Messy Monster Macky-Oni

Sometimes the best dishes are made completely unintentionally.  Last week I had a bundle of kale that needed to be used, and I was in the mood for my Mac and Yease.  So I decided to combine the two, making super green pasta—no artificial colors needed!

I often call David my messy monster—while some of his friends seem to be such neat eaters, not even needing a bib, David ends up with food everywhere!  I call him my “messy monster.”  And he calls Mac and Yease “Macky-Oni.”  This is how Messy Monster Macky-Oni was born!

Don’t be fooled by the name though—smooth and creamy, with all the same comforts of traditional macaroni, this pasta is a hit for both kids and adults.  While David gobbled up 3 bowls (3 bowls, with kale!!!), Irving and I each enjoyed a large portion ourselves!

And while you can use any pasta you like, we’ve been enjoying a new-to-us pasta from Jovial Pasta called Einkorn.  It’s made from an ancient wheat, and is packed with more nutrients than your typical pasta (including 9g of protein per serving!), but without the cardboard taste that some whole wheat pastas have.

Enjoy this yummy bowl of comfort—perfect for rainy Seattle days!

Messy Monster Macky-Oni  (this sauce recipe makes enough for 2 pounds of pasta—make it once and freeze half of it for later!)

2 c water
2 T tahini paste
¼ c nutritional yeast
½ tsp garlic powder
2 t salt
¼ tsp turmeric
2 t onion powder
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, diced and cooked in 1 c water
1 bunch of kale (about 3 cups)
1 zucchini, grated
1 pound pasta

Place potatoes in a small pot with water and boil until fork tender.  Once the potatoes are close to done, add kale on top and let it steam to soften a little bit until the potatoes are completely done (2 or 3 minutes).

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta water is heating, place the contents of the potato/kale pot into the blender and blend until smooth.  Then add remaining sauce ingredients into the blender: up to 2 cups of water (depending on how thick you like your sauce), tahini, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, turmeric, and onion powder. Blend until smooth.

Pour half of the sauce into a large pot (large enough to hold pasta) and warm over low heat while the pasta finishes cooking.  Add drained pasta to pot and mix well to coat.  Add grated zucchini and mix again.  Top with Carma John or other vegan parmesan and enjoy!

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