Vegan Pumpkin Penne

To give credit where it is due, I based this off another post, Penne With Pumpkin Sauce because it looked delicious but I decided to change some ingredients to make it vegetarian suitable (primarily vegan) and healthier. I would garnish this with real parmesan as shown in the original post, but vegans and the lactose intolerant may like to use My Vegan Parmesan. This would be great with whole wheat pasta or that Ronzoni Smart Taste stuff made from veggies.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 2
• Yields: 2

Ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup  chopped onion
• 1  garlic clove (1/2 tsp minced)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 2⁄3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1  cup vegetable broth
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 2  tablespoons unsweetened soymilk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 lb penne pasta
• 3  tablespoons  minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil over moderate heat until soft and translucent.
2. Stir in the pumpkin, broth, water, soymilk, nutmeg, and some salt & pepper to taste.
3. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
4. While the sauce is simmering, boil the penne in salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes.
5. Dain penne well, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water.
6. Add the penne to the sauce and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring and thinning with reserved water if needed, for 5-20minutes or until pasta is well-coated.
7. Stir parsley into pasta and serve with parmesan cheese, as desired.