Allergens: vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened
Makes: about 8 large portions
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
This is one of my favourite recipes. Whenever people make it they are amazed that it actually contains no cheese!
This one is perfect if you’re just starting to reduce your dairy consumption but you still want something that tastes “cheesy.”
I love making this dish on a Sunday night and then getting leftovers all week! It’s a win win. But of course you can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to eat mac and cheese all week (but why wouldn’t you?).
The sauce is made by combining cooked butternut squash, sweat potatoes and nutritional yeast, among a few other essential “cheesy” features. All together it looks like a melted cheese sauce and the nutritional yeast adds a rich cheese like flavour!
We think you’ll love this one! Let us know what you think.
Vegan Butternut Mac and “Cheese” Recipe
Ingredients
- Half of a large butternut squash
- 2 sweet potatoes
- ½ cup soaked cashews
- 1 small yellow onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 1 box of macaroni (I used a gluten free macaroni – use whatever variety you prefer)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup oat milk (or any other thick and neutral plant milk. Soy milk would also work.)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (I used gluten free but use whatever variety you prefer or make your own.)
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning mix
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green onions to garnish
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Peal and chop the butternut squash, sweat potatoes and onion. Then place this in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until the squash is soft.
- Boil the macaroni according to package instructions.
- Once the veggies are cooked, drain them and place them in a high speed blender with the garlic, nutritional yeast, oat milk, soaked and drained cashews, spices, soy sauce and Dijon. Blend until a thick sauce forms.
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Grease a standard sized casserole dish then pour in the cooked pasta and sauce. Stir until combined.
- Top the dish with the breadcrumbs.
- Bake for about 45 minutes uncovered, or until slightly brown on top.
- Garnish with green onions and enjoy!
Alana Walter is a food aficionado. Her passion for cooking and baking started at a young age. Being celiac and plant based presents Alana with a unique opportunity to look at food in a different way. But her “free-from” food is the furthest thing from boring. Her goal is to break down the barriers people have towards cooking with dietary restrictions. Alana is one of the co-founders of ThoughtNotion.
