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High Protein Squash Macaroni

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High Protein Squash Macaroni

Tofu and squash of choice creamy macaroni. Perfect for lunch pots or larger portions for dinner.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Main Course, Snack
Servings 6 Lunch pots
Calories 395 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Blender or food processor You could use a hand blender
  • 2 Large sauce pans Could use one; cook the butternut squash first and then the pasta.
  • 1 Small/medium frying pan
  • 1 Kettle or hot water dispenser

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil You could substitute for oil spray to reduce calories
  • 3 Garlic cloves
  • 2 Small Onions Finely chopped
  • 1 Sweet pepper Chopped
  • 1 Large Butternut squash Can use other types of squash. Around 750g when chopped into 1 inch cubes.
  • 250 Gram Silken tofu Drained
  • 500 Gram Macaroni
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 Tsp Chilli flakes Increase the amount if you like it spicy!
  • 2 Tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Pepper
  • 1 Vegetable stock cube or stock pot
  • 250 Ml Hot water

Instructions
 

  • Fill a large sauce pan with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
  • Chop all your vegetables ready. Add your squash cubes into the boiling water and boil until tender. This will take around 5-10 minutes.
  • Cook pasta as per packet instruction.
  • Meanwhile, add your oil or oil spray to a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and fry for around 5 minutes. Take care not to burn, as this will give an unpleasant bitter taste to your sauce. Add the chopped pepper and the chilli flakes and fry until pepper is soft.
  • Drain your cooked butternut squash cubes and cool them down by rinsing under a cold tap. Then add these to your blender. You may need to blend in stages depending on how big your blender or food processor is. Add the cooked onion, garlic and pepper to the blender. Add the drained tofu, mustard and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add in the stock until you gain a smooth sauce consistency.
  • If you do not have a food processor or blender you could add the butternut squash to the frying pan with the onion, garlic and pepper and use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
  • Add juice of lemon at the end and adjust seasoning to your liking.
  • Drain pasta (keep some of the water) add sauce and mix. If you need to loosen the sauce, use a splash of the pasta sauce.

Notes

Makes 6 medium lunch pots or 4 larger portions for dinner. Calories listed are for the lunch pots. 
Perfect served with a fresh salad and topped with crispy chickpeas! Please see my recipe for crispy chickpea topping. 
Keyword butternut squash, macaroni, tofu,, vegan, Vegetarian
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Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos

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High Protein Butternut Squash Tacos

Smoky, spicy, cheesy butternut squash tacos with aubergine and black beans.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 558 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Chopping board
  • 3 Medium baking trays
  • Oven Heated to 200 degrees celcius

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 Small Brown or red onions Sliced finely
  • 2 Sweet pepper Sliced into strips
  • 1 Medium Butternut squash Chopped into 1 inch chunks
  • 1 Medium Aubergine Chopped into 1 inch chunks
  • 400g Black beans drained
  • 8 Small Tortilla wraps or tacos
  • 4 Medium White potatoes Sliced into wedges
  • Grated cheddar cheese or crumbled feta cheese
  • Soured cream
  • Salsa and Guacamole
  • Chopped fresh chillis Optional
  • Crispy chickpeas Optional (see my recipe for crispy chickpeas)

Spice Mix

  • 3 Tsp Chipotle chilli paste
  • 2 Tsp Garlic granules
  • 2 Tsp Onion granules
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne pepper Omit if you don’t like it spicy
  • 2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Then peel, de-seed and chop the butternut squash into 1 inch chunks. Also cut the aubergine into similar size chunks. In a bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil and spice mix and stir until coated. Place vegetables onto a baking tray and cook for 30-35 minutes.
  • Cut potatoes into wedges, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to a baking tray and cook for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Turn them half way through cooking.
  • I like having the onion and pepper added into the tacos raw as it adds crunch and freshness. However you could add them to the butternut squash/aubergine mix half way through to soften them if you prefer.
  • Crumble your feta or grate your cheese ready for garnishing.
  • 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, drain your tin of black beans and add them to the aubergine/butternut sqaush mix and stir through.
  • At the same time, if using mini tortilla wraps, you can add them to the oven to warm up.
  • Fill your tacos with vegetable mixture, top with soured cream, salsa and guacamole. Top with chosen cheese. I like to top with my crispy chickpeas for added protein and crunch. See my recipe in the note for crispy chickpeas!

Notes

Chickpeas recipe
Calories are per serving, without toppings. 
Keyword butternut squash, chipotle chilli, taco