Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (39 page)

1.
Combine the stock though the cilantro in the slow cooker. Add the pasta and mix well. The sauce will look very runny but will be absorbed as it cooks.

2.
Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and hot sauce as required.

3.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and bake for 2½ to 3 hours, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is somewhat thickened.

4.
If the insert is broiler safe, top with vegan cheese, panko, or bread crumbs if desired and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown and crisp. Alternatively, transfer individual servings to broiler-safe plates, top, and broil as desired.

Southwestern Pasta

in the Dry Chees-y Mix

T
HIS IS SURPRISINGLY
good when it all comes together: creamy beans and tender vegetables with pasta in a tangy creamy sauce, what’s not to like? Some of the red onion is added quite late so it retains some crunch and color. If you’re not a raw onion fan, add it with the corn and pepper. For extra carbs at dinner, serve topped with slightly crushed corn chips.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes, divided

½ cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

½ red onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon chile flakes

2¼ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

½ red pepper, finely chopped

¾ cup corn kernels, 1 cob if fresh, drained and rinsed if canned, thawed if frozen

1½ cups uncooked rotini pasta

1 cup soymilk

¼ cup vegan sour cream

½ red onion, quartered and sliced

¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and black pepper

Avocado, optional

1.
Combine the beans through stock in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the beans are tender.

3.
Add the red pepper through the soy milk and cook for 3 hours, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is reduced.

4.
Stir in the vegan sour cream through the lime juice. Remove the bay leaf.

5.
Season with the salt and pepper as required.

6.
Serve garnished with slices of avocado, if using.

Penne with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts

I
F YOU LIKE
the earthy, rich taste of mushrooms and the creamy bite of pine nuts, this is the recipe for you! Add ½ cup frozen green peas to the mix about 1 hour before the end of cooking time if you would like a hit of green vegetables. If you find the dish ends up a little too liquid-y for your taste (it will depend on the mushrooms you use and how much liquid they release), thicken with either a cornstarch slurry or a little Dry Chees-y Mix (
page 51
) stirred through.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes

½ cup pine nuts, or more to taste

¼ cup white wine or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

4 cups mixed mushrooms such as portobello, cremini, shiitake, white, or oyster, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups uncooked penne pasta

1¾ cups almond milk

1¼ cups vegetable stock

¼ cup shredded fresh basil

Salt and black pepper

1.
Heat the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat until toasted and golden, 5 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure even toasting. They should be golden; remove from the heat if they start to turn darker. Transfer ¼ cup of the nuts to a small bowl.

2.
In a spice grinder or small blender, blend the remaining ¼ cup of nuts into a powder. In the lid of the spice grinder or in a small bowl, mix the powder with the wine to form a paste.

3.
Combine the garlic through the stock in the slow cooker. Add the nut paste and stir to combine.

4.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 3 hours, or until the mushrooms are very tender, the pasta is cooked, and the sauce is partially absorbed and reduced.

5.
Stir through the basil and reserved toasted pine nuts. Taste and season with the salt and pepper just prior to serving.

Smoky Chickpea Tofu Pasta

T
HIS PASTA BAKE
is not your usual pasta dish. It’s not overly saucy, just moist and full of smoky flavor. It tastes great hot or cold but has a tendency to get dry after it cools. If you want to serve it cold, toss in a little extra olive oil or stock to help maintain some moisture. If you do end up with extra liquid at the end of the cooking time after removing the pasta, tofu, and chickpeas from the slow cooker, mix a slurry, add to the liquid, and stir for a few minutes while it thickens.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

4 cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon chile flakes, optional, or to taste

2 cups uncooked rotini or fusilli pasta

8 ounces smoked tofu, cut into ½-inch dice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the chickpeas through the chile flakes in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.

3.
Just prior to the chickpeas being tender, cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Dry sauté the tofu cubes in a nonstick skillet until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes.

4.
Add the pasta, tofu, and oil to the slow cooker; stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 15 minutes, or until the flavors have melded.

5.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

Baked Artichoke Pasta

I
CONSIDERED CALLING THIS
Baked Tapas Pasta because several additions are classic tapas ingredients: artichoke hearts, capers, olives, and red peppers. It really is comfort food, a touch reminiscent of a traditional tuna noodle casserole (a happy accident!) with a twist from the flavors of those wonderful tapas ingredients. I’ve also added in an optional topping of cheese and panko or bread crumbs, so use that if you like.