Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables with Smokey Cheese Sauce - Dairy, Soy, Gluten Free, Vegan

  Last week I bought a zucchini, a yellow squash, and an eggplant simply because I liked the colors. I figured I could find something to do with them but inspiration never hit me. This morning I decided to try to do something with them tonight or they were going to end up in the trash; the eggplant was becoming soft and not so bright purple. So then as I was browsing Facebook and saw this recipe from GoingHomeToRoost.com and it was perfect! I used eggplant instead of mushrooms (we didn't have any mushrooms), and really had to scale down this recipe as it was originally made for 12 full grown men. So this is my version, but you can find the original recipe here. This was really yummy, though Chris and I both agreed when we make it again we will probably add some ground turkey.

Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 medium eggplant
1 yellow onion
1 bell pepper
1 Tbs olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Tbs Herbs De Provence
1 package GF penne pasta (or regular)
1 cup marinara sauce

Smokey Cheese Sauce:
1 Tbs Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread
1 Tbs GF all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 cup plain unsweetened coconut milk or other plain unsweetened non dairy milk
2 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
dash of Tabasco
1 tsp malt vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
1 cup Daiya Mozzarella cheese shreds

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion, and bell pepper, being careful to keep them all roughly the same size so they will roast evenly. Toss with oil, salt and pepper, and Herbs De Provence. Roast on large baking sheet until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and flour together over medium heat. Whisk in the coconut milk. Add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients except Daiya, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese shreds, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions, but remove from heat and drain while pasta is still slightly firm as it will continue to cook in the oven.

Spray a large casserole dish with olive oil. Add drained pasta, roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, and cheese sauce to casserole dish and stir until incorporated.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.