Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Love this recipe from Love and Lemons. This recipe works best in a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. If you're using a regular blender, be sure to soak your cashews overnight.

Ingredients

• 400-500g squash or pumpkin, chopped into 2 cm pieces
• Small onion, peeled & sliced into wedges
• 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled, top off
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• 5 large fresh sage leaves
• ¾ cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for 4 hours or overnight, drained and rinsed
• Packet of uncooked penne pasta (or pasta of choice)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the pumpkin, onion, and garlic head (place in the middle) on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the onion is soft and the pumpkin flesh is very tender, 35 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Add the sage to the pan during the last few minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool slightly. 
3. Pour the vegetable broth into a high-speed blender. Add the pumpkin, onion, peeled garlic, sage, cashews, pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and blend again. If your sauce is not smooth and creamy, add a little more broth or olive oil and blend it longer.
4. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta.
5. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in half the sauce, adding more as needed to coat the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water, ¼ cup at a time, to thin the sauce and make it creamy. Add the remaining sauce as desired. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with more sage leaves or fresh herbs and for extra zing, sprinkle over some chilli flakes.