Needless to say Thanksgiving is going to look a lot different than years past – we typically either host or spend it with either of our families where (no surprise) we all cook a big feast together! As vegetarians, some sort of pasta dish is always a staple  on our Thanksgiving menu! And why not – between the abundance of fall harvest, different combination of sauces – the possibilities are endless! When you have a long list of dishes to make, advanced meal prep and shortcuts become key to managing stress on Thanksgiving Day! Enter this dish: Broccoli Cheddar Pasta! 

It has the ooegy gooey cheesiness of Mac & Cheese (which obvi is THE classic Thanksgiving side dish) paired with the flavors of our favorite soup (broccoli cheddar). Added bonus: the Tofurky packs a protein punch so you’re not carb overloaded! What makes this dish so great is that its jarred pasta sauce. That’s right! No roux, no whisking in grated cheese – just straight up Ragu Double Cheddar sauce! Of course we doctor it with a bunch of jalapeños, serranos and onions but other than that the seasoning is pretty minimal which allows the veggies to shine! We already have made a batch of sauce for this Thanksgiving, even though its going to be the two of us and our 5 month old puppy, if you’re still looking for a yummy pasta side – we hope you’ll try this one out! 

Tips & Tricks

• We usually make a large batch of the sauce and freeze individual portions; then when we need to we can just boil our pasta of choice and mix in with the sauce 
• We like using a rotini or elbow macaroni to really soak up the sauce flavors but this works great with even gnocchi or zoodles if you’re watching your carb content! 
• We love the Tofurky brand sausage and used the Spinach Pesto flavor here; they also have an Italian sausage flavor that would be great
• When making a batch for a large group, we like pouring the pasta into a casserole dish, topping with cheese and crispy onions and broiling on high for a couple of minutes to get that crispy crust

Recipe Information

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 jalapeños
• 2 serranos diced
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
• 1 bag frozen broccoli florets 
• 2 Tofurky sausage 
• 1 bottle Ragu Double Cheddar sauce
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 4-5 tbsp milk
• 1 cup pasta of choice 

Directions

1. Sauté onions and jalapeños/serranos in olive oil until soft and fragrant ~5-7 min
2. Add mushrooms and broccoli and cooked covered on medium heat for ~5-7 min
3. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
4. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, sauté medallions of the tofurkey sausage in some olive oil for about 10 min till crispy on both sides 
5. Cook pasta according to package directions
6. Add whole can of Ragu sauce and milk to broccoli/mushroom mixture and let simmer 
7. Add in sliced sausage and stir 
8. Add in pasta and stir till combined – serve with additional cheese and red pepper flakes