Whole Grain Spaghetti with Curried Butternut Squash Sauce and Quinoa-Falafel Balls

YIELD: 24 servings

3 lbs. whole-grain spaghetti
6 lbs. butternut squash, cut into 1” cubes
3 oz. olive oil
1 1/8 cups curry powder
3 qts. low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
9 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
6 Tbsps. organic almond butter
2 Tbsps. white pepper
2 Tbsps. kosher salt
2 ¼ lbs. canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups fresh mint, chopped
1 ½ cups fresh parsley, chopped
6 Tbsps. garlic, minced
6 Tbsps. onion, minced
¾  cup organic tahini
6 lemons, juiced
2 Tbsps. kosher salt
2 Tbsps. white pepper
3 oz. extra virgin olive oil
4 ½ lbs. quinoa, cooked
2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
3 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lbs. baby sweet peas, defrosted
3 cups almonds, toasted

1. Cook pasta for half the time indicated on the package. Drain pasta and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking. Place pasta flat on sheet trays or hotel pans and cool in a blast chiller. Alternatively, cool in a walk-in cooler. Store in zip-top bags or sealed plastic container; refrigerate and use within several hours.

2. To make the sauce: Toss squash cubes with 3 oz. of the oil. Add curry powder and toss. Spread squash on sheet pan and roast at 350°F until golden brown. In batches, puree the squash, broth, coconut milk and almond butter until smooth. Season with the salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

3. To make falafel balls: In batches in a food processor, pulse until chunky the chickpeas with the mint, parsley, garlic, onion, tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. In a large bowl, add the chunky mixture to the quinoa and toss with the flour to combine. Make 1 oz. balls of the mixture, for 120 total. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

4. For each serving, to order: Reheat 1 cup pasta in simmering water. Meanwhile, sauté 5 falafel balls in a hot pan with ¾ tsp. oil until golden brown. Bring about 1 cup squash puree to a simmer. Drain and add the reheated pasta. Add 1 oz. peas and heat through. Plate the pasta with the browned falafel balls and top with 2 Tbsps. almonds.