Vegan Baked Broccoli Pasta in Avocado Cream Sauce:

So anyways, I used gluten free quinoa noodles for this recipe. They were good!  This recipe is relatively quick, and it's just so comforting!

How's everyone's weekend? I'm about to make lunch for my friend and I, and then we're heading over to UCF for the homecoming game. The weather is perfect: 77 degrees with a high of 81. It's a beautiful day to be a Knight, but then again, it's always a beautiful day to be a Knight. Unfortunately, this may be my last UCF tailgate for awhile, but I do plan to return one day with a big RV.  (I'm always jealous of people with RVs at tailgate).  Have a good day and enjoy! ❤

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups small shells, cooked according to package instructions
1 1/2 cups broccoli, cut into medium-sized florets
1 cup yellow onion, diced or sliced
1/2 cup avocado
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive or canola oil, divided
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped)
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt (probably a little more, to taste)
Dash of black pepper
Dash of paprika

Serves 2.
Total Cook Time: 35 minutes. 

Instructions:

1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions, strain, and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Add the pasta back to the pot that you cooked it in, and stir in 1 tsp. of the oil and a dash of salt and black pepper.

2. Add the avocado, almond milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic to the food processor. Process until it's smooth and creamy.

3. Preheat the oven to 350. In a large saucepan, add the remaining 1 tsp. of oil, the broccoli, and the diced onions. Cook on medium-high heat until tender, 7 to 10 minutes. (You may want to add a little more oil if it begins to stick).

4. Stir the cream sauce and the broccoli/onion mixture in with the pasta. Add the paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

5. Add the pasta to a casserole dish, cover, and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.