkin, or 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (do not use pumpkin pie mix) 

1/4 cup vegetable broth (plus more for sauteeing the onions, and heating the sage crumbs)

Walnut Ricotta recipe:

Makes 2 cups

Time: 15 minutes

Great for lasagna, or stuffed shells

1/4 cup raw walnut pieces  (I halved the amount)  *The walnuts might be optional--I just haven't tried the recipe without them.

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, fresh or roasted

1 pound firm low-fat tofu, drained and crumbled (I recommend NaSoya Lite Firm Tofu)

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

1 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

1.  In a food processor, blend together the walnuts, lemon juice, and garlic until a thick creamy paste forms.

2.  Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor, working in two or more batches, in necessary, until the mixture is thick and well blended.

3.  Blend in the basil and optional salt.

Sage bread crumbs:

2 1/2 cups of Ian's Whole Wheat Panko crumbs  (make your own crumbs if you can't find these--but they are worth looking for--and widely available)

1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces (you could chop them in a processor or put the nuts in a bag & smash them with a rolling pin)  *These walnuts are optional--the recipe will work without them.

2 tsp. dried, rubbed sage

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp ground paprika

salt (optional) & fresh pepper to taste

1.  Mix all the ingredients together.

Preparation--putting it all together

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.  Lightly spray at 9 X 11 or 9 X 13 inch lasagna-type pan with non-stick canola spray (or use 2 smaller pans)

3.  Cook the penne pasta according to the package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again.  Set aside.

4.   Making the caramelized onions.  Add about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to a large, preferably non-stick frying pan, and preheat over medium heat.  Saute the onions, stirring occasionally until soft, golden, and caramelized, about 15 minutes or longer.  Add more veggie broth if needed. Sprinkle the onions with a little sweet paprika, to create a richer golden color, if desired.

5.  Place the walnut ricotta in a large bowl and fold in the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth (1/4 cup), and mix.

6.  Add the cooked penne pasta, and caramelized onions into the pumpkin mixture, stirring to coat the pasta.

7.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan(s) and press lightly with a rubber spatula to level it.

8.  Heat up about 1/4+ cup of veggie broth in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add the sage crumb mixture and heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often, to combine all the ingredients, and moisten slightly.  Note: You might be able to skip this step--which is included in the original recipe because you need to combine melted margarine into the crumb mixture.

9.  Remove from heat & sprinkle the crumbs evenly on top of the penne pasta.

10.  Bake for 30 minutes, until the top of the penne is golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutritional Info based on 1/8th of the recipe

Nutrition Facts Veganomicon's Pumpkin Penne wt Caramelized Onions & Sage Crumbs
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	375
Total Fat	8.5g
Saturated Fat	0.5g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	56mg
Carbohydrate	61.4g
Dietary Fiber	11.5g
Sugars	7.7g
Protein	15.8g
Vitamin A 166% Vitamin C 13% Calcium    13% Iron 24%

Bon Appetit!

I love feedback!  If you try a recipe, please let me know how it turns out.  What you liked.  What you didn't.

 

Coming in December: Isa Chandra Moskowitz' New Cookbook

 

Appetite for Reduction: 100 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

One of my readers alerted me to Isa's upcoming cookbook--due Dec. 7, 2010.  I can hardly wait.  She sent along a teaser with this link to some of the photos of the upcoming recipes .

Absolutely delicious-looking, and all are less than 400 calories per serving, low in fat and sugar, and high in fiber. 

Thank you, Isa for lightening things up a bit.  Best of all, she's promising that a healthy dinner can be on your table in under forty-five minutes.  Link to Amazon.  Exactly the kind of cookbook we all want, right?

 

 

 

Comments

[Carrie]

Please keep the recipes coming! They are so inspiring to me as I try to apply this way of eating in a family of five. I'm heading to the market now for veggies for Ann's yellow soup. I'll let you know how it goes....

(Also, do you have any thoughts on the healthfulness of non-stick vs. Cast-iron pans? I use my beloved All-Clad nonstick skillet daily, but have been talking with people about cast-iron. Just wondering.)

[Abby]

This looks delicious! Thank you for using Nasoya tofu! I have shared the recipe with our fans on the Nasoya facebook page.

Nasoya - Abby
www.nasoya.com

[Beverly Alexander]

Tomorrow we attend a neighborhood dinner and thought I'd do a trial run tonight.

It was good (I made the recipe as-is) - but thought it needed something. It WAS amazing that something could seem so rich without appreciable fat.

Suggestions:

1)Keep recipe as is, but add a healthy dose of spinach and mushrooms, and decrease the bread crumbs - I thought the amount was excessive - and I did measure!

2) Or make it more like regular lasagna: layer the filling with lasagna noodles (maybe leave out the pumpkin?), mushrooms, spinach, and a nice zingy marinara.

I think I will try to do it with a marinara version soon.

;)

[Healthy Librarian]

Thanks Carrie! Hope they like the soup. I also really wanted to get a cast iron pan. My son swears by his, and he stopped using all of his non-stick Calphalon. But, when I asked him how it would work without using any oil, he said that the food would stick. Plus, they do need special care--he has to soak his, sprinkle it with salt to get stuck food off, & he never uses anything abrasive on it. I'm happy with my non-teflon non-stick Cuisinart pan that I got at Bed Bath and Beyond. I never use spray on it, because that can ruin the non-stick surface.

Thanks Abby, for posting the recipe on Nasoya's Facebook site. Loved seeing it there!

Nice to hear from you Bev! Brave lady, trying out a recipe for a neighborhood dinner. Glad it worked out well--and I love your suggestions. Yes, I agree about leaving out the pumpkin if you make a zingy marina lasagna! Thanks for writing & experimenting.

[Bev Alexander]

Follow up to my previous post on the penne pasta recipe:

For the neighborhood dinner, I decided to make a lasagna, using the tofu filling with a bit of adaptation. I put the tofu, garlic, lemon juice, etc. (used 1/2 can sweet potato puree and oregano) in food processor. Came out tasting like ricotta.

I was in a hurry, so I used the Trader Joe No-Boil Lasagna noodles. I layered them in a full-size lasagna pan with TJ Organic Marinara, the tofu-ricotta, lots of sliced mushrooms and lots of TJ Organic frozen spinach which is cheaper than fresh (I whacked the bag so that it wasn't in big lumps. Didn't use a whole bag.) Last layer was sauce and I gently poured on a bit of water, since the noodles had not been boiled. Baked 45 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Boy, was that a hit! No one, my husband included, could believe that this was a vegan, non-fat dish! Yummy yummy yummy.

I think that the original penne pasta dish would also be improved with mushrooms and spinach and fewer bread crumbs.
;)

[Bev Alexander]

Non-stick:

Cuisinart Green Gourmet (Bed Bath & Beyond) and Todd English GreenPan (sold on TV) are both CERAMIC non-stick. The Cuisinart is heavier and more expensive. They both work pretty well, and can be used in oven, since they are not plastic. I actually like the GreenPan's light weight - easier on these old hands!

[Penny]

I wouldn't have tried this recipe either but that's what is so great about blogs. They offer a stamp of approval. It really is very good, my hub and I both liked it. I added one apple sage Field Roast sausage crumbled.

But it looks gosh-awful, even in the pictures. Has anyone served this to omnis? (I wish it was more yellow or orange instead of putty colored.) Just wondering as I may take it to Thxg dinner. I googled "pumpkin baked ziti" and saw that Paula Deen has a recipe online. One funny note is that she includes a Richard Simmons approved version. Anyway the Healthy Librarian/Isa recipe is very good and I will make it again. Thanks!