Spinach & Cream Pasta Casserole

Spinach being one of my greens of choice, I was looking for a new way to serve it and came up with this raw rendition of a popular SAD dish. The result was way beyond anything I could have imagined. It has since become one of our absolute favorites, and gotten rave reviews from others on our Raw Freedom Community online forum.

Serves 3

Pasta

•  2 or 3 zucchinis, peeled

Make linguine size pasta with the help of a spiral slicer. (Although any type/size would work well too)

Sauce

• 1 cup cashews and/or macadamias
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water (depending on desired thickness)
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Process ingredients in a high-power blender such as the Omni V 3HP blender until smooth and creamy.

Marinated Spinach

• 2 cups spinach, thinly sliced (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 tablespoon cold pressed olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a bowl and massage to wilt the spinach.

Marinated Criminis 

• 1 1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
• A little cold pressed olive oil and tamari or Nama Shoyu
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Allow mushrooms to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Pine Nut Parmesan

• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

First briefly process macadamias and cashews in food processor.

Add the rest of the ingredients and process until well mixed.

Will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or several months in the freezer.

Optional: Spread the Pine Nut Parmesan mixture on a non-stick sheet and dehydrate for 2 or 3 hours. This step will help preserve it even better and make it easier to sprinkle.

Assembly

1. Toss the noodles with the sauce. Gently fold in the spinach and half of the marinated mushrooms (save the rest for garnish).

2. Place mixture in a dish, sprinkle with Pine Nut Parmesan and top with remaining mushrooms.

3. Dehydrate at 110ºF for 1 hour (optional but yummy!)