Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
The BEST and SILKIEST vegan butternut squash mac & cheese you will ever try!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 2 cups roasted butternut squash
- 1 cup dairy free creamer
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 white or yellow onion chopped
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- For the garnish
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 cup butternut squash small dice
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- 1/3 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Place butternut squash on baking sheet, spray with cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast squash for 35-40 minutes, or until it easily mashes with a fork. Allow squash to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp vegan butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Combine butter, garlic and onions with roasted butternut squash, non dairy creamer, vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, mustard powder, salt and pepper in a large high speed blender. Blend on high until your sauce is smooth and silky.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water before straining pasta.
- Add sauce back to sauté pan and turn heat to medium. Add vegan cheddar shreds and melt into sauce, stirring constantly. Once cheese has melted into sauce, adjust seasoning as needed. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add pasta cooking water, if needed, to thin the sauce.
- For the garnish: In a small skillet, heat 2 tbsp vegan butter over medium heat. Add diced butternut squash and cook 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped walnuts and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Lastly, add sage leaves and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, or until squash is brown and sage is crispy.