Gluten-Free Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

It’s officially here….. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!! I’ll let you in on a little secret, I couldn’t be happier. I love all the months of the year, mind you, but there’s just something about September 1 – January 1 that floats all my boats.

The recipe below is from Explore Cuisine (so you know it’s a knock-out). Have you tried their gluten-free pasta? It’s healthy, affordable, and best of all, crazy delicious. Explore Cuisine will, hopefully, become steadily available in more grocery stores – until then, you can find it easily on Amazon.  It’s just fantastic.

Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

• Prep time: 45 mins
• Cook time: 55 mins
• Total time: 1 hour 40 mins
• Serves: 3-4 servings

For the Cashew Cream:

• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 cup water boiling water
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 sheets Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne
• 2 cups prepared tomato sauce
• 1 t0 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)

For The Filling:

• 15oz canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ to ½ tsp salt (to taste)
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare the cashew cream (this can be prepared ahead of time), soak the cashews in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water
2. Combine the soaked cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and the ½ cup of reserved soaking water in a high power blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use
3. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the lasagna sheets and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep them from sticking together
4. While the pasta cooks, prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside until ready to use
5. Once the pasta sheets are cooked, drain them and run them under cold water (if any of the sheet are stuck together, separate them carefully). Set them aside
6. Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the prepared tomato sauce and red pepper flakes (if using) and pour on the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish. Spoon about half of the cashew cream over the sauce
7. To prepare the cannelloni, place about a tablespoon and a half of filling on each pasta sheet and carefully roll each one. Arrange them on the baking dish, over the tomato sauce and cashew cream. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes
8. Drizzle with the remaining cashew cream before serving. Serve warm