Kale pesto pasta with roasted butternut squash -Vegetarian D

Nharley

Number of servings = 6

Per Serving: Calories: 225 Carbs: 38 Fat: 6 Protein: 6 Sodium: 76 Fiber: 4

Ingredients:

1 medium Butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1 inch dices
1 bunch of kale
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1-2 garlic cloves
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese , grated (calories based on the real stuff) or non dairy cheese substitute
aprox. 6 oz. of linguine, al dente

Directions:

Pre- heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook linguine as desired or per boxed directions. Peel squash, divide in half and scoop out seeds. Dice into 1 inch cubes. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until semi soft. While the squash is roasting, prepare the kale pesto. Wash kale after removing the rigid middle veins from the leaves. Place in boiling water for 10 seconds then plunge is cold water to cool. This makes the color vibrant and slightly breaks down the fibrous quality of kale. Place wilted leaves in a blender or food processor with the remaining unused ingredients: the juice from a lemon, garlic clove(s), and Parmesan cheese. Blend into a paste adding water if necessary to blend fully. Add salt, pepper and/or other spices to taste. Combine kale pesto with linguine and toss to combine, top with the roasted butternut squash. Garnish with fresh herbs such as basil or top with a little more Parmesan cheese. Serves six as a main dish accompanied with a yummy salad!

MrsODriscoll

That sounds yum - but parmesan cheese isn't vegetarian, just in case anyone was thinking of cooking this for a veggie friend - you can easily find substitute cheeses.

Lesa_Sass

How is cheese not vegetarian? Never mind, I googled the answer. I had no idea that parm cheese was not vegetarian.

Nharley

I put in an either or clause...

Sabresgal63

Bump for later................I love all of the ingredients..............thanks for sharing!

Bentley2718

I put in an either or clause...

The problem isn't actually the dairy (assuming the person is a lacto-veg), the problem is the rennet in parm. cheese is traditionally made from calf stomach. Some vegetarians don't worry about this, others do. Cheese is sort of a sticky issue. According to some sources most of the cheese in the U.S. is made with a rennet produced by microbes in a lab, not from calf stomach (supposedly it's more consistent than animal rennet). Some cheese is actually labeled vegetarian, but much of it isn't (even though it may not contain rennet made from calf stomach). If cheese is labeled Kosher, it should be vegetarian.

Lesa_Sass

I put in an either or clause...

The problem isn't actually the dairy (assuming the person is a lacto-veg), the problem is the rennet in parm. cheese is traditionally made from calf stomach. Some vegetarians don't worry about this, others do. Cheese is sort of a sticky issue. According to some sources most of the cheese in the U.S. is made with a rennet produced by microbes in a lab, not from calf stomach (supposedly it's more consistent than animal rennet). Some cheese is actually labeled vegetarian, but much of it isn't (even though it may not contain rennet made from calf stomach). If cheese is labeled Kosher, it should be vegetarian.

Thanks for this info. I eat veg because my body does not digest meat properly, but I only eat small portions of cheese when I do eat cheese made from an animal. I am fond of soy and rice cheese, but have yet to find a feta cheese that is not made from animal that is worth a crap. But like I said, I only eat small portions of cheese.