Broccoli Bowl with Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce

I was raised on comforting Mac & Cheese, cheese-y dips and creamy sauces—they’re pretty much in my DNA. These days however, when I want some comfort food, I like to whip up something that makes me feel good without the health-diminishing returns. This easy Broccoli Bowl with Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce recipe does the trick—all the comfort and creaminess come from veggies and plant-powerful ingredients, but you’d never know.

Makes 2–4 servings

Tools:
Blender
Steamer and a sauce pot
Baking sheet
Unbleached parchment paper

Ingredients:
The florets from 1 head of broccoli
1/4 cup walnuts

Sauce
1 cup butternut squash, diced
1/4 cup cashews, soaked at least for 1 hour
2 tsp nutritional yeast (if you can’t find this nutty, cheese-flavored, B vitamin-rich ingredient, leave it out)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2–1 tsp fine-ground sea salt
2 tsp unrefined, virgin coconut oil (optional)

Let’s get started.
1. Soak cashews for 1–2 hours in a bowl filled with pure water.

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2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter walnuts on parchment-lined baking sheet.

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Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. This photo below shows more than 1/4 cup of walnuts, but that’s because I’m preparing some to have on hand for breakfast cereals and homemade milks. Toast walnuts for 5–7 minutes. Remove from oven, give them a rough chop and set aside.

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3. While walnuts toast, steam butternut squash cubes 7–10 minutes, or until soft and a fork can easily pierce a cube. Save steamer set up with water for broccoli.

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4. Blend together sauce ingredients until super smooth. Set aside.

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5. If you haven’t already…

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… cut florets from your head of broccoli.

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6. Steam broccoli for 3–5 minutes until vibrant green. Rinse out your steamer pot and transfer florets to the pot and heat to medium-high. Add sauce and stir together until warm—3–5 minutes. Serve warm topped with walnuts and enjoy!

Try this recipe with chopped kale, cooked chickpeas or gluten-free pasta added to the mix.

Now, I want to hear from YU. What do you think of this recipe? Tell us with a comment below.

 

Read the comments or add yours.

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  1. Oh my gosh my whole family loved it! Thank you for the recipe. We’ll definitely be making this again and would bring this to a potluck with my non-vegan friends.

      • I just shared this recipe in a private FB group (a group of 1400 Kris Carr program participants). We’ve been sharing vegan recipes with eachother since finishing the program. This was definitely worth sharing. 🙂

        • Thank you so much, Nancy! It’s such a comforting, healthy alternative to rich, cheesey meals… x H

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