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.

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

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.

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.

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

5. If you haven’t already…

… cut florets from your head of broccoli.

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.