This is one of our fav recipes from Post Punk Kitchen, where I plagiarized borrowed it, with love.

Check out PPK’s main page here.

Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour (plus cashew soak. 30 minutes if using canned butternut.)
Active time: 20 minutes

You will need:

• 1/2 pound pasta (see note)

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash (see note)
• 2 tablespoons mellow white miso
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the rest:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• Several dashes fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

For garnish:

• Extra roasted squash
• Pepitas, or chopped pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts

Once the squash has roasted, bring a salted pot of water to boil for the pasta. When boiling, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with the vegetable broth. Blend until very smooth. Rub sauce between your finger and when hardly any grittiness remains, add the roasted butternut, miso, nutritional yeast (if using) and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything.

While the sauce is blending, start the onions. Preheat a large cast iron pan over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or so, just until fragrant. Mix in the sage and pepper. Then add the wine and salt and turn the heat up to bring wine to a boil. Let boil for about two minutes, to reduce a little.

Turn down the heat to medium low. Now add the butternut cream to the pan, and stir to incorporate the onions and everything. Heat through, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit. Taste for salt and seasonings.

Set aside some of the sauce (you can reserve a cup or so for veggies if you’d like to throw some on top.) Add the pasta, and toss to coat. Serve topped with additional roasted squash and a sprinkle of nuts.