Baked Rigatoni

Having babies messes with your body. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my son for anything. He is worth every bit of saggy, lumpy belly skin and even worth what I am about to disclose. Ever since having my son, my bowels have not been the same. I thought they were efficient before. Now, we will just say that if I am running over 6 miles, I'm in trouble. Imagine training for and running two marathons postpartum. Route planning is critical: parks, gas stations, constructions sites (porta-potties), etc. It is awful. And yet, I keep running. (There is something wrong with me.)

So, because of this lovely curse, I have been playing with my pre-race/long run meals. And I think I may have finally made a break through. It will blow you away. Pasta. Pasta is my answer. I did my last long(ish) run of 14 miles before my marathon (in 2 days, AH!) and I had no G.I. issues. That has not happened since before I got pregnant. And I am 15 months postpartum in 4 days. So this is a big deal. What did I eat the night before. This pasta dish. When I pulled it out of the oven my husband looked at me like a deer in the headlights. "What?" He asked dumbfounded. I sighed and said, "I know. I hate pasta. But I am experimenting with different pre-long run foods." And it worked. Hallelujah, it worked. And, as far as pasta goes, it wasn't too bad. And if I am saying that, and my non-vegan husband, who LOVES cheese, didn't even put cheese on it, I am pretty proud

Ingredients

1 box rigatoni or other small/tubular pasta (gf if needs be)

1 jar marinara sauce

*vegan Parmesan cheese

-3/4 c raw cashews

-3 T nutritional yeast

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

*the Parmesan is not my recipe. I got it it from The Minimalist Baker

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring water to boil and add almost the entire box of pasta, cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and make your Parmesan cheese by combining all ingredients in a food processor and process until a fine(ish) meal is achieved. Don't turn it into paste.

3. Once pasta is soft, drain the water and put back into the sauce pan. Combine noodles with sauce, you want it pretty sloppy because it will dry out in the oven, and Parmesan cheese. Scoop into a ceramic or glass baking dish and cover with a lid or foil and bake 30 minutes.

4. After 30 minutes are up, remove the lid or foil and bake 15 minutes.

5. ENJOY

#vegan #glutenfree #cleaneating #italian #pasta #dinner #cooking #cashews #exercise #foodprocessor #food #marinarasauce