Gluten free, vegan Christmas pasta

I am one of those people who LOVES Christmas. As soon as the leaves turn and the nights stat drawing in I start humming festive jingles and yearning for mulled wine and cosy fluffy socks.

I’m getting in seasonal spirits today and cooking a delicious Christmassey pasta full of tasty flavours and using some new exciting ingredients.

As a coeliac with lactose intolerance, plenty of allergies and a vegetarian outlook Christmas can be a time when I watch other people eat and feel left out. To be honest I think everyone will want to join me when they see this dish. It’s also incorporating one of the new coconut-milk based cheese alternatives Sainsbury’s has introduced recently.

Start by finely chopping a butternut squash, placing into a roasting pan with a little olive oil and some chopped sage and roasting for approximately 1 hour. Butternut squash is a great Christmas flavour as it is sweet and rich. I always feel butternut squash to be quite luxurious, no matter how frequently I eat it! Once roasted place to one side and allow to cool.

I’m cooking this dish using a maize based gluten free penne but it will work equally well with gluten free gnocchi, spaghetti, or in fact in a risotto –one for me to try another time! Cook the pasta and drain. Stir the cooked pasta in with the roasted squash over a low heat and season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and fresh sage. Once evenly distributed I am then adding my super exciting ingredient. Chopped vegan Wensleydale with cranberries. Continue to stir as this melts through forming a very light sauce.

Once melted through serve immediately. The combination of squash, sage and cranberries is an incredible Christmas taste, in fact it’s getting me in the mood already… I can hear Home Alone films and Monopoly calling me….