Gluten-Free Winter Fusilli Pasta with Chard, Mushrooms, Walnut Sauce
A rich toasted walnut sauce, hearty mushrooms, and beautiful red chard come together for simple Italian flavor in this plant-based winter pasta. Gluten-Free chickpea fusilli noodles have healthy vegan protein. Enjoy this satisfying oil-free entrée when you crave satisfying comfort food.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
For the Toasted Walnut Sauce: Place the walnuts in a baking pan and toast in the 350F oven until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove and let cool.
While the walnuts toast, prepare the pasta and chard mixture. Heat a wide sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and spread into a single layer. Let them cook until brown, about 8-10 minutes. Stir only once or twice while the mushrooms brown – the more contact they have with the pan, the faster they’ll cook.
While the mushrooms brown, strip the chard leaves away from the stems. Place the leaves aside, and chop the stems into bite-sized pieces. Once the mushrooms have started to brown, add the chard stems. Saute 2-3 minutes, until the stems have softened. This is a good time to drop the pasta into the boiling water.
Cook the pasta “al dente”, according to the package directions (usually about 8 to 10 minutes). If the pasta is done before everything else, reserve 2 cups of the boiling water, drain the remaining water, and set aside until everything else is ready.
While the pasta cooks, finish the chard and mushroom mixture. Add the chard leaves to the pan with the mushrooms. Stir well and sauté until the chard leaves are tender, about 5 minutes.
To finish the Toasted Walnut Sauce: Transfer the toasted walnuts to a blender. Add the cannellini beans, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, pepper, salt, and 2 cups of the pasta boiling water. Puree until creamy. Taste to adjust seasoning.
To finish the Fusilli with Winter Pasta with Chard, Mushrooms, and Toasted Walnut Sauce: When the chard is tender, add the cooked pasta and toasted walnut sauce to the pan. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring well, until everything is combined and steaming hot. Taste to adjust seasoning.