Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a medium pot of water over high heat and season heavily with salt. Peel and mince the shallot. Thinly slice the roasted red pepper. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta shells and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain pasta into a colander. Rinse pasta under cold water and toss with 1 tsp oil.

Rinse, dry, and zest the lemon. In a blender combine the pepitas, 2 tsp nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pulse to a coarse mix. To a medium bowl, add the pepita parmesan from the blender. Stir in 1 tsp of lemon zest and 1 tsp of oregano. Wipe down your blender.

Rinse and dry the asparagus and trim the tough ends, about 1 inch from the bottom of the stalk. Chop the asparagus into 2 inch long pieces and transfer to a baking sheet. Toss with 1 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until bright green and tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the vegan butter. Add the shallot and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add half of the roasted red pepper, almond milk, cornstarch, remaining 2 tsp nutritional yeast, and reserved pasta water. Stir to combine. Carefully, transfer the roasted red pepper sauce to the blender.

Blend on high until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper and return to skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 4 to 6 minutes. To the same skillet, add cooked pasta shells, roasted asparagus, remaining roasted red pepper, and remaining 1 tsp oregano. Stir to combine and season with remaining lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

Finely chop the green olives. Divide creamy roasted red pepper pasta between your plates and top generously with pepita parmesan and olives. Mangia!