I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: pumpkin doesn’t always have to be sweet. Don’t believe me? Try out this cheap and easy Vegan Pumpkin & Sage Casserole! This dish is all about texture. There’s smooth and creamy pumpkin sauce, firm vegan sausage, curly al dente cavatappi noodles, and crispy fried sage crumbled on top! What a delight for your taste buds!
When I wrote this recipe I just kept thinking to myself, “How much fall can I fit into one dish?”, and I think the answer is clear. For all your Friendsgivings, Thanksgivings, and various fall gatherings, this is a great dish to bring. It takes less than an hour to throw together, is made with simple healthy ingredients, and it will please your dairy sensitive and plant based community.
Ingredients
- Cavatappi Pasta
- Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages
- Kale
- Vegan Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce
- Olive oil
- Sage leaves
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
. If you have another plant based sausage you’d prefer to use, go for it, but this brand is delicious! You can find them in many major grocery stores, including select Costco locations.
. Store bought pumpkin pasta sauces aren’t always easy to find, even in the fall. I’ve got an awesome recipe for a sauce linked in the ingredient list and recipe notes, but if you’re looking for a grocer that sells sauce, Trader Joes has a seasonal pumpkin alfredo that could also work in this dish.
. Fresh sage leaves are highly recommended for this recipe. Sage may be growing readily in your neighborhood so keep an eye out and read up on how to identify it!
How to Make this Casserole
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°. Set you water to boil for you pasta. To maximize efficiency while waiting for the water to boil and then the pasta to cook, wash and shred your kale and cut up your sausages into bits. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to a large bowl along with your pre-made pumpkin sauce, finely shredded kale, and sausage. Stir it all up until mixed, then spread it into an oven safe casserole dish.
To make the topping, heat olive oil in a medium pan. While it heats, pinch off the leaves from the stem of your sage and throw them into the oil. You want to cook this on high heat to fry it, otherwise the oil will soak into the leaves and make them soggy. Fry these until they’re crispy, then toss them onto a cutting board and let them cool a minute or two. Once cooled, chop the leaves roughly and mash them up with the other topping ingredients. Sprinkle this mix on top and bake the casserole for at least 30 minutes before serving.
What to Pair this With
This casserole is fairly balanced, so it can stand alone as a satiating, filling meal. If you’re like me, you may feel lightly disappointed at the thought of only one food on your plate. If that’s the case, this pairs well with a light salad of mixed dark leafy greens and balsamic dressing.
Vegan Pumpkin & Sage Casserole
Equipment
- Small or square casserole dish
- Blender
- Large Pot
Ingredients
Casserole Filling
- 4 cups cavatappi noodles, cooked
- 2 Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 cups kale, finely shredded
- 2 1/2 cups Vegan Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce, linked in notes below
Topping
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5-6 sprigs sage, about 20 leaves
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large pot, boil your cavatappi noodles as directed, then strain and dump them into a large bowl.
- Unwrap your Field Roast sausages and cut them in half lengthwise, then hold the halves together while you cut your bit sized half moons. Another way to do this is to slice the sausage into rounds, then slice all the individual rounds in half.
- Next, shred your kale. Even if you bought it pre-shredded, give it a quick go with a sharp knife. You want it in there for color, fiber, and micronutrients, but the point of this dish is not to taste kale.
- Add the sauce, kale, and sausage to the large bowl with the noodles and mix it up until the sauce has covered everything.
- Spread this into a medium sized casserole dish.
- In a medium frying pan, heat olive oil and add in sage leaves. You want to fry them in the oil until they’ve gotten dark and crispy. Make sure to fry them on high enough heat, otherwise you’ll get soggy oily leaves.
- Once fried and cooled a minute or two, chop the leaves up roughly and add them to a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mash it up until it’s a crumbly consistency, then sprinkle evenly on top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
- Click here for my Vegan Cheesy Pumpkin Sauce.
- This casserole’s sauce comes out rather thick. It’s more like a pasty coating than a wet sauce. If that bothers you, try adding an additional ½ cup cashew milk to the blender when you make the sauce.